The perinatal period spans from preconception, through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, breastfeeding and beyond. It is a stage of life that comes with increased nutritional demands to support best outcomes for both yourself and your growing baby. Prenatal vitamins can play an important role in supporting you along this journey, filling in nutritional gaps, providing a safety net, and helping you with your needs during difficult times like nausea, vomiting, or busyness.
However, with the prenatal supplement market saturated with options, each of which claims to be the best one for you, choosing the right prenatal can be daunting. In this ultimate guide, we will explore everything you need to know about prenatal vitamins to make the most informed choice that suits your needs.
Disclaimer
The information in this blog should not be considered as medical advice. It is not intended to replace personalised health care advice from your doctor or care provider. You will have unique needs specific to your body, your pregnancy, and any health conditions you have, all of which cannot be accounted for in this post. Use this information as a guide only and make a decision that is best for you in conjunction with your care provider.
Do you even need to take a prenatal vitamin?
Prenatal vitamins came onto the scene less than 100 years ago, in the 1940s, meaning that it was only a few generations ago that every single woman went through pregnancy without one. The earliest prenatal vitamins were simple supplements including only a handful of nutrients.
It wasn’t until decades later, around the 1960s that recommendations for prenatal vitamins by public health bodies became more widespread. Many of our own mothers or grandmothers wouldn’t have taken any supplements during their pregnancies, and their children all turned out ok, right?
As the understanding of the importance of nutrients for a healthy pregnancy has evolved, so too has the emphasis on the role for prenatal nutritional supplementation, and there is increasing evidence showing both the shot and long-term impacts for mum and baby of nutrient deficiencies during pregnancy.
While it is entirely possible to meet all of your nutrient needs during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond from food alone, and in many ways a food-first approach is preferable, it’s certainly not the easiest route. A good quality prenatal vitamin functions as a safety net or an insurance policy, helping you to relax in knowing that many of the most important nutrient bases are covered, taking the pressure off needing to obtain everything from food alone.
Importance by perinatal stage
Preconception
Although it’s less common for women to begin taking a prenatal vitamin in the months before they try to conveive, there are significant benefits of doing so. It can help you to build up nutrient stores in preparation for pregnancy, improve your chances of conception, and improve the health of your reproductive system, specifically the quality of the egg which may be the egg that is fertilised and goes on to grow into your baby. Pregnancy is a demanding, somewhat stressful event for the body (more on that below), so entering this journey in the most robust, resilient state of health possible is ideal.
Ideal timing: it takes 3-4 months for a single egg to mature and be released at ovulation, so ideally preconception care would span across this timeframe as a minimum.
Pregnancy
These days, there is a lot of emphasis on the importance of nutrition during pregnancy. Nutritional needs increase almost across the board for a pregnant woman in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, reflecting the demand placed on the body to grow a baby and sustain a pregnancy.
In some cases, the increased needs are modest and achievable by focusing on nutrient dense foods, but in other cases, for example iron or iodine, the needs increase significantly and many women find it difficult to reach these higher intakes, making supplementation with key nutrients such as these very reassuring and helpful. See more below on nutrients of importance.
Ideal timing: a prenatal vitamin is supportive throughout the entire duration of pregnancy.
Postpartum
Many women stop taking their prenatal vitamin after birth because they think the marathon is over, however, arguably the need for nutritional support remains just as high, if not higher in postpartum.
In the early weeks after birth, the body will be going through huge shifts and changes as it physically recovers after pregnancy and birth, heals tissues, replenishes blood losses, and likely faces increased stresses & demands related to taking care of a newborn.
Breastfeeding
Although there is a big emphasis on nutrition during pregnancy, this message becomes lost in postpartum and breastfeeding. A woman’s nutritional needs increase again when she is lactating, on top of the already increased needs in pregnancy, a fact that not many women are aware of.
A woman’s nutritional needs are higher during breastfeeding than they are in any other life stage!
Think of it this way – you’re still growing a baby, that baby is just outside of you now, and getting bigger and bigger every day.
During the early months of breastfeeding, particularly if exclusively breastfeeding and before the introduction of solids, a prenatal vitamin is just as important as during pregnancy.
Ideal timing: a prenatal vitamin can continue to be supportive through the fourth trimester after birth to support healing and proper return to health. For breastfeeding mothers, due to the increased needs while exclusively breastfeeding, continued prenatal vitamin supplementation is recommended until your baby starts eating meaningful amounts of complementary foods (the timing of this will vary depending on each baby’s enthusiasm about starting solids!)
