Can I Take Prenatal Vitamins if I'm Not Pregnant

One of the frequently asked questions we become is whether or not prenatal vitamins are adequate to take if you are not significant. The answer is elementary: typically, aye. Although there are a few exceptions. But kickoff, let's explore how prenatal vitamins are dissimilar from other multivitamins and why y'all would desire to consider taking them even if you're non pregnant.

How Prenatal Vitamins Differ from Multivitamins

It is often joked that pregnancy is a fourth dimension of "eating for two" or iii or withal many you're meaning with. But in reality, nutritional needs practise non double. A woman's calorie requirements merely go upwardly by a few hundred, and nutritional demands, similarly, do non double or triple. (i)

Yet, the demand for certain key nutrients does become significantly more important during the months before conception and throughout the pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins differ from well-nigh standard multivitamin formulations in that they have more than of sure vitamins and minerals, including:

Folate: One of the most critical nutrients for pre-pregnancy and the first trimester, folate is essential for preventing neural tube defects, such every bit spina bifida. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for non-significant people is 400 mcg DFE, while the RDA for pregnancy is 600 mcg DFE. (ii) Most prenatal vitamins have higher levels of this B vitamin than standard multivitamins do. Seeking Health's Optimal Prenatal conception provides 800 micrograms of methylated folate, or the activated form, because this nutrient is and so essential and not all women absorb it efficiently. By providing more than the RDA, the hope is that your body will exist supported in optimal levels.*

Calcium: While the RDA does non increase for meaning women, often prenatal vitamins have slightly more calcium than standard multivitamin formulations. (3) Seeking Wellness's Optimal Multivitamin contains 210 milligrams of calcium, whereas Optimal Prenatal has 400 milligrams.

Iron: This mineral is essential for red claret jail cell germination and since a woman'south blood book doubles during pregnancy, having enough iron is crucial. Without optimal levels, a significant woman could be excessively tired or anemic or face other complications. The RDA for iron is only eight milligrams for adult men and 18 milligrams for adult non-pregnant women, but it jumps to 27 milligrams for pregnancy. (4) Iron is a complicated mineral for supplementation, even so, since iron taken at the same fourth dimension as calcium can interfere with absorption and vice versa. For this reason, Seeking Health does not include iron in either multivitamin formulation.

Prenatal vitamins also typically have less of other ingredients, peculiarly vitamin A. Too little vitamin A is problematic for pregnancy, but too much preformed vitamin A can lead to pregnancy complications, especially in the get-go trimester. Excessive amounts of vitamin A are typically only possible in well-developed countries where dietary intake is adequate and supplementation is added to it. (5)

The RDA for vitamin A is 900msg RAE for men, 700 msg RAE for non-pregnant women, and 770 msg RAE for meaning women. (6) Typical multivitamins may have as much as 10,000 IU (or more) per serving, which is about 200 percent the recommended daily assart. While this might not be harmful to someone who is non pregnant, it's of import for pregnant women to avoid over supplementing this nutrient.*

Seeking Health'due south Optimal Prenatal contains 1,500 mcg RAE of vitamin A, however, merely 750 micrograms of it are "preformed," significant that information technology is still below the RDA for vitamin A. The other 750 micrograms are from beta carotene, which must be converted first. If your trunk does not need to use all of the beta carotene that you accept in, it continues to circulate in your trunk where it also functions as an antioxidant. (7)*

Other types of prenatal vitamins might include nutrients not typically found in a multivitamin at all, such as omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and more. Seeking Health does not include these in a single supplement considering it becomes increasingly complex to combine this many nutrients without needing to use fillers, flavorings, or preservatives. Taking omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics separately during pregnancy is recommended.*

five Reasons Why Y'all Might Want to Accept Prenatal Vitamins Fifty-fifty If You're Not Significant

Even if you are not currently pregnant and don't program to become pregnant, and even if you're a homo, you lot still might want to consider taking prenatal vitamins in some cases.

A prenatal vitamin provides significant nutritional support then that the enzymes that your genes make can function well. Enzymes perform the piece of work in your body.

Call up of enzymes as the worker bees. When there is piece of work to do, your genes produce a lot of enzymes. Many of these enzymes require vitamins and minerals to work. Without vitamins and minerals, your enzymes cannot work well and, as a result, you experience symptoms.

In the same mode that your car cannot work without gas and your stove cannot work without gas or electricity, your enzymes cannot piece of work without vitamins and minerals. This is why a prenatal vitamin can be and then useful. Information technology provides the needed tools for your enzymes.

So enquire yourself these questions if you're non trying to excogitate or currently pregnant:

• Are my enzymes working at high speed?
• Am I putting a lot of demands on my body?

If so, a prenatal vitamin may exist appropriate for you lot. If not, then you likely don't need information technology.

Personally, as a human, I alternating betwixt Optimal Multivitamin Plus, a very comprehensive multivitamin, and Optimal Prenatal with Institute-Based Protein, a prenatal vitamin in a protein pulverization base of operations. However, when I am on vacation I rarely accept a multivitamin at all—peradventure merely a few days a week. Why? Because my enzymes are non experiencing a ton of work at the moment. I am relaxed, not working difficult, non teaching, not researching, sleeping well, and enjoying my time in the sun playing with my family.

