The American Pregnancy Association (APA) says that vitamins and minerals are vital for proper fetal growth and development, and also contribute to the health of the individual as an adult. The APA suggests consulting with a doctor when supplementing with synthetic nutrients and recommends not exceeding 100 percent of the daily value (DV) of any particular nutrient unless directed by a doctor.
Rite Aid Prenatal Tablets with Folic Acid
Researchers at ConsumerLab.com investigated several prenatal vitamins and found that the Rite Aid Prenatal Tablets with Folic Acid were the least expensive while providing a high amount of the nutrients a pregnant woman needs without a strong odor. They contain 800 mcg of the important nutrient folic acid. Drs. Elisa Ross and Marjorie Greenfield of the parenting site, DrSpock.com, state that folic acid is vital in preventing some birth defects when taken during the first four weeks of pregnancy.
The vitamin pill also contains 27 mg of iron, which is necessary to keep blood oxygenated. However, the Rite Aid Tablets only contain 200 mg of calcium, far short of the 1,200 mg per day needed by a pregnant woman, and only 25 percent of the vitamin A is available as beta-carotene, the preferred source. ConsumerLab.com suggests checking with a doctor to see if additional supplementation should be added when taking this brand.
Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multivitamin
Research by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found lead in almost all of the 324 vitamins it tested. Early exposure to lead can cause permanent brain damage, as well as behavioral and learning problems, so it's important that a prenatal vitamin have as little of the metal as possible. However, none of the vitamins tested exceeded the Provisional Total Tolerable Intake (PTTI) of lead established by the FDA---25 mcg per day---for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multivitamin was tested by the FDA and found to have very low levels of lead (0.189 mcg/day). It also contains a significant quantity of nutrients needed by pregnant women, including 600 mcg of folic acid, 27 mg of iron and a full 5,000 IU of vitamin A, all of it as beta-carotene. The major drawback was the small amount of calcium present, only 40 mg.
Nature's Plus Prenatal Liquid
For those women who have a hard time swallowing a pill, Nature's Plus puts out an easy-to-swallow liquid multivitamin. This multivitamin also scored very low on the FDA's lead testing, so it is considered safe. The label says it contains 800 mcg of folic acid, which is 100 percent of the daily value, but is somewhat low in the other essential nutrients. It only has 2,500 IU of vitamin A, none of it as beta carotene, only 50 mg of calcium and 4 mg of iron. It does contain a number of whole foods such as banana, apricot, apple, alfalfa and a host of vegetables, so this can be considered more of a nutritional drink than a multivitamin, but still a good choice if pills are a problem.
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