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What to look for in a prenatal vitamin?
There are countless prenatal vitamin options available out there, with more options coming out every week. But not all prenatals are made equally. These are some of the things to consider when choosing your prenatal vitamin:
- Form of nutrients
- Dosage of nutrients
- Excipients used in the manufacturing process
- Affordability
- Accessibility
- Navigating nausea & supplements during pregnancy
Nutrient form
The form of a nutrient refers to the specific chemical structure in a supplement. It can affect important things like how much of a nutrient is absorbed into the body and then utilised once in the bloodstream. Some nutrient forms are more bioavailable, leading to greater therapeutic action. Some forms of nutrients are more likely to cause unwanted side effects or may be less well tolerated.
When it comes to prenatal supplements, there are a few key nutrients to be mindful of when it comes to their form:
Folate:
The typical form of folate used in many supplements is called folic acid. This is an inactive form of folate that needs to be converted to the active form inside the body. The active form is methyl-folate.
However, a huge portion of the population has a genetic polymorphism (MTHFR, estimated that 30-50% of the population carry at least one variant in this gene) which means they have a greatly reduced capacity to covert inactive folate to active folate, making folic acid a poor choice of folate for these people.
Folate is crucial for the early weeks of pregnancy during the development of the neural tube, so having enough folate that your body can utilise is important.
The only way of knowing whether you have this predisposition is a genetic test. If you’re unaware of your MTHFR status, taking activated folate is a good measure and very safe.
Iron
The form of iron in a supplement makes a big different to the bioavailability when it comes to absorption in the digestive system. Newer forms, such as iron amino acid chelates or iron bisglycinate, are the preferred forms for best absorption.
Other forms like ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate, or ferrous polymaltose are less well absorbed and may cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms like constipation when taken in high doses.
Vitamin B12
A similar situation exists with vitamin B12 as with folate, there are genetic polymorphisms impacting the utilisation of inactive forms of B12 in supplements.
Inactive forms like cyanocobalamin are usually used. The preferred active forms include methyl-cobalamin or hydroxy-cobalamin
Magnesium
Although magnesium is not a common inclusion in prenatal vitamins, the form of magnesium is important.
Some forms, such as magnesium oxide, can cause loose bowels and diarrhoea. Preferred forms include magnesium glycinate, magnesium amino acid chelate, or magnesium citrate.
Nutrient dose
The dose of a nutrient within a prenatal is another important consideration. This goes both ways – is there too much? Or is there not enough?
More is not always better, as is the case with nutrients like iron, iodine, or vitamin A. While we want enough of these key nutrients in pregnancy, too much can be associated with negative outcomes and it is possible to overdose, depending on the supplements you’re taking and your total intake from foods.
On the other hand, some prenatal vitamins contain low doses of nutrients, just enough to cover the recommended daily intake (RDI) level for pregnancy. While it’s important to meet your RDIs, these levels are set as a bare minimum to prevent deficiency symptoms and conditions, and it is likely that optimal intake is higher than the minimum RDI.
Excipients
In the manufacturing process of supplements, inactive and inert ingredients are used to help stablise the products, preserve the active ingredients, or improve the product’s appearance. These are known as excipients.
They can include things like binders, preservatives, emulsifiers, fillers, and flavourings. While they are used widely in the supplement industry, not all of them are well-studied and their potential impacts in the body not fully understood. Whenever possible, it’s a good idea to choose a product with the least excipients possible.
Excipients are particularly important to be aware of if you have any allergies, intolerances, or sensitivities.
Excipients do not have to be listed on the product label of a supplement, but you can look it up yourself on the Therapeutic Goods Administration website. Here’s how:
- Go to: https://www.ebs.tga.gov.au/
- Use the left hand side navigation bar menu and select ‘Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods’
- On this page, type in the name of the supplement
- Once it comes up in the search results, on the left hand side of the table, click the little down arrow box and click the ‘Public ARTG Summary’
- A new window will open with the public summary for that supplement, including the excipients list down the very bottom
Accessibility & affordability
While it’s all good and well to discuss the factors above, like form and dose, two other equally important considerations are the accessibility and affordability of a given prenatal supplement.
