For most women, it's ok to take prenatal vitamins if you're not pregnant, but there's really no reason to do so--they don't do you any particular good. Prenatal vitamins are specially formulated for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and have more of certain vitamins and minerals than you need if you're not in either of those categories.
Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins don't have anything in them that regular multivitamins don't--they contain a variety of micronutrients, meaning vitamins and minerals, that contribute to cellular health. According to Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby," prenatals contain larger quantities of iron and folic acid than you'll find in a women's daily vitamin. The iron helps you produce extra blood in pregnancy, while the folic acid assists with embryonic spinal and brain development.
Prenatal Myths
There are some common myths surrounding prenatal vitamins and their potential effects upon non-pregnant women. You may have heard that they'll benefit your skin, hair or complexion. Alternately, you might have heard that they contribute to weight gain or loss. None of these have any basis in scientific reality, however--prenatals can't do anything for you that regular daily multivitamins can't do. In fact, if you're not pregnant, prenatals simply don't benefit you in any particular way.
Concerns
If you've been taking prenatals and aren't pregnant, you can rest assured that though they haven't been doing you any particular good, they haven't likely done you any harm either. Dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, writing for MayoClinic.com, notes that prenatals aren't likely to pose any danger to a healthy non-pregnant individual. Still, the vitamins are very expensive, and because they don't benefit you above and beyond the benefit you get from daily multivitamins, they're not a good idea.
Exception
If you're actively trying to conceive, prenatal vitamins may be appropriate, despite the fact that you're not actually pregnant yet. This is because the folic acid in prenatal vitamins benefits your embryo during very early stages of development. In fact, most women don't even know they're pregnant yet by the time an embryo starts to need folic acid. If you're trying to conceive, talk to your doctor about whether prenatal vitamins might be appropriate.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Prenatal vitamins: OK for women who aren't pregnant?
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