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If you’re pregnant or looking to get pregnant, there is a good chance you’ve been on the market for a prenatal supplement.
As a general recommendation, you want to get most of your vitamins and minerals from your diet through whole food sources. Yet, we do need to recognize that our foods and soil are not the same as it used to be. With increased usage of pesticides and pollution, the quality of our food from the grocery store is poor.
So when you are purchasing a prenatal, what should you be looking for? Here are some tips!
Pay attention to the label on the back
Not all forms of a vitamin are created equal. Some forms are more bioavailable than others, meaning that they are better absorbed by the body. If the packaging does not specifically state what form the vitamin is in, the company is probably using the cheapest form of the nutrient. Here is an example:
Folate
Folate is necessary to make DNA and modify proteins in your body.
One of the easiest ways to rule out a bad quality prenatal is if they use folic acid. Folic acid is the synthetic (man made) form of folate (vitamin B9). Though folic acid is more easily absorbed, it is not more readily utilized by your body.
Folate vs. Folic Acid
When you consume folic acid, it has to convert it to the active form of folate, which is a 5 step process called methylation. Methylation is necessary in many processes, such as hormone production, inflammation, and immune regulation. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts and speed up reactions in your body. One enzyme that is necessary for the conversion of folic acid to folate is methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR).
The problem is that over 40% of the population have a gene variant to the MTHFR gene. With this mutation comes a decreased ability to metabolize folic acid. In other words, you may be taking it in, but you can’t utilize it. And since we can’t convert it, a buildup of folic acid in your blood will occur. This is why they test for this gene variant if you have had multiple miscarriages.
You can opt to do a blood test to see if you have the MTHFR gene variant, but it normally is not covered by insurance. Or, you can skip the genetic testing and just get a prenatal with an active form of folate. That way, your body won’t need to convert it to anything because you’re already supplementing with a bioavailable form.
Forms of folate to look for are: L-methylfolate (L-5-MTHF) or folinic acid (calcium folinate).
Calcium
Calcium is important for bone formation and metabolism, which your body is doing a lot of because you’re making a whole human!
Some food sources of calcium are dairy products like cheese, yogurt and milk. The recommendation is up to 1300mg a day for pregnant women. But if you consume dairy in your diet regularly, you may be comfortable with taking a prenatal lower in calcium.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important during pregnancy because it helps to support bone development. It can also reduce the risks of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and preterm birth.
The recommendation for Vitamin D for pregnant mamas is 600IU, but emerging research is suggesting that number may actually be too low. This is because a good majority of our population is deficient in vitamin D. There are also many people who heavily advocate for sunscreen all day everyday, which unfortunately blocks vitamin D from being synthesized through the sun. This can be fixed by getting about 5-30 minutes of sun exposure twice a week without sunscreen.
If you do choose a prenatal with vitamin D, make sure that it also contains vitamin K2, otherwise known as menaquinone. Vitamin D and vitamin K2 work together to make sure that calcium goes where it is supposed to: your blood and bones and not to your soft tissues or blood vessels.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important during pregnancy because it is used to make collagen, grow and repair tissues, and absorb iron. When you are looking for a prenatal, try to pick one without ascorbic acid as the form of vitamin C. Just like how folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, ascorbic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin C.
Iron
Your body has increased iron needs during pregnancy because you need to make red blood cells for you and baby. Your body is also constantly supplying oxygen and blood to you baby. Ideally, you’re looking for about 27-30mg of iron in your prenatal supplement.
Magnesium
Magnesium can decrease pre-eclampsia and reduce fetal growth restriction. Magnesium is also linked to healthy birth weight outcomes and can helps with leg cramps and bowel movements (no more constipation!). The recommendation for magnesium during pregnancy is 350mg.
Prenatal Recommendations
There isn’t a brand that is going to hit every one of these requirements, so it is up to you to choose the one that will work best for what you’re looking for. Some great options currently available on the market are:
Conclusion
Hopefully you will find these tips helpful as you look for the best prenatal for you. Note that this list is not all encompassing, as there are many other nutrients not mentioned that are important during pregnancy. Furthermore, nutrition is NOT one size fits all. You need to figure out what works best for you and your personal nutrition needs. For example, if you are deficient in vitamin D, you may want to look for a prenatal with a higher amount of vitamin D. But, if you get plenty of sun exposure, you may be okay with one with a lower dose. Either way, you are the best person to choose what you and your baby needs.
If you liked this post, be sure to check out my post on The Glucose Tolerance Test!
Now I want to hear from you!
What prenatal did you take during pregnancy?
Would you recommend it?
Let me know by leaving me a comment down below!
Sources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1007/s10897-016-9956-7
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31669079/