You will need to consider how a prenatal vitamin will fit into your family budget, keeping in mind that it something you would ideally be taking for 9 months of pregnancy, 3 months postpartum, and potentially for another few months if exclusively breastfeeding (maybe more if you started preconception). You will have to weigh up the total costs of this and figure out what works for you.
Likewise, accessibility is sometimes a limiting factor in the choices you have. Some options won’t be available in your area or you may not be able to access them where you live, or some may require a prescription that you can’t necessarily get, so always work with what you have available to you.
Just know that any extra nutritional support will be a gift to you and your baby, whatever you can access and afford.
Considerations for nausea and aversions in pregnancy
For many women, the biggest consideration is just being able to take something that doesn’t make their nausea worse or trigger vomiting. As someone who has been through pretty rough nausea during the first half of pregnancy, I know exactly how challenging this is. Consider some of the following things if you are struggling with this:
Supplements containing iron and/or zinc can both be triggers for nausea. This is especially true for larger doses of either mineral. Consider trying a supplement without iron, in particular. Prenatal vitamins without zinc are difficult to find, so see if an iron-free option works for you.
Avoid taking your prenatal on an empty stomach, as this can worsen nausea. If you are able to get any food down, or liquified food like a smoothie or glass of juice, try having your prenatal immediately after this.
Try breaking your prenatal up into separate doses, for example, breaking the tablet in half and having ½ in the morning and ½ in the evening to reduce the overall dose
Take it at night – if your nausea eases up towards the end of the day, you can take your prenatal in the evening before bed. This way you can (hopefully) sleep through any queasiness it may bring up.
Consider a supplement with ginger and vitamin B6, as this combination has been shown in the research to alleviate nausea and vomiting. Getting the dosage of both B6 and ginger is crucial for it’s efficacy on nausea, so make sure you get the right advice about how much to take and when.
Try a different prenatal supplement. Don’t slog it out with a supplement that is exacerbating your nausea. Each supplement has a different taste profile and chemical make-up. If it’s within your budget to try an alternative, experiment to see if there is another better tolerated option.
Simplify down to singular nutrients, most importantly especially in the first trimester, folate and iodine. Both of these nutrients are available in liquid/drop form, so if capsules make you gag or worsen your nausea, try drops.
Work with a practitioner who can help you be selective about the most important nutrients needed based on your stage and who can offer alternatives to meet your needs, such as powdered or liquid options, and low-flavour, low-sensitivity options when possible
When nothing is working
If none of the above works for you, please don’t fret. Be kind and gentle to yourself as you navigate the difficulty of a pregnancy clouded by nausea and vomiting. A prenatal vitamin is nice to have for peace of mind, yes, but your body will be able to tap into its stores of nutrients to continue the pregnancy and support baby’s growth.
When the nausea passes (if it does!) you can refocus on your nutrition goals and replenish your body with the nutrients that may have been lost after this difficult phase is over.
If your nausea and vomiting persists past the first trimester or is severe at any point, seek support from your doctor or OBGYN for specialised support, blood testing to track nutrient levels, possible IV fluids and nutrients, and a personalised supplement support plan.
Nutrients of importance
All nutrients have their own special roles and responsibilities when it comes to pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. However, there are some nutrients that require special attention due to the pivotal role they play, the significantly increased need during the perinatal period, and the challenges faced when obtaining them from food sources alone. In some cases, there can be potential risk associated with over use as well.
Iron
The daily need for iron increases significantly in pregnancy, from 18mg to 27mg per day. This is a level that many women find difficult to reach from food alone and iron deficiency is very common in pregnancy.
Iron supports your energy levels, cognition, sleep, and mood, as well as baby’s growth and development, and is needed to fill up their stores before they are born. Iron needs drop in breastfeeding to 9mg/d, although if you’ve come out of pregnancy in an iron deficient state you may need to be consuming much more than this.
The challenge with iron and prenatal vitamins is that iron competes for absorption with other minerals like zinc, calcium, and magnesium. Because of the increased need for iron and it’s importance during this phase of life, ideally any iron supplementation you need would be separate from your prenatal multivitamin. This isn’t common practice and many prenatals contain iron, although there is an increasing understanding of this and there are also many options available without iron.
