When you hear the words "prenatal vitamins", you'd be forgiven for thinking that these are vitamins you start taking after a positive pregnancy test. Yet there are many advantages to starting vitamins earlier.
Idéalement, vous devriez commencer à prendre des vitamins prénatales dès que vous commencez à penser que vous voulez essayer de concevoir. De nombreuses personnes ne réalisent pas qu’elles sont enceintes avant d’avoir bien entamé leur premier trimestre. À ce moment-là, une grande partie du développement du fœtus a déjà eu lieu. Si vous commencez à prendre des vitamines prénatales quotidiennes avant la pregnancy, vous pouvez mettre en place ce filet de sécurité nutritionnel, qui vous donnera, à vous et à votre futur baby, les meilleures chances de bénéficier d’un maximum de bienfaits. Bien sûr, la vie est imprévisible et les surprises arrivent parfois. Si vous vous retrouvez pregnant avant d’avoir commencé la prise de vitamines prénatales, commencez simplement à prendre des vitamines prénatales dès que possible.
Plusbaby has created a range of vitamins +ferti que nous vous conseillons de commencer le plus tôt possible afin d’optimiser vos chances de get pregnant. Celle-ci contient tous les nutriments nécessaires pour le premier trimestre de la grossesse.
Once your pregnancy is confirmed, we advise you to take our +mum vitamins, our vitamins specially designed during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
What to look for in prenatal vitamins?
Passons maintenant aux détails : Que contient exactement une vitamin de qualité, et dans quels aliments peut-on trouver naturellement ces nutriments ? Here are the main elements:
Folate : C’est celui dont vous avez probablement entendu le plus parler. Le folate est une vitamine B (B9) qui offre une protection importante contre les anomalies du tube neural. Les anomalies du tube neural sont des anomalies du développement du cerveau et de la moelle épinière, notamment le spina bifida et l’anencéphalie. Il existe plusieurs types de folates présents dans les aliments, mais les deux plus courants dans les compléments alimentaires sont l’acide folique et le 5-MTHF, abrégé en folate MTHF. Nous verrons plus tard la différence entre les suppléments de folate MTHF et l’acide folique, mais assurez-vous que le produit prénatal que vous choisissez en contient au moins un. On peut également trouver du folate dans les légumes à feuilles vertes, les lentilles, les haricots et les légumineuses.
The iron : votre organisme utilise le fer pour fabriquer l’hémoglobine, la protéine que les globules rouges utilisent pour transporter l’oxygène. Dans vos poumons, l’hémoglobine fixe l’oxygène et le transporte vers tous les tissus de votre corps, y compris l’embryon en développement via le placenta. La quantité totale de sang dans l’organisme d’une woman augmentera de 50 % pendant la grossesse, d’où une forte demande en fer. Si vous vous sentez plus fatiguée que d’habitude, c’est peut-être parce que vous souffrez d’une carence en fer, également appelée anémie. Pendant la grossesse, les médecins testent systématiquement l’anémie par une simple prise de sang. Le fer se trouve en plus grande quantité dans la viande rouge (fer héminique), mais il est aussi naturellement présent dans des sources végétales comme les légumes à feuilles vertes, les haricots et les fruits secs (fer non héminique). Le fer non héminique est mieux absorbé lorsqu’il est consommé avec une source de vitamine C, comme les agrumes.
Calcium : It's the mineral that builds your bones and teeth, and those of your baby. Dairy products and green leafy vegetables are all good sources of calcium.
Vitamin D : Many nutrients depend on each other to function or be absorbed. This is the case with vitamin D and calcium: you can take as much calcium as you like, but your body won't be able to absorb it properly without vitamin D. Oily fish (such as salmon) and vitamin D-enriched dairy products are good sources. You can also obtain vitamin D by spending time in the sun. Excessive exposure to the sun - especially without protection from sun cream or clothing - can lead to skin cancer. If you want to sunbathe or go for a walk in the name of vitamin D, do so in moderation.
DHA : Docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that promotes the development of the foetus' brain and eyes. It is an integral part of neuronal cell membranes and its intake is linked to the timely achievement of key developmental milestones and problem-solving abilities in infants. It is found in low-mercury fish and in DHA-enriched orange juice, milk and eggs.
Iodine: This mineral contributes to the healthy development of your baby's organs and nervous system. It is found in iodized salt (usually labeled as such), as well as in dairy products and fish.
Why take these vitamins?
You may have noticed that all these vitamins and minerals are, to some extent, found in food, so why do you need to take a prenatal vitamin on top of all that? For one thing, you need to consume higher amounts of these vitamins than a non-pregnant person, and between pregnancy nausea and the odd craving, it can be difficult to meet these nutritional ideals from food alone.
Growing babies or foetuses are good at getting what they need from their mothers, and while this is great for their well-being, it can have unexpected consequences for you. For example, if your diet is low in calcium, your baby will get the calcium it needs for its growing skeleton from your own bones. So the benefits of taking vitamins and nutrient-rich food sources are not just for your baby-to-be, they're also for you.
Should I choose Folate MTHF or folic acid?
That said, there is another choice to consider, namely the choice between MTHF folate and folic acid. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate used to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Although vitamins containing folic acid are preferable to no vitamin at all, we encourage you to choose vitamins containing MTHF folate.
MTHF folate is preferable because it has a higher bioavailability, which means that your body can use MTHF folate directly in its native or natural form. Folic acid must be metabolised twice before it is converted into a form that your body can use. Up to 25% of the population is severely impaired in its ability to convert folic acid into its active form and is at increased risk of neural tube defects. Research is still preliminary, but these people could benefit from supplementation with MTHF folate rather than folic acid. To find out more about MTHF folate versus folic acid, visit our article on the subject.
What are the side effects of vitamins?
You may have heard of - or perhaps know about - some of the unpleasant side effects some women experience when taking vitamins. We're sorry to tell you that the most common side effects are those you already experience during pregnancy, namely nausea and constipation :
For nausea, taking your vitamin in the evening before bed, or with food, can bring some relief.
Drinking more water and eating a diet rich in soluble fiber can sometimes relieve constipation.
In any case, if you suffer from unpleasant symptoms, be sure to tell your doctor or midwife at your next check-up.
Points to remember about vitamins
We know these decisions can seem stressful and important, and they are: we're talking about your baby's development, and it's normal to want to cover all the bases and do everything you can. It's a way of feeling more in control at an unpredictable and sometimes scary time in your life. However, we encourage you to think of your vitamins as a way of giving yourself a bit of a break. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to follow the dietary recommendations for pregnancy to the letter, you can remember that the vitamins you choose provide you with nutritional support. They are a support system and an investment in your baby's health and well-being, as well as your own. For all the stress that may seem unavoidable during pregnancy, prenatal vitamins can ultimately be a source of relief.
Our vitamins for fertility and pregnancy
We have developed and designed a range of products that follow all our recommendations below and ensure the highest possible quality of all our nutrients.
Plusbaby has created the +ferti range with +fertiwomen and +fertimen, which we recommend you start as early as possible to optimize your chances of getting pregnant. It contains all the nutrients needed for the first trimester of pregnancy.
Once your pregnancy has been confirmed, we recommend that you take +mumOur vitamins specially designed for pregnancy and breastfeeding.