Maybe you just found out you are pregnant, or perhaps you’re being proactive and have started taking prenatal vitamins before you begin trying. If you’re reading this and are going to start trying soon, it is recommended you begin a prenatal vitamin 3-6 months before conceiving. Whatever the case, choosing the right prenatal can be difficult when there are so many options out there.

In this article, I’m going to tell you exactly what to look for in a prenatal vitamin, and the things you don’t want to see on the label of your prenatal. What isn’t in it is just as important as what is!

It might be tempting to simply go with the prenatal that is covered by your prescription benefits to save some money, or the one that costs the least amount of money; however, I urge you to always take a look at the label of those vitamins to see if they meet the criteria outlined below. (Spoiler alert: They very likely don’t!)

These are the top 4 things I recommend looking for when choosing a prenatal vitamin to support the health of both the baby and the mother.

1. How Are the Vitamins Delivered?

While chewable vitamins tend to be the most delicious, they are not the preferred form of delivery for most vitamins and minerals. Gummy vitamins and even chewable tablets tend to be high in sugars (or worse, artificial sweeteners), artificial colours, artificial flavours, and contain very little of the active ingredients. I actually do recommend keeping some on hand for those days when swallowing capsules is just not an option. It’s better to get something in than nothing. This should be used only on a very occasional basis.

Tablets are difficult to breakdown due to coatings on the outside that prevent them from degrading over time. They also tend to contain artificial colours to make them look pretty. These added food dyes have not been studied in pregnancy and there is no information on whether or not these types of ingredients cross the placental barrier.

The ideal form is in a vegetable or gelatin capsule. Capsules will dissolve in water and stomach acid to release the powder contained inside, making them easy to breakdown and absorb. Because a capsule just needs to be filled with powder, there is very little that goes into it to make it stay together. This decreases the need for additional non-medicinal ingredients, which we will take a look at next.

2. Take a Look at the Non-Medicinal Ingredients in Your Prenatal Vitamins

Underneath all the listed vitamins and minerals, there should be a section that says “Non-Medicinal Ingredients”. In this list, there shouldn’t be much – just the ingredients needed to make the capsule and coat the capsule for easy filling.

Here is an example of the non-medicinal ingredients of one of the prenatal vitamins I most commonly recommend:

Now here are the non-medicinal ingredients in one of the most commonly recommended prenatal vitamins here in Canada:

I don’t know about you, but I get shellac done on my nails – not something I want to find in a prenatal vitamin. In addition, I doubt anyone actually cares about the colour of the vitamin. And lastly, do we even know that all of these ingredients are safe for a developing fetus? (The answer is no. We don’t)

3. The Inclusion of Activated B Vitamins

Here’s where things start to get more complicated and may require the help of a professional. At least 30% of the population has a difficult time absorbing certain forms of B vitamins due to their genetics. I am one of those people, so this has always been particularly important for me.

You likely know how important folate is for the development of the fetus’s nervous system and to prevent neural tube defects. But unless folate is in the activated form, NOT in the form of folic acid, about 30% of the population will not be able to properly absorb and use it.

When looking at the ingredients, don’t be fooled by the inclusion of Folate if it is then followed by “Folic Acid”. Look for 5-MTHF, methylfolate, or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (and then say that 10 times fast).

This also applies to some of the other B vitamins. If they are not in their activated form, a large percentage of the population will have a hard time absorbing them, meaning they will not be able to then be properly passed on to the developing fetus.

4. Are You Getting Therapeutic Dosages in Your Prenatal Vitamins?

The size of certain vitamins and minerals is quite large, meaning it is difficult to pack a substantial amount of all of the necessary nutrients into one capsule. First, if your prenatal is a one-a-day, chances are you are not getting enough. At the very least, you should need to take 2-4 capsules daily to get a significant source of these nutrients.

Keep in mind; the fetus will preferentially get the nutrients it needs from its mother. This is great news for the baby. Not great news for the mom. If the mother is deficient in any nutrients, the little parasite she is growing in her will be sucking every last bit from her blood stream, leaving very little for her. And while the baby is important, the mother’s health is equally (if not more) important!

So when looking for a prenatal, there should be enough to prevent deficiencies in both the mother and the fetus. A few key nutrients to be looking at where deficiencies have been linked to complications in pregnancy: iron, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, choline, and vitamin B6.

In the end, taking a prenatal vitamin of any sort is ultimately the most important thing. Making sure it is high quality can help prevent complications in pregnancy and in the newborn. If up until this point your prenatal vitamin has not meet the criteria above, that’s okay! It’s not too late to switch. Prenatal vitamins will have benefits from preconception to pregnancy and during breastfeeding.

If you need help choosing the best prenatal vitamin for you, please consult with your Naturopathic Doctor or book an appointment to come see me! Wondering how else a Naturopathic Doctor can help while you’re pregnant? Check out my recent article, 5 Ways a Naturopathic Doctor Can Help During Pregnancy