If I was taking a prenatal vitamin or a potent multivitamin while on vacation when I did not need it, I'd likely experience symptoms. Too many vitamins and minerals clog your enzymes just like as well much gas in your engine floods it and prevents information technology from starting. Remainder is essential and in that location can be too much of a good thing.

The primary reasons why prenatal vitamins could be considered past non-significant people are varied, only the important factor to remember is that it's always best to speak with your doctor and get personalized advice outset. Educational information can give you questions to ask your doc, but only your doctor has the bigger picture of your health factors in view.

More Comprehensive

If you merely want higher doses of the nutrients typically included in prenatal vitamins and so taking ane may be right for you. Some non-prenatal formulations will accept more than nutrients or differing amounts, so it really comes down to reading supplement labels and agreement what the nutrients do for you.

A big clue equally to whether something is beneficial for you or non, when it comes to nutrient supplementation, is how it makes you feel. If you feel not bad taking a prenatal even if you're non pregnant, and so chances are information technology's skilful for you.

Doc Recommended

Sometimes a doctor might recommend a specific supplement to you. If your doctor recommends a prenatal vitamin whether you're pregnant or not, it'south a good idea to consider the reasoning behind your doctor's recommendation.

Addressing Food Deficiencies

If you're anemic, taking a prenatal multivitamin that includes iron could exist a helpful manner to accost this deficiency. If you're struggling with other depression nutrient levels, such as folate or calcium, or you lot want to optimize the fashion that your cells office, taking a prenatal multivitamin might exist the best option for you.

Height Performance

If yous're involved in anything physically or mentally that is highly enervating, your body might require the higher levels of nutrients found in prenatal vitamins. Pregnancy is a fourth dimension of extreme need equally cells literally reproduce at a frenzying step to create a new homo. Beyond that, a adult female needs the additional support as a large portion of her nutrient supplies are being transferred to nourish the baby. Even if the baby gets what it needs during pregnancy, if a adult female doesn't supplement during pregnancy, she could exist facing serious nutrient depletions subsequently delivery. The aforementioned could be true for someone who goes through intensive months of training for a marathon or other major outcome, and eventually finds themselves depleted of free energy and nutrients.

Breastfeeding or Postpartum

The high nutritional demands don't cease when the baby is born, and then if yous've recently given nativity or are breastfeeding, continuing to supplement with prenatal nutrients is essential. After nearly 12 to 24 months postpartum, a woman'south body has largely returned to its pre-pregnancy country of hormones, but if she is even so of reproductive age, standing a prenatal vitamin afterward that could still be beneficial.

Preparing for Pregnancy

If you're working with a physician who is treating infertility or helping to prepare yous for pregnancy, it could exist recommended that y'all take a prenatal for at least three months prior to trying to conceive. However, taking it for several more months in advance will simply keep to ready your body for formulation.

Even if you're not actively trying to get pregnant, if you're a woman of reproductive age, taking a prenatal for your multivitamin works because it still meets the loftier demands of a torso that could potentially be pregnant at any time—even if you know yous're not going to try. Physiologically speaking, you have the anatomy and hormones of a woman who could be meaning, and nourishing these pathways can exist effectively done by supplementing with prenatal nutrients. Later on all, fertility (or lack thereof) is present all the time and isn't only relevant merely because you want to accept a infant. Fertility is one more way to assess a woman'due south overall health status.

When Not to Take Prenatal Vitamins

A major reason why you might non want to take a prenatal if you don't need one is that they accept higher amounts of folate included because it supports cell growth and production and is essential for preventing birth defects of the neural tube. Excess folate can crusade side effects in some people who are sensitive, then this is an of import factor to consider.

Additionally, some struggle to accept methylated nutrients. Optimal Prenatal includes L-5MTHF, or the activated form of folate. If you have MTHFR mutations, folic acid won't work for y'all, merely some practice better with the folinic acrid class. In this example, working direct with your practitioner to establish the correct dosage and supplementation is essential.

Other reasons to terminate taking a prenatal vitamin or to avoid taking 1 are if your dr. has specifically advised confronting it, or if you are going through cancer treatment or chemotherapy. This is considering prenatal vitamins optimize cellular growth and reproduction, but in cancer, the cells that are reproducing are damaged. You don't want to encourage this. Always brand sure your oncologist is aware of any supplements you're taking and follow their advice thoroughly.

Bottom Line

In brusk, it'southward often okay to take a prenatal vitamin nigh of the time even if you are non pregnant. The few exceptions are mentioned above.

Are yous taking a prenatal vitamin at present or considering it even if y'all are non trying to conceive or are pregnant? Why? Share in the comments below.

For more than data on our complete line of Prenatal Vitamins, and to become yours today, click hither.

Reference:
(1) https://world wide web.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/manufactures/PMC5104202/
(2) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/
(3) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
(4) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470929/
(vi) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
(7) https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=xix&contentid=BetaCarotene

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Source: https://education.seekinghealth.com/can-you-take-prenatal-vitamins-if-you-are-not-pregnant/

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