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Ive heard wonderful things about the nature made ones you linked to. My personal favorites were my Trader Joes ones. Im finishing my bottle of GNC ones now, and I liked TJs better. 1 per day as opposed to two.
TJs does have extra of some of the ingredients in them (I remember the label reading like 300% on a few of them) but I believe they were the minerals/vitamins that your body cannot absorb extra of so you excrete it (aka pee) it out, which is why its so flourescent yellow lol.
@ejs4y8 - She told me to start on prental vitamins at least 2-3 months before TTC, but it didn't matter if I started them earlier than that. So 6 months in advance isn't required. :)
I figure I'll just start on them once I run out of my current vitamins (I still probably have a month or more left of my current bottle), but I wanted to do some research on which ones I should buy ahead of time.
Okay good!! 6 months seemed REALLY early! But i couldn't find a lick of info on google
Want to know a secret? Any multi-vitamin with folic acid is the same as prenatal vitamins but at a fraction of the cost :D
My favorites are these gummy ones from Target. I can't think of the name at the moment, but my doctor just said to look for any vitamin that had a certain amount of folic acid and a few other things, so maybe your doctor can tell you what to look for in a good vitamin?
@ejs4y8: LOL I just thought the same thing! I better get me some prenatals!
@nut9108: My best friend told me that as well. As long as you're taking something with 100% folic acid in it, you're fine. Are there other vitamins that are key in prenatals that a multi-vitamin doesn't have?
"So maybe your doctor can tell you what to look for in a good vitamin?"
She just told me any mainstream OTC prenatal would be fine.
My doctor told me any prenatal with folic acid is fine. Basically they're all the same so unless you have a allergy to something the generic ones are the same as the expensive ones. However now I'm on a prescription one that I got when I went to my first appointment.
I'd say pick the gummy ones or a coated one cause the first ones I had weren't coated and they'd always leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Taking folic acid a few months before is really important because it helps prevent spinal cord birth defects. And I did come across a study that said starting even sooner than 2-3 months (like 6 months) was even better.
Calcium is another good vitamin to take before ttc/pregnancy that might not be in your prenatal or multivitamin (the reason for this is that calcium can interfere with absorption of other key vitamins like iron or zinc, so it's best to take calcium at a different time than your prenatal or multivitamin). Or, instead of taking a supplement, you can try to make sure you are getting enough calcium in your diet.
I like New Chapter Perfect Prentals (the newer formula without soy) because they're organic, but before and while ttc, I used a regular multivitamin with folic acid because they were cheaper.
"Are there other vitamins that are key in prenatals that a multi-vitamin doesn't have?"
I don't think so much different vitamins, just different amounts. I noticed the prenatals have less of a lot of things than the Target women's vitamin I'm currently taking. The one I'm currently taken has a lot of vitamins over 100% DV, the prenatals seem to stick to 50-100%. (Makes sense, I read that too much of certain vitamins can cause problems for a developing baby; for example too much Vitamin A can cause birth defects.)
I was told it needs folic acid and DHA. But the one I already got doesn't have enough folic acid or any DHA, so I got seperate folic acid and DHA pills.
@cupcake81: I'm actually writing a paper this weekend on folic acid and neural development in mice (which is very similar to humans), haha.
Also, the FDA puts a full dose of folic acid in all of our bread products. Neurulation happens before most women know they are pregnant and it is the only factor we (science community) know that can prevent spinal cord defects. The solution was just to spike all the bread products since you can never have too much folic acid :p
Regular vitamins plus folic acid and prenatals are not the same. Regular multi's have too mcuh vitamin A, which is dangerous for pregnancy.
Here is what my doctor said to take:
@snmcdowell: My developmental biology professor would beg to differ with you ;) As long as your Vitamin A intake is under 10,000 IU there is no risk in Vitamin A toxicity. The average Nature's Made Multivitamin only has 3,000 IU which leaves room for any high Vitamin A foods that may be ingested during the day (not including B-carotenoids).
