Why do prenatal vitamins have vitamin a

Prenatal vitamins are readily available over the counter and a prescription is generally unnecessary. Note: check with your insurance to see if they cover prenatal vitamins. The pills may also be smaller and easier to take. When shopping for prenatal vitamins look for these four primary nutrients that are especially important during pregnancy, per Dr. Nwankwo and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists :.

The following vitamins are also essential during pregnancy, and you may not get enough of them through diet alone. Having these in your prenatals are helpful too:. Consider it a bonus if you find a prenatal vitamin that also contains omega-3 fatty acids.

Vitamins come in multiple forms: pill, soft-gel capsule and gummies. Just remember that gummy vitamins do not contain iron, so you may want an extra iron supplement for that.

Do you think this content is helpful? Let our editors know! Here are some of the most popular choices to consider when deciding on the best prenatal vitamin for you. Not to mention, you can probably find them at your local drugstore. They provide your full quota of folic acid, iron and vitamin D as well as other essential vitamins. The bonus? You only have to take one soft gel capsule a day. These Nature Made vitamins are skimpy on calcium, with only mg.

Okay, real talk: keeping anything down can be a major challenge for some parents-to-be. But some swear that vitamin gummies do the trick. Vitamin A deficiency in pregnancy. Why you need vitamin A during pregnancy Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that's stored in the liver. How much vitamin A do pregnant women need? Best foods with vitamin A during pregnancy Fruits and vegetables particularly orange and yellow ones and leafy greens , rich in beta-carotene, are the best sources of provitamin A.

Here are some good food sources of vitamin A: one sweet potato, baked in skin: 1, mcg RAE 4 ounces frozen spinach, boiled: mcg RAE 4 ounces carrots, raw: mcg RAE 8 ounces vanilla soft serve ice cream: mcg RAE 8 ounces ricotta cheese, part skim: mcg RAE 8 ounces milk, fat free or skim, with added vitamin A and vitamin D: mcg RAE 4 ounces cantaloupe: mcg RAE 4 ounces sweet red peppers: mcg RAE one whole mango: mcg RAE one serving breakfast cereal, fortified with 10 percent of the daily value for vitamin A: 90 mcg RAE one large egg, hard boiled: 75 mcg RAE 4 ounces broccoli, boiled: 60 mcg RAE Both processing like chopping, grating, or juicing and cooking food may make provitamin A carotenoids easier for your body to absorb.

Do you need a vitamin A supplement during pregnancy? Vitamin A deficiency in pregnancy Because it's easy to get enough vitamin A from your diet, vitamin A deficiencies in the United States are rare, except as a result of some medical conditions. Sources BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world.

Featured video. Vitamin C during pregnancy. Is it safe to take fish oil or other omega-3 supplements during pregnancy? Choline during pregnancy. Is it safe to eat liver during pregnancy? Vitamin D during pregnancy. Vitamin B6 during pregnancy. Calcium during pregnancy. New to BabyCenter? Join now. Obstet Gynecol ; Reaffirmed Becker DV, et al. Iodine supplementation for pregnancy and lactation—United States and Canada: recommendations of the American Thyroid Association.

Thyroid; — Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Council on Environmental Health. Iodine deficiency, pollutant chemicals, and the thyroid: new information on an old problem. Pediatrics Food and Drug Administration. Glinoer D. The importance of iodine nutrition during pregnancy.

Publ Health Nutr; — Natural Medicines Database. Available at naturalmedicines. Obican SG, et al. Teratology public affairs committee position paper: Iodine deficiency in pregnancy. Segal K, et al. Dietary Reference Intakes Tables and Application. Trumbo P, et al. Dietary reference intakes: vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. J Am Diet Assoc Sign Up Now.

Contact Exposure Information Service In the United States, the prevalence of iron deficiency in pregnant women is around 18 percent , and 5 percent of these women have anemia. Anemia during pregnancy has been associated with preterm delivery, maternal depression, and infant anemia.

The recommended intake of 27 milligrams mg iron per day can be met through most prenatal vitamins. These may include constipation, vomiting, and abnormally high hemoglobin levels. This fat-soluble vitamin is important for immune function, bone health, and cell division. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of cesarean section, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes.

The current recommended intake of vitamin D during pregnancy is IU or 15 mcg per day. However, some experts suggest that vitamin D needs during pregnancy are much higher. Check in with your doctor regarding screening for vitamin D deficiency and proper supplementation. Magnesium is a mineral involved in hundreds of chemical reactions in your body. It plays critical roles in immune, muscle, and nerve function. Deficiency in this mineral during pregnancy may increase the risk of chronic hypertension and premature labor.

Some studies suggest that supplementing with magnesium may reduce the risk of complications like fetal growth restriction and preterm birth.

Ginger root is commonly used as a spice and herbal supplement. In supplement form, you may have heard of it used to treat nausea caused by motion sickness, pregnancy, or chemotherapy. A review of four studies suggested that ginger is both safe and effective for treating pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Nausea and vomiting are common during pregnancy, with up to 80 percent of women experiencing them in the first trimester of pregnancy. Though ginger may help reduce this unpleasant pregnancy complication, more research is needed to identify the maximum safe dosage. Double check with your doctor to see if you need it. Although observational studies have shown improved cognitive function in the children of women who supplemented with fish oil during pregnancy, several controlled studies have failed to show a consistent benefit.

For example, one study involving 2, women found no difference in the cognitive function of infants whose mothers had supplemented with fish oil capsules containing mg of DHA per day during pregnancy, compared with infants whose mothers did not. However, the study did find that supplementing with fish oil protected against preterm delivery, and some evidence suggests that fish oil may benefit fetal eye development.

Maternal DHA levels are important for proper fetal development and supplementing is considered safe. The jury is still out on whether taking fish oil during pregnancy is necessary.