Vitamins for pregnant women.

[expat]

I just spashed out on a special 90 day supply of vitamins for pregnant and lactating women and am wondering if they're worth the fact that they're more than 6 times more expensive than my regular old one a day type that I've taken up until now. It has 3 tablets, 1 for the morning and 2 for the evening, so that the various components in each don't conflict with each others absorbtion (ie, calcium inhibits iron uptake so don't wash down your iron tablets with a glass of milk).

I've always been wary of super-dosing and my old one was just 100% RDI of all the various vitamins and minerals it contained.

This fancy new one has only 50% of the daily dose of Vitamin A (of course this makes sence to not overdose on Vit A when pregnant) and many at 100% RDI such as calcium, niacin, Vitamin C, Magnesium and that's all good

Then it has for example, 161% RDI of Thiamin, 200% RDI of Folate, 193% RDI of Iron, 200% RDI of Vitamin D, 300% RDI of vitamin E and check this out....900% RDI of Vitamin B12!!!

Sweden is a VERY developed country in regards to drug and suppliment safety and control so I'm not scared to be taking such large mega-doses but I do wonder if it's at all neccesary? What kinds of proportions do your prenatal vitamins have?

[RhiChiChi]

Hi Adele,

I am currently taking Blackmores Pg & BF formula which has: 500mg fish oil, 125mg DHA, 25mg EPA, 500mcg B1, 750 mcg B2, 7.5mg Nicoinamide, 750mcg B6, 1.5mcg B12, 200mcg Folic Acid, 5.2IU Vitamin E, 30mg Vitamin C, 2.88mcg mixed carotenoids, 59mg calcium, 45.6 mg Phosphorus, 30mg magnesium, 5mg Iron, 8mg Zinc, 75 mcg Iodine

Before I took this brand I was just taking Folic Acid by itself..... so I really have no idea what direct benefit the other stuff has. I am assuming possibly because bubs feeds off you??

Like you said the Swedish are really advanced but my only concern would be the added Vitamin A. Maybe talk to your GP?

The only additional thing my GP said for me to take was Iron b/c she did blood tests to check other things and that come up as slightly low.

[ShootingStar]

I use one called Fabfol Plus from the chemist and you only need to take one a day. Theres 28 tablets in a box and costs around $13.00.

It has:
Iron Amino Acid Chelate 60 mg
Equiv Elemental Iron 12 mg
Potassium Iodide 196mcg
Equivalent Iodine 150mcg
Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate 250mg
Equiv Elemental Magnesium 50 mg
Zinc Amino Acid Chelate 7.5 MG
Equiv Element Zinc 1.5mg
Folic Acid 500 mcg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Nitrate) 1.5mg
Vitamin B2 (RiboFlavine) 1.5 mg
Nicotinamide 7.5 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 1.5 mg
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) 4 mcg
Vitamin C (Absorbic Acid) 100 mg
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) 5 mcg

Id probably just be careful how much iron you have, because its in foods as well as the tablets, that it doesnt leave you constipated.

[Snook]

Using the Blackmores Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Vitamins cause my GP said they were ok to take...no problems so far

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I have Sanatogen ProNatal, one a day (with RDAs):

Vit D 250%, Vit E 100%, Vit C 167%, Vit B1 114%, Vit B2 113%, Niacin 106%, Vit B6 103%, Folic Acid 350%, Vit B12 250%, Biotin 133%, Pantothenic Acid 145%, Calcium 17%, Phosphorus 17%, Iron 100%, Magnesium 33%, Zinc 50%; also 1mg of manganese and 1mg of copper (no RDA for these two). Then I also eat ceral fortified with vitamins, iron and folic acid.

You can only overdose on vit.s A, C and E: the others are water soluable. However, you need to be taking thousands of times the RDA of C and E for them to have any effect on you.

HTH