What To Look For In A Prenatal Supplement

Prenatal vitamins are so important to ensure a healthy pregnancy for mom and healthy development of baby!

...However, choosing the right prenatal isn't always easy.

Why Pre-Natal Supplements are so important:

In a study that looked at over 21 trials (involving 142,496 women) found that pregnant women who received pre-natal vitamin supplementation had:⁠
⁠
⭐️ fewer babies who were born too small⁠
⭐️ fewer babies who were smaller in size than normal for their age⁠
⭐️ fewer preterm births occurring before week 37 of pregnancy⁠
⁠
Another study funded by the Government of Canada (called the Saving Brains study 🧠) found that women who took a prenatal vitamin were able to boost their child’s cognitive abilities at age 9-12 📈

Starting a prenatal even before thinking of conceiving has it's benefits as well!

🔹 A Harvard School of Public Health study showed that women who took a prenatal with 400 mcg of folic acid were 40% less likely to experience infertility.⁠

I recommend to my patients who are looking to conceive to start prenatal supplements 4 months prior to trying.

However, not all pre-natals are created equal!⁠ What should you look for in a prenatal?

1. Pay Attention to Dosage: The dosage of vitamins and nutrients are extra important during pregnancy to ensure that you are getting everything both you + baby needs to grow, develop and feel healthy during your pregnancy. Your requirements and recommended dose of vitamins + nutrients changes during pregnancy, therefore your prenatal should have at least the recommended dose of each nutrient.

2. Make Sure You're Including Important Nutrients: You want to ensure your prenatal supplement has the all nutrients that are necessary to help you during your pregnancy.

   • Iron: During pregnancy, blood volume increases substantially (by about 30-50%) increasing the requirement of iron to ensure that enough oxygen gets to both mom + baby. It's estimated that 2/3 of women develop iron deficiencies in their pregnancy which can lead to fatigue, headaches, preterm delivery, low baby birth weight + more. Iron is very important for baby to ensure that there inadequete blood development and enough iron stores at birth.

   • Vitamin B12: Required for DNA production and neurological function as well as energy in mom.

   • Vitamin B6: B6 is important during pregnancy for lots of reasons, but it's especially helpful to reduce nausea in pregnancy.

   • Folic Acid (B9) - Most healthy women should take 0.4-1.0 mg of folic acid (some women may need more dependent on miscarriage history or risk, diabetes or BMI) at least 3 months before getting pregnant and continue throughout.

   • DHA: DHA is a form of Omega-3 Fatty Acid that is especially important for fetal brain and retina development. Deficiencies have been associated with lower cognitive function in children.

   • Calcium: Calcium supplementation in pregnancy has been shown to help reducing the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and preterm labour.

   • Vitamin D: Low levels of Vitamin D in mom has been associated with impaired skeletal development in baby. Vitamin D is also very important in the development of a healthy immune system.

   • + many more - check in with your ND to pick the right supplement plan for you!

3. Bioavailability of Vitamins: I prefer that prenatals only includes vitamins that are in absorbable forms (meaning that your body will actually absorb and use them rather then get ride off or pee out). This is especially true for B-Vitamins like B12 and folic acid. I choose supplements that include methylated B-vitamins (ie: Methylcobalamin as the form of B12 + Methyl folate for folate). It's estimated that 50% of the population do not methylate their B-vitamins, which has been associated with miscarriage + adverse risks in pregnancy.

4. Avoid Additives: Check your labels! Avoid dyes, preservatives and extra 'non-medicinal' ingredients. For example, Pregvit contains dyes, shellac (yes!), ammonium hydroxide, N-butyl alcohol, carnauba wax.

As an ND , I always take an individualized approach to your prenatal care. Each women and their pregnancy is different! My goal is to find the optimal supplementation pregnancy plan for YOU to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby.

How Can I Help Throughout Your Pregnancy Journey:

I provide fertility support to help patients through pre-conception care, pregnancy and beyond. By looking at fertility through a holistic lens, we work towards a comprehensive plan that takes into account all aspects of health and its effect on fertility. I have advanced training in fertility support and offer pre + post IVF acupuncture. 

What you can expect:

• Preconception Visit

  • At our first visit we’ll talk about your goals, reproductive + health history, cycles, complete pre-conception blood tests, physical exams and talk about other conditions that may be making it difficult to conceive like PCOS, thyroid conditions, obesity, autoimmune conditions, endometriosis, diabetes + more.

• Pregnancy Check-In's⁠

  • Support throughout your pregnancy and an individualized nutrition, research-based supplements and lifestyle plan to support healthy pregnancy + happy momma. Each trimester requires specific nutrients to optimize baby's health.⁠

• Comprehensive Lab Testing

  • In order to ovulate, conceive and maintain a pregnancy, we must have optimal levels of hormones. I run comprehensive lab testing if necessary to help us understand your health better and guide treatments to improve fertility. This can include Estrogen (Estradiol), LH: FSH ratio, Progesterone, Insulin and/or HbA1C, TSH (and T3, T4, anti-TPO), Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH).

• Individualized Treatment Plans

  • Treatment plans focusing on fertility nutrition, evidence-based supplements and botanicals and lifestyle changes. I tailor treatments for each individual to help boost fertility taking into account patients’ goals, health history and lab work.

• Pelvic Floor Therapy

  • Pre-and-post natal concerns including labor and delivery preparation, pain, leakage, tearing or episiotomy support. Learn more here!

• Integrative Fertility Support

  • I’m happy to offer integrative fertility support to help improve fertility alongside other conventional therapy such as IVF, IUI and cycle monitoring.

• Equal Access for All

  • I am proud to provide LGBTQ2S friendly services in my practice and provide equal access for all individuals and couples looking to optimize their fertility.

If you are interested in optimizing your hormonal health, fertility + pregnancy support,I am a Naturopathic Doctor virtually, and in person in Toronto and Vaughan . I have additional training in Integrative Fertility Methods + Pelvic Floor Therapy and would love to help you reach your health goals. 

In health,

Dr. Courtney Ranieri, ND