Poll - Prenatal Vitamins

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2003
Poll - Prenatal Vitamins
7
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 8:47am
Hi Ladies! Just wondering how many of us are taking prenatal vitamins and how long have you been taking them? What kind are you taking?

My doctor advised me to take Folic Acid, which I have been doing for about 4 months.

Thanks.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 9:05am
Hey Zarmi,

I take Citracal Prenatal Rx... it's a prescription prenatal that has a stool softener in it. Hopefully, it will work it's magic!! LOL!

baby web sites
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 9:06am
Are you already pg? I'm ttc #1 and asked my midwife if I should start prenatals now. She said no just to wait until I was pg. I've heard of a lot of women starting them while ttc. I do take a multi vit that has folic acid in it. Is that enough for now?
Avatar for elvrp
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 11:26am
I would just look to see how much folic acid is in your multi.

Here is info. from the March of Dimes site:

"Folic acid works, but it only works if taken before and during the first few weeks of pregnancy, when the neural tube is developing into the brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube does not close properly, a baby is born with a very serious birth defect called a neural tube defect. About 2,500 children are born each year in the United States with a neural tube defect. If all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, the number of babies born with a neural tube defect could drop by as much as 70 percent."

"What you can do:

Take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid every day before pregnancy and during early pregnancy, as part of a healthy diet.

Eat a healthy diet that includes foods that contain folate, the natural form of the vitamin. Such foods include fortified breakfast cereals, beans, leafy green vegetables and orange juice.

If you have already had a pregnancy affected by a birth defect of the brain or spinal cord, take 4 milligrams (4,000 micrograms) of folic acid daily. You will need a prescription from your health care provider for this amount. Begin taking your prescription one month before you start trying to get pregnant and continue through the first three months of pregnancy. "

I hope this helps answer your questions. I think most prenatals have 800-1000 mcg of folic acid.

Beth




Edited 10/8/2003 10:19:36 PM ET by elvrp

Beth - mommy to Ayden 03/23/02, Owen 06/23/04, & Eliz

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 12:01pm
I'm not pg yet, but my dr. said I should start them while TTC. That's the recomendation because some women don't know their pg right away and research shows that folic acid is so important, espcially at the early stages of development. They're not expensive and don't really have any side effects, so I don't mind. If there is folic acid in your multi-vitamin that is good, plus my dr. said that because of the many benefits of it that companies are even putting it in flour and bread and other foods so that people get more of it. I was told to get atleast .4 mg / day, maybe you could ask a dr. about it.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 12:14pm
Hey We've been trying for about a month (hopefully we are if not I expect Af next week) but my doctor gave me calcium and natal care plus prenatal mulivitamins

Good luck to everyone!

Proud Mommy to:

Skielynne--08-17-04

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-17-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 5:58pm
First, I wanted to bump this post because it has valuable information, but it is also weird because I was going to post something about prenatal vitamins anyway. I have been trying to conceive for about 2 months now and my doctor told me to start taking them the day that I go off birth control so that I would already be on them when I conceived (which I haven't yet, but better luck next month!). I also talked with a close friend who has been trying to conceive for over a year and her doctor (after six months on them) told her to go off of them until she found out she as pregnant (because it was taking a long time) and I'm not exactly sure what the reason was.

I am taking PreCare Prenatal Vitamins which were samples given to me by the doctor, but this is my question... is there a difference between over the counter prenatal vitamins and prescription prenatal vitamins (of course, one difference could be the insurance coverage for a prescription)? Is there a certain kind that is recommended as more effective? Just thought I would check.

Avatar for elvrp
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Wed, 10-08-2003 - 10:18pm
I have both prescription (Optima Advance) & an over-the-counter one (Pre-Natal Complex bought at GNC) here in front of me. The main difference (to me) is that I only need to take the prescription once a day, whereas the otc one was 4X a day (big pills, too!) There are differences in the quantities of the nutrients as well. (For example, the prescription one has 1000mcg folic acid, the OTC has 800; The OTC has 1300mg calcium, the prescription only has 200). I'm sure this varies among all the different brands, though.




Beth - mommy to Ayden 03/23/02, Owen 06/23/04, & Eliz