According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, premenopause is a term that defines the reproductive stage in a woman's life. You will remain in the premenopausal stage until menopause, then after menopause, you will remain in postmenopause throughout life. Although women in every stage require the same nutrients as men, these nutrients may need to be increased in premenopause and menopause due to hormonal changes and blood loss.
Premenopause
Premenopause is the stage you are in until perimenopause and menopause begins; premenopause is considered your childbearing years. Women in this stage have menstrual cycles and can still get pregnant. When menopause begins, roughly between the ages of 45 to 55, the menstrual cycle ends and you are no longer able to conceive. Before menopause and after premenopause, you will enter a 2- to 8-year transition stage called perimenopause. The hormone estrogen begins to decline in this stage, causing changes in bleeding, hot flashes and changes in the skin.
Folic Acid
All women who are able to conceive and who are in the stage of premenopause are recommended by Women’sHealth.gov to take 400 mcg per day of folic acid. Folic acid is the chemical version of the B vitamin folate.Taking a daily dose of folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects in unplanned pregnancies. In addition, women who are pregnant also need an increased dose of folic acid, which is obtained through taking prenatal vitamins. Folate is normally found in green, leafy vegetables and grains, but it is also added to bread, flour and cereal.
Iron
Menstruating women run a higher risk of developing iron deficiency anemia than men, due to losing blood consistently through the menstrual cycle. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when there is a deficiency in the mineral iron, which causes a significant decline in red blood cells. Iron deficiency anemia can be treated or prevented by taking iron supplements. Prenatal vitamins and complete multivitamins both contain 100 percent or more of the recommended daily allowance of the mineral iron. Iron is responsible for creating the protein hemoglobin and for carrying oxygen throughout the body. The daily recommended allowance of iron for premenopausal women is 18 mg .
Best Multivitamin
According to Consumer Search, the best multivitamin for women is Women’s One-a-Day. Women’s One-a-Day contains the vitamins and minerals needed in this stage as well as the specific RDA amounts for each. Women’s One-a-Day is available for purchase over-the-counter in most pharmacies and grocery stores.
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