Taking prenatal vitamins has benefits even before a woman gets pregnant. Although a healthy diet can supply the majority of a woman's vitamin and mineral needs during childbearing years, the diets of many women lack valuable nutrients. Because some birth defects occur very early in pregnancy, often before a woman realizes that she's pregnant, taking a prenatal vitamin can ensure that a newly developing embryo won't be damaged by a lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
Decreased Neural Tube Defects
Folic acid, a B vitamin, helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, which is incomplete development of the spinal cord, and anencephaly, in which part of the baby's brain is missing. These developmental abnormalities occur in the first four weeks of pregnancy. Neural tube defects affect about one in 1,000 pregnancies in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking at least 400 micrograms of folic acid before pregnancy can help to prevent neural tube defects, according to the CDC. Once a woman knows she's pregnant, she should increase the folic acid she takes to at least 600 mcg per day; most prenatal vitamins contain 600 and 1,000 mcg, the March of Dimes says.
Increased Iron Stores
Red blood cells carry iron, which supplies oxygen to cells. Most women in their childbearing years have low iron stores, often because of menstrual bleeding. During pregnancy, blood volume increases, and iron stores become even less concentrated, the Babycenter website says. As a result, women often become anemic in pregnancy, which can harm both the mother and the fetus if it is severe. Building adequate iron stores before pregnancy helps prevent iron deficiency in pregnancy and ensures an adequate supply of oxygen for both mom and baby in pregnancy. Adequate iron stores also reduce the risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight, the March of Dimes says. Once a woman becomes pregnant, she needs 27 mg of iron per day, 50 percent more than she needs before pregnancy, Babycenter reports.
Adequate Calcium Levels
As many as 90 percent of young women don't consume enough calcium, Adrianne Bendich, Ph.D., of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare reports on the March of Dimes website. Taking prenatal vitamins that contain at least 1,000 mg of calcium before pregnancy helps build bone density and also supplies enough calcium to the growing fetus once a woman becomes pregnant. If a woman's diet and supplements don't supply adequate calcium, the fetus takes calcium directly from the mother's bone stores, which can lead to osteoporosis.
References
- March of Dimes: Choosing a Multivitamin Before Pregnancy
- MayoClinic.com: Prenatal Vitamins: Give Your Baby the Best Start
- Babycenter: Prenatal Vitamin Supplements: A Nutritional Insurance Policy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Medical Progress in the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects
- March of Dimes: Tums and the March of Dimes Team Up to Get Mothers and Babies Off to a Healthy Start
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