If you're trying to become pregnant, you should take prenatal vitamins (in general check with your OB/GYN first to ensure you choose the right ones). However, for women who have never been pregnant and who haven't been around a lot of pregnant people before, "prenatal vitamins" sound very vague. How do you know which to choose, and when do you need to take them?

Take Them Even If You're Thinking Of Becoming Pregnant

First, these are vitamins that support your body as it tries to become a healthy environment that makes it easier for you to become pregnant. You don't have to wait to become pregnant to take prenatal vitamins. If you eat a good, healthy diet, then that's fantastic, but sometimes there are still enough gaps between what you get and what you need that a prenatal vitamin is necessary. Your OB/GYN can help you choose a specific vitamin and teach you what vitamin amounts you need as well as how long you'll need to take them once you do become pregnant.

Don't Assume That Historically They Were Never Needed

If you don't want to take prenatal vitamins because you think they aren't necessary (using the idea that people didn't take them for centuries and still had families), think again. People may not have taken extra prenatal vitamins for centuries, but they had more trouble getting pregnant, they had higher risks of developing serious conditions like preeclampsia, and their children had increased rates of birth defects and health problems. Even if some children turned out fine when their mothers did not take extra vitamins and some don't turn out fine even though their mothers did, that does not mean you want to disregard the benefits of these vitamins. You want all the good odds on your side.

Watch Out For Overfortification And Excessive Folate

Once you start taking prenatal vitamins, you have to be sure you don't overdo it. Fortified foods can combine with any type of vitamin to produce excessive intake. That has its own set of problems. For example, too much folic acid during pregnancy could result in slower brain development in their children. This is why you need to speak with your OB/GYN before starting the vitamins; you want to be sure you're not getting too much of one thing in an effort to avoid a deficiency.

If you want to become pregnant, now's the time to set up a consultation with an obstetrician to ensure you're getting adequate nutrition and finding the right balance of vitamins and minerals. If your body is as healthy as can be when you start trying to become pregnant, you'll have a better chance of having a healthy pregnancy and child.