Most prenatal vitamins contain enough folic acid , along with a host of other nutrients to support the mother and fetus, says Dr. Milunsky. Again, though, women often don t go to their doctors and start taking prenatal vitamins until after the crucial six-week period of organ formation has passed, he says. Probably, though, taking the full dose once a day isn t the best approach. I recommend that pregnant women take prenatal multi vitamins that come in divided doses to be taken throughout the day. Your body is better able to absorb the nutrients if you take them in several smaller doses rather than in one large dose.
Researchers can t yet say exactly which vitamins within a multivitamin do the beneficial work.
Apart from the effect of folic acid , there s some evidence to suggest that other B vitamins play vital roles. But we lack specific evidence. That s understandable, notes Dr. Moore, since researchers would never deprive pregnant women of nutrients that might prevent birth defects in order to study the effects of deficiency. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. Rodale Inc. All rights reserved.