Iodine
Daily iodine needs increase significantly in the perinatal period, from 150mcg to 220mcg and 250mcg (pregnancy and lactation, respectively). Typically, daily intake of iodine for women is low, before even considering these increased needs. Iodine is crucial for thyroid function for both mum and baby during pregnancy, and iodine deficiency can lead to irreversible impairment in brain development or thyroid dysfunction for mum.
DHA
Omega-3 essential fatty acids, especially DHA, are required for optimal brain development during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as to preserve and protect the health of mum’s brain and nervous system across this time.
Many women struggle to consume oily fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, or others regularly, and these are the best food sources of the omga-3 essential fatty acids like DHA. Ideally we’re aiming for 2-3 serves/week during the perinatal period, so if your intake is below this supplementation may be needed.
Quality really matters when it comes to omega-3 fats. Avoid a prenatal that is an all-in-one with all essential nutrients and fish oils together, as the quality is probably questionable. Omega-3 fatty acids need to be as fresh as possible and stored in the fridge.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is unique in that our body levels don’t come from food intake, but rather from sun exposure. Many women have low vitamin D levels prior to pregnancy and a deficiency during pregnancy can increase risk for preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. Vitamin D is also crucial for baby’s bone development, and optimal maternal vitamin D levels during breastfeeding (>100 nmol/L) are needed for adequate vitamin D levels in breastmilk.
Most prenatal contain at least some vitamin D, however usually not in the levels required to achieve these high stores in the body. An additional stand alone supplement may be needed, but this will be determined by your current blood levels and the personalised advise from your care provider.
Choline
There is increasing awareness about the importance of choline for the perinatal period, but because its importance hasn’t been recognised until more recently many prenatal vitamins don’t include choline. Choline supports neural tube development in early pregnancy, as well as optimal brain development in later pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Even with the prenatal vitamins that do include choline, the dose is usually fairly low. If you’re consuming enough choline rich foods daily, like egg yolks, meat, salmon, or liver, you should be able to bridge the gap. Vegans or those not consuming these foods may consider a supplement.
Vitamin A
Caution is advised for supplementing with high doses of synthetic vitamin A, as research has shown it can cause birth defects. The upper limit during pregnancy is 10,000 IU, from both supplements and food intake. Australian prenatal vitamins usually don’t contain vitamin A, but many overseas products do – always check to see how much it includes and what your total daily intake is across food and supplements.
A review of popular prenatal vitamins
Please see the disclaimer relating to this blog at the bottom of the page. The information provided here should not be considered medical advice and is for educational purposes only.
A few notes about the table below and prenatal vitamins in general:
- Watch out for the inclusion of herbs in supplements and consider their safety during pregnancy
- More expensive does not necessarily equal a better quality, although some of the higher quality options are more expensive
- Consider the inclusion of iron within the prenatal vitamin – see more on this above under the section Nutrients of Importance. This could be either a strength or limitation of the prenatal, depending on the situation and other factors like whether convenience is important.
- Consider the vitamin A content of a prenatal and the risk associated with high vitamin A intake – see more on this above in the section Nutrients of Importance.
- Split dosing is when the product recommends taking one (or more) tablets multiple times a day. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. Split dosing is better for nutrient absorption in many cases, as we have an upper limit as to how much we can absorb at one time with certain nutrients, however it is less convenient and can be difficult to remember to take all the doses throughout the day.
- Read the sections above if you’re unsure why a certain strength or limitation is listed, the information is probably up there!
FAQs
Can I take liver capsules or powder alone as my prenatal?
Liver is having its moment of glory, and rightly so – it’s one of the most nutrient dense foods available to humans. It routinely scores top marks on studies measuring nutrient density. But is it enough to work as a prenatal alone? The answer to this will vary from person to person. Here are some considerations:
Because liver is a food-based supplement, the nutrient amounts are not standardised like synthetic vitamins, so it’s difficult to know what intake you’re getting from a given liver supplement (this can be calculated from nutrition data, but if the liver is within a mixed supplement, such as the wholefood powders in the review above, it’s difficult to know exactly how much is in there). This might not be that important if you’re an otherwise healthy, nourished person. But if you have known nutrient deficiencies, a standardised dose of certain nutrients can become more important.
On the backdrop of an otherwise whole foods, nutrient dense diet, for someone who is healthy and well nourished, a liver capsule or powder could very well work as a prenatal vitamin to increase nutrient intake.
