Prenatal vitamins contain many of the nutrients that pregnant and breastfeeding women need to support their cells, and those of their baby. While the vitamins don't contain energy-supplying nutrients and, as such, have no calories, they may affect hunger. This is because some of the components in prenatal vitamins can affect your digestive function.
Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins contain a selection of many different vitamins and minerals, including common components of daily supplements such as vitamins A, B and C. Specifically formulated for pregnant women, prenatal vitamins also contain very high levels of iron and folic acid, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby." The iron helps prevent anemia, while the folic acid is important to your baby's neural development.
Digestive Tract
During pregnancy, hormones affect your digestive tract function significantly. Your digestive function slows, explain Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting." This leads to constipation and feelings of bloating and nausea in many women. Iron, particularly in large quantities, exacerbates digestive symptoms. As such, it's not uncommon for pregnant women to feel less hungry when they're on a prenatal vitamin as compared to what they'd feel without the vitamin.
Considerations
While you might see the appetite-curbing effect of a prenatal vitamin as a good thing, it's nevertheless important to eat enough during pregnancy to fulfill your energy needs. Drs. Roizen and Oz explain that most pregnant women of healthy pre-pregnancy weight need to gain 25 to 35 pounds during the course of their pregnancy, which generally comes from eating about 300 extra calories each day. If your prenatal vitamin is affecting your appetite significantly, you might not gain enough weight.
Solutions
If you find that your prenatal vitamin is impacting your appetite negatively and making it difficult for you to eat a healthy, balanced diet, talk to your obstetrician. Some women seem to be more sensitive to one brand of prenatals than another, so switching brands could help. Alternately, you might be able to break your vitamin into two pieces, taking one in the morning and one in the evening. This can sometimes help prevent digestive symptoms.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
Member Comments