Multivitamins

[MummyKP]

Just wandering apart from folic acid if I could be taking any other vitamins before ttc? I've heard evening primrose oil and vitamin b, anyone have any advice on this please?

 

[skycastles]

Hi, from what I remember my family doctor advising me.. Evening primrose oil is recommended to help with pms symptoms, but not recommended for pregnancy. So if you use it while TTC, it shd be stopped when u suspect u are pregnant. A quick read at WebMD website also indicates in its 'side effects' section that it is possibly unsafe for pregnancy. It is more likely to be recommended at a later stage of pregnancy, near birth, to help with labour.
Women who are not pregnant only need 400mcg of folic acid a day, and this is usually found in regular multivitamins. So until 3 months before I TTC, I just plan to continue with regular vits as per my doctor's advice, as it gives me the recommended amt of vitamin b too.
Have you seen a doctor for a prenatal visit?

 

[daddytobe1]

Three important nutrients are folic acid, iron and calcium. It’s a good idea to start boosting your intake of both these minerals as soon as you start “trying.” Folic acid helps prevent neural-tube defects; iron is important for the delivery of oxygen to the baby and prevents anaemia in the mom; and calcium helps build your baby’s bones and prevents bone loss in the mother. To attain requirement of 400 mg, you can fortify your diet with folic acid rich foods such as green and leafy veggies, orange juice, and other grain based foods.

Plan a preconception appointment with a doctor. A preconception appointment is especially important if you're in your 30s or 40s or you have any chronic health conditions or special concerns.

Apart from multivitamins, few other alterations in lifestyle can ensure a healthy pregnancy. Those are avoiding smoking and drinking and attaining healthy weight.

 

[MummyKP]

I'm young and haven't really thought about a preconception appointment, I think I'd just like to see how things go. I will avoid the evening primrose oil, thank you. I'm taking 400mg folic acid ATM, I was just looking for any other vitamins I should be taking as I don't take any ATM. Thanks for you replies

 

[Angel_blues]

Every woman is different, that's why a pre-conception appointment is important no matter what age you are. I am 26 and was told to not try until at least January because of vitamin deficiencies I didn't know I had. There is a general list of vitamins you shouldn't take and ones you should if you are average overall. Best to let your doctor run some tests and decide what's best.

 

[MummyKP]

What do they do in these appointments?

 

[Angel_blues]

Order or do blood tests (if they're equiped to do it). Check fat to mass ratio, pap if you haven't done one recently. Talk about vitamins and minerals you may require, current diet, pregnancy diet, job, stress. Talked about how long we should try before being worried or seeking help. What we would do if we required assistance. Then gavo.a reference letter for an OBGYN.

A lot of PERSONALIZED info.

 

[Eleanor ace]

I'm in the UK and we don't have preconception appointments, unless there is a need- if you are likely to have a high risk pregnancy due to genetic factors or your own medical issues. The general advice is just to take a prenatal vitamin (you just buy them in the chemist or supermarket and they have folic acid plus iron and a range of vitamins and sometimes omega 3, 6 and 9 I think). Other than that there isn't anything else we're generally advised to take in preparation for ttc (at least not that I know of!), just generally getting into good healthy living habits (eating well, avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs).

 

[MummyKP]

Thanks everyone. Eleanor Ace I'm in the UK too and was going to ask if they do them here as I'd never heard of them before. I've just been taking folic acid up until now but I've seen pregnacare have some prenatal tablets which I might try - do you know if they contain 400mg of folic acid or would I take that on top of them?

 

[Eleanor ace]

Thanks everyone. Eleanor Ace I'm in the UK too and was going to ask if they do them here as I'd never heard of them before. I've just been taking folic acid up until now but I've seen pregnacare have some prenatal tablets which I might try - do you know if they contain 400mg of folic acid or would I take that on top of them?

Yep they contain 400mg of folic acid, this is what I'm taking at the moment (I'll switch to a different brand, Sanatogen, once I'm pregnant as Pregnacare make me super sick when I'm pregnant ) .

 

[tverb84]

Thanks everyone. Eleanor Ace I'm in the UK too and was going to ask if they do them here as I'd never heard of them before. I've just been taking folic acid up until now but I've seen pregnacare have some prenatal tablets which I might try - do you know if they contain 400mg of folic acid or would I take that on top of them?

I take one a day for women and it has 400 mcg's of folic acid in it.