is multi vitamin enough?

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i am getting a pap smear in a few days and then i am gonna go off the pill. i was planning to go and get some elevit once i am off the pill and i have been taking a multi vitamin with 400mg of folate for the past few months (though i have forgotten at times so it hasnt been every day). do you think this is enough in terms of pre-conception care? or should i use the elevit for a month before coming off the pill? (to tell you the truth i dont think i can wait another month)

[SJmumof2]

Hi,
To tell you the truth I think that the vitamin supplements are just a precaution. In the olden days they didnt have all these pregnancy pills. I think that as long as you look after yourself and eat the right foods there is no need for vitamins (unless of cource you have a deficiency....like iron).
But i guess taking folate tablets would give you some peace of mind....I think you would be fine going off the pill.

[AJC]

I take a pre-conception vitamin (blackmores) and also an extra folate supplement prescribed by my ob. But those things aside I think the most important thing is eating well, drinking lots of water and exercising.

Good luck!!!

[meg_bellamy]

I agree, as long as you have a good diet, maybe just take some folate vitamins? See what the vit. A levels are in the multivitamins you're taking as a high amount may cause birth defects.

[Indadhanu]

My FS recommended a folate supplement for 3 months prior to start of TTC, but said that multi vitamins weren't essential. If you are going to take a multivitamin make sure it is a specific conception/pregnancy one as normal multivitamins can contain too much of certain things and not enough of others. I take the Cenovis pregnancy and breastfeeding formula (and have since 3 months prior to TTC), and have heard good things about Blackmores as well. Just from what I have heard, Elevit isn't the optimum pregnancy supplement (from my midwife and massage therapist/naturopath). Though I think its just because it misses a few key vitamins, not because it has harmful things in it...?

[2CheekyMonkeys]

well i was only taking the multi vitamin while i am on the pill still cause i didnt really want to buy the really expensive pregnancy specific ones while on the pill. only really interested in the multi vitamin for its folic acid though.

i took blackmores for my last pregnancy but the GP had recommended elevit but i couldnt get it back then for some reason. so i thought it would be good to try it this time. but will definatly check with GP on which brand to use.

my diet isnt too crash hot.. dont really have that much food containg folic acid on a regular basis so need something extra to boost it up.

i guess my main concern/query was.. is the folic acid in the multi vitamin that i have been taking enough for the pre-conception requirements? or should i have been using a pregnancy specific one all this time?

[OceanPrincess]

I'd suggested seeing your GP to ask what is enough. When DH and I decided to start TTC, we went to see our GP and she ran some blood tests on me. I had been taking Elevit but the results showed I have low iron levels, so she took me off Elevit and put me onto FeFol.

Even though Elevit has iron in it, she said I need to take a supplement more concentrated on raising iron levels.

I will have a test in three months (now two months) to see how my iron levels are and if they have gone up, I'll go back on Elevit.

The point of all this is that without seeing my GP, I wouldn't have known my iron levels were low.

Also, prenancy-specific multivitamins contain other things that are important, like Vitamin A, but not too much, which can harm the baby.

[Mrs P]

The folate tablets I have just started taking have 500 mcg of folate in them, and I take one a day.

So if you have been on 400 mcg a day already I think that will be sufficient.

Plus it may take your body a few months to get back into a regular cycle after the pill, or you may be lucky and fall pg straight away.

Good luck!