Biotin, sometimes referred to as vitamin H, is a B-complex vitamin that you need to process fats, carbohydrates and the protein building blocks called amino acids. Pregnant women rely on biotin to support the normal growth of their developing babies. However, pregnant women often don't get enough biotin, and they typically benefit from supplements of the vitamin.
Basics
Bacteria in your intestines produce biotin naturally, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. You can also obtain the vitamin from foods that include sardines, soybeans and other legumes, bananas, brewer's yeast, cooked egg yolks and various types of nut butter. Supplemental biotin comes in forms that include standalone vitamins, multivitamins and B-vitamin complexes. Commonly available dosages of standalone supplements include 100, 50 and 10mcg tablets, which can contain only biotin or biotin in combination with brewer's yeast.
Pregnancy's Effects
During pregnancy, your body seems to break down biotin more rapidly than normal, and the rate of biotin loss increases over the duration of your pregnancy, Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute reports. More than half of pregnant women lose enough biotin to develop mild vitamin deficiencies. Typically, the degree of deficiency associated with pregnancy does not produce any outward signs or symptoms of biotin-related problems in expectant women. However, the type of marginal deficiency that pregnant women commonly experience may be enough to trigger the onset of birth defects in their children.
Supplemental Biotin
To avoid any potential for birth defects related to mild biotin deficiencies, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends that pregnant women use supplemental biotin. The Institute further suggests that pregnant women use multivitamin products that contain both biotin and another B vitamin called folate or folic acid, which doctors commonly recommend to pregnant women as a means to prevent birth defects called neural tube defects. Acceptable multivitamins should contain a daily biotin dose of at least 30mcg, as well as a daily folic acid dose of at least 400mcg. Doses in this range are generally considered safe for both vitamins.
Considerations
Biotin does not typically produce notable side effects, even when taken at high doses, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. Some people have taken daily doses as high as 5,000mcg for extended periods of time without harmful effects. Still, safety of use for the vitamin is only clearly established for daily doses that range from 30 to 600mcg. If you take antibiotics while pregnant, they may further lower your biotin levels by destroying biotin-producing bacteria in your intestines. Ongoing use of certain anticonvulsant medications may also abnormally lower your biotin levels. Ask your doctor for more information and advice on your biotin needs during pregnancy.