My doctor gave me enough free samples of this prenatal to last me throughout pregnancy. You might ask your doctor is he/she has any samples, too!
@Lillindy: You found a gummy vitamin that has folic acid and iron? I'll have to go read the labels at Target I haven't tracked one down yet and really want a gummy
@troubled: No, it doesn't have iron. But my iron levels are okay and my doctor said I don't need to worry about iron supplements.
In regard to the Vitamin A, when checking your vitamin label, see if it lists the source of the Vitamin A. Mine is all from beta-carotene, and I read that this form of Vitamin A doesn't lead to birth defects.
@nut9108 Interesting fact about the bread! Does your research look at the importance of choline? I've heard that it also helps with neural development, but it doesn't seem to get nearly the coverage that folic acid does. And because it's not in most prenatals, I wasn't sure how important it is.
I'm in the same boat, pre-TTC, but started taking prenatal vitamins. I ended up with New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal after consulting with the pharmacist. I really like like them. I can just swill one down with some coffee in the morning before breakfast and I never feel nauseous. They are a little spendy, but I saw them on Amazon for a discount too.
Thanks for the link Lillindy, I might have to go get them this weekend.
In addition to folic acid, iron is also fairly important during pregnancy.
Right now I just take a multivitamin that has all the good stuff for pregnancy and none of the doctors I've seen suggested doing otherwise when I told them.
@cupcake81: I'm actually looking at the role of certain genes that make mice folate-resistant and whether folic acid supplementation can overcome this. I'm also looking at the role of inositol supplementation as a possible factor in neurulation. It would be interesting to look at the role of choline though!
I'm taking the NatureMade ones. I like them, but I couldn't take them in the morning...they made me sick. So I'm taking them at night.
Make sure to check labels carefully. I bought my first pills from an organic market type store and I was supposed to take 4 a day. Yeah right!
@Lillindy: I'm not TTC, nor do I plan to (ever), but those are the ones I take! I wanted a gummy and those ended up being so delicious!
I use the Naturemade ones. They don't make me sick and it has the right requirements, to my knowledge. You can find them at Costco. When I ran out, I switched for a week in the second trimester to my hospital ones and was less than thrilled when I compared the ingredients. I accidentally heated those up sitting on the toaster oven so I dumped them and went back to the Naturemade ones. I'll likely buy the same for breastfeeding. I think the only thing I ever read that was negative about them, was that someone didn't like the red dye and they are on the bigger side.
@Lillindy: Thank you so much for that suggestion! I have trouble swallowing pills, and I could only find chewables that taste like tush. I'm excited to try those!
GUMMIES!!!!
Awesome! The only pill i can remember to take every day is my birth control, and it's teeny tiny!
Oh yeah, I'm all about gummies. It feels like more of a treat so it helps me remember to take it. That's why my calcium is in gummy form, too. :)
I like "Alive" brand vitamins. They are a little more expensive, but I think they are great. Some generic vitamins have yellow #5 and other harmful "colors."
I ended up getting the "One-a-day" ones, because they had slightly less art. coloring (than the Naturemade ones) and they came with DHA. However, those New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal seems fantastic and I hope to order those.
I am confused about what calcium supp. to take. Any recommendations on that? Does it matter which one? I am so paranoid about what is NOT safe...
I ordered the New Chapter Perfect Prenatal to try out. Thanks for the replies everyone!
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My fiance and I are going to start TTC shortly after our wedding next year. At my last appointment, I asked my OB/GYN if there was anything I needed to be doing now to prepare for that, one of the things she told me was to start taking an OTC prenatal vitamin.
How did you choose a prenatal vitamin?
So far, this is at the top of my list because it doesn't have dyes or soy and is a mainstream brand: http://www.naturemade.com/ProductDatabase/prd_prod.asp?tab=Products§ion=2&productid=182