Use of Prenatal Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Specially formulated supplements for pregnant women are prescribed routinely by most physicians. Some are sold over the counter, while others are dispensed by pre­scription because of their high folate content (1 milligram), which could pose prob­lems for others, such as older people. This routine use of prenatal supplements may exist because it is easier for physicians to prescribe supplements than to discuss diet changes. Also, some pregnant women are just not willing to change their diets to meet their increased nutrient needs, or they simply expect (or de­mand) this treatment. These prenatal supplements typically include the critical nutri­ents for pregnancy that is, iron, zinc, and folate and many others as well. Prenatal supplements especially may contribute to a successful pregnancy with poor women, teenagers, those with a generally deficient diet, and women carrying multiple fetuses. There is no evidence that potential supplements cause significant health problems in pregnancy, as long as other sources of supplementary and dietary vitamin A are monitored. During pregnancy, preformed vitamin A should not exceed 3000 RAE per day (15,000 IU per day). Toxicity of vitamin A is linked with birth defects. This occurs mainly during the first trimester.

Pregnant Vegetarians

Women who practice either lactovoo vegetarianism or lactovegetarianism generally do not face special difficulties in meeting their nutritional needs during pregnancy. Like non vegetarian women, they should be concerned primarily with meeting iron, zinc, folate, and calcium needs.

On the other hand, when a total vegetarian (vegan) becomes pregnant, she must carefully plan a diet that includes sufficient protein, vitamin D (or sufficient sun ex­posure), vitamin B-6, iron, calcium, and zinc and must use a vitamin B-12 supple­ment. The basic vegan diet should be modified to include more grains, beans, nuts, and seeds to supply the necessary extra amounts of some of these nutrients. Because iron and calcium are poorly absorbed from most plant foods, iron and calcium supplements are probably necessary; however, to avoid competition for absorption, they should not be taken together. The amounts provided by typical prenatal supplements should suffice to meet iron needs but not calcium needs (only 200 milligrams of calcium are contained in a typical prenatal supplement). The prenatal supplement also fulfills vitamin D needs if sufficient sun exposure does not take place.