There are some gaps that you won’t be able to fill with liver alone, such as vitamin D, iodine and DHA, so you could work out a combined supplement line up with these or focus on the food sources of these nutrients to ensure good intake.
What about the high vitamin A content of liver in pregnancy?
One very important consideration is the high vitamin A content of liver. Overconsumption of liver can lead to vitamin A toxicity. There are concerns around high vitamin A intake during pregnancy and risk of birth defects, with an upper limit of intake set at 10,000IU/d, however, the research on this topic shows this risk is only with vitamin A supplements, not for food sources of vitamin A.
Even if you were to play it safe with liver, to get 10,000 IU/d of vitamin A from liver, you would have to consume 75g of chicken liver or double that of beef liver every single day, and I’ve never met anyone consuming this much liver. For liver-based supplements, these typically contain microgram or singular gram amounts per serving, meaning a fraction of this amount of vitamin A. Always check your specific supplement for the liver amount and get professional support if you need.
I struggle to swallow tablets or capsules, what other options are there?
In this situation, one of the powdered wholefood supplements listed in the table above could be a good option. Check with your health care provider about whether they are suitable for your stage of the perinatal period.
There are also some prenatal gummies available on the market, however, those have not been reviewed as part of this guide.
Another option would be to create your own bespoke supplement line up to address your specific perinatal needs using a selection of powdered or liquid options, for example, vitamin D drops or spray, iodine drops or spray, fish oil or algae oil liquid, plus a multivitamin powder if needed. Again, check with your health care provider.
What about a prenatal for plant-based mums?
When it comes to prenatal vitamins, being plant based shouldn’t be too much of a barrier. Many supplements are now made to be vegetarian or vegan friendly and they will clearly state this either on the label or in the marketing materials.
However, because of the restrictive nature of a plant-based diet, you may have an increased need for key nutrients that can be more difficult to obtain for plants alone, such as iron, zinc, protein, omega-3 DHA, choline, active vitamin A, and vitamin B12. You may need to supplement some or all of these nutrients specifically to account for this. A good quality prenatal will help you cover many of these bases, but not necessarily all of them.
If you are 100% plant based, you must at the very least supplement with vitamin B12, as it is only found in animal foods, however a prenatal vitamin should cover this for you.
There are also now vegan friendly omega-3 supplements available in the form of algae oil.
I have a MTHFR variant, what should I be looking for in a prenatal when it comes to folate?
If you have one or both of the MTHFR polymorphisms – 677CT or 1298AC, you should prioritise a prenatal with active folate and active B12 in it, if possible (methylfolate and methylcobalamin).
For some people, additional folate or B12 may be needed on top of what is in a prenatal multivitamin, but personalised advice is definitely needed here. See the section above for more information about folate: Nutrients of Importance.
What’s with all the different forms of folate? Does it matter which one I take?
The three types of folate you will see in a prenatal are: folic acid, folinic acid, and methylfolate.
Ideally we are aiming for the activated form of folate – methylfolate or folinic acid, as this is the most bioavailable. However, the most common form used in prenatals is folic acid.
Many people have a genetic condition that prevents them from converting folic acid, an inactive form of folate, into active folate, rendering much of the folic acid they consume from a supplement useless. Most people with this genetic variant don’t even know they have it.
Folinic acid is also an activated form of folate, however it requires one single conversion into methylfolate, whereas a series of steps is required to activate folic acid.
See more about folate in the section above: Nutrients Of Importance.
Tips when nausea or strong aversions to supplements are present in pregnancy?
This is covered above in the section Considerations for Nausea in Pregnancy. Most importantly, be kind and gentle to yourself!
Final note
Well, we’ve covered a lot of ground in this blog, which I hope has helped you learn more about what to look for when it comes to prenatal vitamins, some important factors to keep in mind, the nutrients of importance, and the strengths & limitations of the popular prenatal supplements out there on the market.
Leave any questions you have below!
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog is for your personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. It should not be considered as medical or professional advice. We recommend you consult with a GP or other healthcare professional before taking or omitting to take any action based on this blog. While the author uses best endeavours to provide accurate and true content, the author makes no guarantees or promises and assumes no liability regarding the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information presented. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this blog are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this blog is done at your own risk.
Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. Knowledge is power, and people who are looking to begin a family (or add to it) are force fed which pre-natal vitamin they should be taking. This guide has now given me the power to make the decision on what is right for me.
