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The Importance of Prenatal Vitamins Before Pregnancy

© Lori Ramsey

Is it really necessary to take prenatal vitamins before actually being pregnant? The answer is a resounding yes. With today's fast-paced diets, most women do not derive all the nutrition their bodies need - especially when creating a baby.

It is a smart idea to start taking a good prenatal vitamin while you are in the planning stages of pregnancy. The main reason, and probably the most important reason, is the ingredient folic acid. Folic acid is extremely important to help prevent birth defects - namely neuro tube defects in the baby. If taken right before and most definitely during pregnancy, it will go a long way in the prevention of these birth defects.

It's true that folic acid is in certain foods, such as orange juice, green leafy vegetables, beans and also is added to a lot of today's favorite cereals and enriched grain products. But actually, you still need a supplement to receive all the folic acid that would benefit the baby. According to the March of Dimes, the synthetic form of folic acid, found in supplemental vitamins, is more easily absorbed than the natural form. See article about folic acid at http://www.modimes.org. Also, for further reading, see this article http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1693... about the importance of eating foods high in folic acid. Unless you are super healthy and eat ALL the right foods, I strongly suggest taking the prenatal for the folic acid that's in them.

Ask your care provider about which brand of prenatal vitamin to take. Some will prescribe a good prenatal - others will say an over-the-counter brand works just as well. The important thing is to make sure it has at least 400mcg of folic acid in each dose. Most multi-vitamins have at least this much. Most over-the-counter prenatal vitamins have 800mcg of folic acid and the prescribed prenatal has a whopping 1000mcg of folic acid. 1000mcg of folic acid is the highest "safe" amount of folic acid to take per day.

Folic acid isn't the only benefit of prenatal vitamins. A good prenatal vitamin will have a well-rounded amount of all the essential vitamins and iron needed to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Some of the prenatal vitamins that can be purchased at a health food store will have herbs in them as well. I strongly recommend asking your doctor first before taking any supplement especially those with added herbs. Aside from the nutritional benefit, prenatal vitamins usually help women to have strong healthy nails and hair as well.