Should I Be Taking Prenatal Vitamins Before Pregnancy?

In most cases, women planning a pregnancy should start taking a prenatal vitamin before becoming pregnant. Although it's ideal to consume the correct daily amount of each essential vitamin through our diet alone, most of us fail to eat a perfect diet. Taking a prenatal vitamin can fill some of the nutritional voids left by food intake alone. For several reasons, prenatal vitamin use should begin early, for the most health benefits.

Significance

Prenatal vitamins are essentially multi-vitamins that contain a variety of vitamins and minerals in the amounts thought to best support a pregnant woman's nutritional needs and those of her baby. As a baby grows it obtains its nourishment through the mother's blood supply, increasing the mother's daily requirement for various nutrients and minerals. According to the American Pregnancy Association folic acid, calcium and iron in particular are necessary for the baby's proper growth and development. Because much of the baby's organ development occurs during the first trimester, early prenatal vitamin use is vital to providing the baby with all it needs from day one.

Who Needs Vitamins Most

For some women, taking a prenatal vitamin is particularly important. Women with dietary restrictions or certain health issues can lack essential vitamins and minerals that their body and their baby needs. BabyCenter.com suggests that vegetarians, vegans and lactose-intolerant women in particular need prenatal vitamins to make up for deficiencies in their diet. In addition, women who smoke or abuse other substances and women carrying a multiple pregnancy can benefit from the additional nutrients that a prenatal vitamin provides. Taking prenatal vitamins before conception allows these women to stock up on necessary nutrients before the baby starts using them.

Benefits

Certain vitamins and minerals are known to have particular health benefits for growing babies and their mothers. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects, particularly openings in the brain and spinal cord. Some birth defects, especially open spine defects, occur during the early weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, in order for prenatal vitamins to provide the most benefit, they must be taken early. Folic acid is also believed to protect against cancer and stroke during pregnancy. Calcium aids in the development of the nervous systerm, as well as the circulatory and muscuIar systems. Iron also supports the growth of the baby's muscles and reduces the risk of preterm delivery.

Time Frame

Beginning prenatal vitamins before conception ensures that higher amounts of these nutrients are already in the mother's system and available to the baby as soon as it starts to grow. Many women aren't aware they are pregnant until after the critical period of organ development, so it is beneficial to start prenatal vitamins during the planning stages of pregnancy. Because approximately half of all pregnancies are unplanned, women who might become pregnant should consider taking a daily prenatal vitamin to ensure the best outcome should they find themselves pregnant.

Warning

While getting enough vitamins is vitally important to our health, getting too much can be dangerous. Taking into account a woman's diet, her prenatal vitamin, and any other dietary supplements, she could end up with more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of a particular vitamin. In some cases, this could be harmful. For example, pregnant women are recommended to take 27 mg of iron a day, whereas non-pregnant women need only 18 mg a day. Taking too much iron can lead it to accumulate in the body, causing constipation, nausea, vomiting, and even organ damage.