Great to hear, Deahne, that was my hope in putting together this guide. Informed decision-making is the best kind, right?! There are lots of options out there, some good and some not-so-good ones, and unfortunately, the better quality ones aren’t always recommended. G x
Thank you for this. Have you reviewed Eagle Tresos Natal? I’ve had friends and naturopaths recommend this brand, would love to know a comparison.
Hey Hannah, thanks for reading! Eagle Tresos Natal should be in the comparison table above, you might need to scroll up or down on the table to see it. It’s a very good option, the only limitation I see is that it contains iron (which previously used to be considered a positive, but nowadays we try to separate iron supplementation from other nutrients for best absorption, especially in pregnancy when iron needs are significantly higher). But everyone is different in their needs and convenience is also important! G x
This is exactly what I was looking for! I trusted my naturopath to provide me with the best prenatal but when I researched further I saw it has folic acid and she suspected I might have the MTHFTR mutation so this has given me the information to get the best one! Much appreciated
Hey Aimee, thanks for reading, so happy to know it was helpful. Over the last 5-10 years, there has been a big shift in the formulation of many prenatal products when it comes to folate – even some of ‘practitioner only’ products contained all or part folic acid. Many of them are now reformulated to include only the activated forms, so it’s becoming easier and easier to find a good option. Hope you can now confidently choose one that is right for you and your needs! Georgie x
Wow Georgie, this is such a great resource
Thanks for reading Laila! That’s the goal, provide a resource that mothers can use to make an informed choice about what prenatal will be best for them xx
Wonderful resource Georgie. Will share with my mum friends
Thanks Olivia! Appreciate it
Thanks so much Georgie! have you reviewed Kin Fertility prenatals? How do they fare?
Hey Phoebe, I’ve just added Kin into the table, so check above again and it should be there! Let me know if you have any other questions G x
Great article! I am using the EverNatal prenatal and have no side effects whatsoever. I take IronBiotic separately (also Natal Naturopath) and feel really good so definitely recommend this combination.
Hey Emma, thanks for reading and sharing your experience. That sounds like a great combo, I love that EverNatal doesn’t contain iron, which usually feels counter-intuitive to most people because iron is so important in pregnancy, but we want the best absorption possible for iron precisely because it is so important, so separate dosing is best! G x
Hi Georgie,
This is such a great read and so informative. It really helps mums to be to make the right choice when you often get told one brand at the GP! I am taking Zycia Natal Nutrients. Have you reviewed this before? Just found out I’m pregnant 🙂 would it be worth staying on my current prenatal or can I swap? Thanks again 🙂
Hey Rose, thanks for reading, so happy it was helpful. That’s the goal, to help mums make an informed decision. And congratulations on your pregnancy! So exicting, I hope you’re feeling well.
I just took a quick look at Zycia and it looks really good! I haven’t had a chance to add it to the table, but will next time I update the article. It ticks most of the boxes discussed above, high in choline – which many prenatals miss. If I were being picky, it contains folic acid, the inactive form of folate which can be hard for some people to convert into the active form – see the section above on folate. However, the inactive folate it is in combination with some active folate, so it’s not all bad.
Let me know if you have any other questions
G xx
Hi Georgie,
Thank you for putting this list together, so helpful! I just wanted to know what gives the Natal that extra star over the Moode prenatals?
The pros and cons for both are the same..
Hey Wendy,
Thanks for reading, I’m so glad you found it helpful. This is a great question and actually something I’ve been meaning to come back to clarify on further since I first wrote & published this article last year. There are some differences between the dosages of nutrients in EverNatal and Moode – Evernatal has a slight edge on Moode with a few nutrient dosages like choline, selenium, and some of the B-vitamins, which is where the original difference in the ‘star rating’ came from. But over the last year I’ve come to consider Moode to be a 5 star prenatal (and one that I routinely recommend to clients and have taken myself!), so I’ve been meaning to update this on the comparison chart, thanks for the reminder.
Hope that helps, Georgie
Thank you, so helpful. Do you have any thoughts on the kin post natal, is there anything in them that is especially helpful for the post natal period over what’s in say the moode prenatal?
Hey Alicia,
So glad you found the article helpful! Thanks for reading.
