When you are waiting for the onset of pregnancy or have already learned about pregnancy, you just want to buy all the vitamins in a row at the pharmacy!
But are they really needed, or is it a waste of money? What trace elements are really vital for a child and mother? Everything is in this guide. Read carefully to the end and get a bonus!
1. Should I buy complex vitamins for pregnant women?
Multivitamins are such an all-inclusive * and useful substance for a woman and a fetus. They contain up to 30 vitamins and minerals. As with any “package offer”, there may be unnecessary components among them. And although the need for vitamins during pregnancy increases by 2 times, a woman is able to get most of the trace elements with food if she eats fully and balanced.
2. That is, pregnant women do not need to take vitamins at all?
Not certainly in that way. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe multivitamins – for example, with severe toxicosis, multiple pregnancies, vegetarianism, and certain diseases. In other cases, multivitamins are not needed, but individual trace elements in the form of supplements are.
Two trace elements are recommended to be taken by almost all pregnant women. These are folic acid and iron.
The national recommendations also talk about iodine and vitamin D (due to the lack of quality seafood in our area).
3. Why is folic acid needed?
It is involved in the synthesis of DNA and RNA. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division, in early pregnancy.
Adequate intake of folic acid certainly increases the chances of having a healthy baby. And its deficiency is fraught with pathologies of fetal development (including its nervous system).
The catch is that folic acid is not synthesized in the human body. Saving it in reserve will not work either, even if your daily diet consists exclusively of foods rich in folate: spinach, broccoli, nuts, beets, etc. This is why WHO recommends starting folic acid intake even before conception. In some countries, folic acid is added to bread (as in our country, iodine is added to salt). But then the risk of overdose increases, which is also bad. Therefore, it is important to take folic acid in doses, in the form of supplements.
4. Why is iron important?
Iron is the basis of an important blood protein, hemoglobin. He “clings” oxygen molecules and transfers them from the lungs to all, all tissues – both mother and fetus.
During pregnancy, blood volume increases, and the need for oxygen transport increases. If you had iron deficiency anemia before pregnancy, the decline can become critical.
Iron deficiency affects the condition of the baby even after birth – such children have a higher risk of impaired cognitive and mental functions.
It sounds like a horror story but just think about it: in Russia, the frequency of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women is from 40 to 65%. At the same time, only 20% of women approach pregnancy with normal iron stores.
5. How to take iron if it causes gastrointestinal problems and a metallic taste in the mouth?
Indeed, half of the pregnant women stop taking iron supplements because of side effects. This leads to iron deficiency anemia in the II and III trimesters. But scientists figured out how to make the drug more tolerable by “packing” the iron into a lipid membrane.
Microencapsulation protects iron from interaction with the mucous membrane of the mouth, stomach, and intestines, and also provides excellent absorption throughout the small intestine. Thanks to this, there is no metallic taste of iron in the mouth and other common side effects from the gastrointestinal tract.
According to this principle, the new Vozheya product works, created specifically for pregnant women and women planning to conceive. In addition to micronized microencapsulated iron Lipofer® (30 mg), it contains the active metabolite of the latest generation of folic acid Quatrefolic® (400 mcg). Vozheya is the only remedy in Russia that includes the original duet of Lipofer® and Quatrefolic®.
What is good Vozheya? By itself, folic acid is not absorbed by a third of the population or begins to “hang out” in the blood, causing side effects. Whereas the folic acid metabolite is immediately ready to work, without going through a long path of activation of the molecule. It is absorbed almost 10 times better and has no risk of overdose! In this way, you can meet increased folate requirements and support fetal development while avoiding typical folic acid restrictions.
Vozheya can be taken at the planning stage, throughout pregnancy, and even after childbirth to support the body during breastfeeding.
Editorial Team
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