Introduction
When it comes to Natural Family Planning (NFP), the holistic approach to reproductive health is fundamental, and prenatal vitamins play a key role in that approach. Prenatals are not just beneficial for those planning a pregnancy, but they are an integral part of women's health in the broader scope of NFP. This blog post will explain who should take prenatal vitamins, what to look for when choosing a prenatal vitamin, as well as my recommendations for the best prenatal vitamins.
Who Should Take Prenatal Vitamins?
Planning for Pregnancy: Women considering pregnancy, you should start taking prenatal vitamins at least 3 months before trying to conceive. This is because your body will already have an adequate amount of each essential vitamin at time of conception. Plus, certain things such as the baby's neural tube, which becomes the brain and spinal cord, develop within the first month of pregnancy, which may be prior to even knowing that you are pregnant!
During Pregnancy: Essential throughout pregnancy for both the mother's and baby's health.
Postpartum: Beneficial during breastfeeding to replenish nutrients.
ALL Women of Reproductive Age: All women of reproductive age are recommended to take a daily folic acid supplement per recommendations of the USPSTF (United States Preventative Services Task Force), and therefore should take daily prenatal vitamins to not only include folic acid, but also other essential daily vitamins for overall health and wellness.
Understanding Prenatal Vitamins in the Context of NFP
Broadening the NFP Perspective: NFP is more than just fertility tracking; it's about comprehensive wellness. Prenatal vitamins play a crucial role in this wellness journey.
Benefits Beyond Pregnancy Planning: Prenatal vitamins provide essential nutrients beneficial to all women, regardless of their pregnancy plans.
Key Components of Prenatal Vitamins
Folic Acid: Crucial for preventing birth defects of the baby's brain and spine. It also is vital for cellular growth and regeneration, supporting overall women's health and wellness. For women with a family history of neural tube defects (NTD) or known MTHFR gene mutation, methylfolate is recommended over folic acid. This is the active form of folate, which means that it bypasses the metabolization and activation step required of folic acid and is therefore more readily available to the body.
Recommended daily dose is at least 400 mcg.
Iron: Supports the development of the placenta and fetus and helps prevent anemia. Additionally, iron is crucial for a woman's energy levels and overall vitality, aligning with the NFP focus on maintaining a healthy, balanced body.
Recommended daily dose is at least 27 mg.
Calcium and Vitamin D: Essential for fetal bone and teeth development. Furthermore, calcium and Vitamin D are important for women's bone health, so these nutrients in prenatal vitamins complement the NFP emphasis on long-term health planning.
Recommended daily dose levels vary, but generally around 200-300 mg of calcium and 600 IU (15mcg) of Vitamin D.
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid): An omega-3 fatty acid important for fetal brain development as well as women's brain health. This vitamin can also be found in certain foods such as fish.
Recommended daily dose of at least 200 mg.
Choline: Important for neural and brain development.
Recommended daily dose of 450mg.
Most prenatals do not contain enough choline to meet the recommended daily value of 450mg, so it is suggested to take an additional daily choline vitamin supplement if your prenatal vitamin does not contain at least 450mg of choline.
Iodine: Important for thyroid function and brain development.
Recommended daily dose is approximately 150 mcg.
Choosing the Right Prenatal Vitamins for Your NFP Journey
Avoid Gummy Vitamins: Gummy vitamins do not contain iron, which is essential in pregnancy and helpful to prevent anemia in all women. Additionally, while many gummy vitamins contain different required vitamins and minerals, they do not contain adequate amounts of each to fulfill the recommended daily value. Plus, the nutrients that gummies do contain can be from artificial sources, which can affect their bioavailability and therefore decrease their uptake within the body. Finally, gummy vitamins also contain added sugars.
Consulting Healthcare Experts: Prior to starting any new supplements, make sure to discuss with a qualified medical healthcare provider, especially to understand how these supplements fit into your NFP plan.
Quality Matters: Opt for reputable brands that follow stringent testing of products and manufacturing guidelines to ensure that you're getting the best in your prenatal vitamin.
Personal Needs and Tolerances: Given that every woman's body is unique, make sure to check vitamin labels in order to ensure that they meet your specific dietary needs. Many vitamins are GMO and vegan. Additionally, read the ingredients listed on the nutrition fact label to confirm that you don't have any allergies to components within the vitamins.
My Top Prenatal Vitamin Recommendations:
One A Day Advanced: Contains all essential vitamins and nutrients to meet recommended daily dose. It also contains 110mg of choline.
Walgreens Duo (One A Day Advanced Copycat): Contains the same vitamin and nutrient makeup as the One A Day Advanced prenatal vitamins but at a cheaper price point.
Rainbow Light (Daily Duo): This prenatal vitamin not only contains adequate amount of essential vitamins and nutrients, but it features an organic superfood blend and an enzyme and probiotic blend. It supports good digestion and gut health, and is allergy friendly. However, it only contains 55mg of choline.
Thorne Comprehensive Prenatal Bundle (Basic Prenatal Multi + DHA): This prenatal vitamin contains rosemary, mint, and mixed tocopherols to help improve taste, reduce fish burps, and be gentle on the stomach for women more prone to nausea. It also contains 110mg of choline and methylfolate instead of folic acid. The downside of this prenatal vitamin is that is on the pricier side, and it requires you to take 3 basic prenatal vitamins and 2 DHA tablets per day, for a total of 5 tablets daily. If you have no issue with how many pills you have to take per day, then this may be the perfect prenatal vitamin for you!
Additional Tips
Preventing Nausea: Some women find that taking their prenatal vitamins with food helps reduce nausea. Additionally, taking prenatals at night before bed can help reduce nausea as well.
Preventing Constipation: The iron within prenatal vitamins can cause some women increased constipation. In order to prevent constipation, make sure to drink plenty of water.
Avoid Taking Excess Vitamin Levels: Certain vitamins levels can be toxic if taken in excess dosing of the daily recommended value. For example, taking excess Vitamin A during pregnancy has the potential to cause harm to the baby.
Consistency: Taking prenatal vitamins consistently every day can enhance their effectiveness, fitting seamlessly into the routine monitoring characteristic of NFP.
Regular Check-ups: Regular health check-ups are crucial to tailor your NFP approach, including the use of prenatal vitamins, to your changing health needs.
Conclusion
Prenatal vitamins are a vital component of the Natural Family Planning toolkit, extending their benefits beyond pregnancy preparation to overall health and wellness. Their integration into NFP not only supports fertility goals but also fortifies general health, embodying the holistic spirit of NFP.
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