Something unique about Kin Prenatal is that it contains the omega-3 essential fatty acids (fish oil) alongside their formula of prenatal vitamins and minerals – this is rarely seen in prenatal vitamins and therefore positioned by the company as a unique selling point. Although, I would argue that we don’t usually see this combination in supplements for good reason. Omega-3 fats are highly prone to oxidative damage and therefore quality is very important. If I need to use a fish oil supplement with a client I always opt for a stand alone product and the highest quality products available from manufacturers who share their quality control data.
Kin does state that they use a high quality, low mercury fish oil in their supplement, but I’ve not been able to see any data relating to it’s purity (maybe they have it, but it’s not on the website).
Either way, anything containing fish oil should always be stored in the fridge to keep the oils fresh and prevent oxidation.
Aside from this, there is nothing about Kin that is any better or different from Moode – my opinion is that Moode is superior as a general prenatal.
Hope that helps.
Georgie
Hi Georgie,
I hope you are well. Thankyou for this informative research which very clearly lays out the pros and cons.
I am feeling so overwhelmed at the decision and range of choices.
What would you choose between Eagle & Naturobest?
Kiera
Hey Kiera, thanks for reading. Yep, there sure is a lot of choice and it can definitely feel overwhelming! Although I can’t comment on what the best choice would be for you specifically, generally speaking I would say that Naturobest has a slight advantage over Eagle Tresos Natal in that is contains significantly more choline – an important nutrient that is often low or excluded from prenatal vitamins. But rest assured if you have chosen or can only access Tresos Natal, it’s still an excellent choice! G xx
Thank you so much for this comprehensive explaination and comparison Georgie! It’s written in words I can actually understand, and I love that it’s actually recent! Most other things I’ve read online are 4-5+ years old 🙂
My GP recommended I take a natal vitamin that has 500mg of folate. I’ve been taking the Eagle Tresos for a few months which I’m really liking. I just wanted to check that it has that equivalent 500mg of folate/folic acid? Completely understand if it’s not a straightforward answer! From what I’ve been able to read it’s all good, but my naturopath is on maternity leave so I can’t check with her! Thanks again 🙂
Hey Louisa, so glad it was helpful. Thanks for reading. Yes the Tresos Natal contains total 500mcg of active folate, so you have that covered. Most of the high quality prenatal options, like Tresos, contain that therapeutic level of folate in its active form, plus therapeutic doses for most of other essential nutrients. Wishing you all the best with your journey! G x
Hi Georgie
Thanks for this! Just a question about the Bioceuticals InNatal – I noticed that the daily dose is 6mg of beta carotene. I know that high doses of vitamin a is a cause of birth defects and just wondering if this applies to beta carotene in supplements also (such as the Bioceuticals InNatal)? I understand that beta carotene is a Provitamin A but find the information available on this confusing! Is it only Vitamin A in supplements (such as retinyl acetate) that need to be cautious of?
Thanks again 🙂
Hi Maddie, thanks for reading. Yes the Vitamin A topic can be very confusing and it naturally brings up concerns for many women. The research regarding vitamin A and increased risk of birth defects relates to high doses of synthetic vitamin A sources only. So, as you say, the forms found in supplements like retinol acetate or retinol palmitate. The same risk relationship has not been identified for vitamin A precursors like beta carotene, nor for vitamin A from food sources. Hope that helps x
Hi Georgie,
Thank you for your article, it is very instructive.
I have been taking Tresos Natal for the first 8 weeks of my pregnancy.
I just noticed the high amount of vitamin B12 (500mcg). I read that high amount of vitamins B12 could give autism spectrum disorder to the baby.
I am a bit concerned about that.
Hi Jeanne, thanks for reading – glad it’s been informative. Congratulations on your pregnancy!
This is a complex topic, as ASD is a multifactorial condition and the root causes aren’t fully understood at this point. There are likely several contributing factors involved, not just one single nutrient intake or level. The current research regarding B12 suggests that both deficiency as well as excess could be risk factors, so it’s not black and white (also, emphasis on it being a potential risk factor only – the research is only correlational in nature, it doesn’t show causation).
Overall, the research on prenatal supplements in pregnancy shows a protective effect against ASD, and the amount of B12 in Tresos Natal, while higher than the RDI, is a fairly standard therapeutic dose. But, of course, we all have different individual health considerations and nutrient needs, so getting personalised professional support is always the best option to assess what nutrient intake level is right for you based on your health history, current diet, blood test results, and any underlying health conditions.
Wishing you a smooth and enjoyable pregnancy, Georgie x