The Ultimate Guide To Prenatal Vitamins: What Do You Really Need?

When a woman makes the decision try for a baby, her attention turns to what she can do to prepare her body for a successful pregnancy. The preconception phase (ideally, at least 3 months prior to conception) provides a valuable opportunity to clean up the diet and boost nutrient status, ready for the demands ahead!

Fortunately, in Australia, most women start taking a daily prenatal vitamin product when trying to conceive. Unfortunately, not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. Experts tell us that taking certain nutrients can be beneficial to the health and development of both mother and baby before and during pregnancy, but what do we really need and why?

Once pregnancy is confirmed, a woman’s excitement and elation it is often followed by an overwhelming desire to do the absolute best for her unborn child. From here on, the nutrient demands steadily increase and it can be hard to know if needs are being met.

Therefore, we were thrilled when Perdays introduced us to two specialist clinicians who shared their wisdom with us. Leading Australian reproductive health expert, Leah Hechtman (Pregnancy & Infertility Clinician, Researcher, Author, Educator, and Naturopath of over 25 years) and dietician, Stefanie Valakas (Women's Health and Fertility Dietitian) explain what we really need to know when it comes to taking prenatal vitamins:

1. Why do women need to take prenatal vitamins?

Our soil is lacking in a number of key nutrients and as such even if a person consumed an optimal diet the food that they consume will be inadequate nutritionally, so they are likely to present with deficiencies,” Perdays Guest Expert Leah Hechtman explains. “A deficiency now (in preconception) will cause significant impact to her unborn and future children. When we supplement we mitigate these deficiencies and both protect and improve our future children’s health.”

“Key nutrient demands that increase during pregnancy include folate, iodine, iron, zinc and omega-3s. In fact, these are so important that we don't want to enter pregnancy with sub-par levels. A deficiency in folic acid, for example, may increase the risk of neural tube defects in pregnancy,” describes Perdays Product Advisor Stefanie Valakas. “It’s recommended to start on a prenatal vitamin 1-3 months prior to conceiving so it has time to work and build up key nutrient stores to support your fertility and pregnancy health. Even if your blood work looks normal and you eat a great diet, it is recommended you start a folate and iodine containing prenatal vitamin before conception and during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding.”

2. Is it 'one-size-fits-all' when it comes to taking prenatal vitamins?

“No two people are alike physically - and likewise, no two people are the same nutritionally. We all have similar basic requirements but specialised and tailored supplements are advantageous to ensure that women address their deficiencies accurately and effectively and optimise the balance of their nutritional biochemistry,” says Hechtman.

3. Why is it important for prenatal vitamins to be tailored to the individual?

“Each individual is the sum of their genetics, familial upbringing and the health choices they make on a day to day basis. A person that has a plant based whole food diet vs someone who lives on diet soft drink and french fries are understandably going to require different doses and even different nutrients to optimise their health,” revealed Hechtman.

“Some women require up to 10 times more folate than others and this is dependent upon medical history for certain conditions such as Coeliac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease like Crohn's disease, diabetes, history of bariatric or weight loss surgery and weight status,” explains Valakas. “Also, if you're vegetarian or vegan you may also want to consider how much iron, vitamin B12, omega-3s and zinc your prenatal supplement contains to help bridge any potential dietary gaps.”

4. Why do some prenatal vitamins make women feel so sick?

“Cheaper forms of a nutrient are notorious to aggravate people’s digestion so ultimately you get what you pay for with supplements. Higher end products have better inclusions - better chosen forms; complementary synergy between nutrient inclusions and optimal doses without excipients,” describes Hechtman.

Valakas shares her great tip; “80% of pregnant women experience nausea in the first trimester, so it can be tricky to say whether it is always a prenatal vitamin that is making you feel a bit queasy. However, large amounts of iron or zinc can impact digestion and create some additional nausea. My tip is to make sure you take your prenatal vitamin after a decent meal (not just your cup of tea and a banana in the morning!) and also work out when you're feeling less nauseous in the day (this may be before bed) and taking your prenatal supplement then, instead!”

So, with all that in mind, what makes Perdays Prenatal Vitamins different to other prenatal vitamins?

Perdays may be the new kid on the block, but there is nothing immature about their approach to pregnancy supplements and are fast establishing themselves as the experts in pregnancy nutrition. Many of the leading multivitamin brands were formulated many years ago and have not been updated, meaning the ingredients haven’t been adapted to meet the nutritional needs of this generation or reflect the latest scientific advancements.. For example, specific ingredients such as folic acid, vital for your baby’s healthy development, is a form of folate that can’t be absorbed by up to 30% of people. Australian made Perdays include the activated form (folinic acid) in this formula to give everyone peace of mind.

They are precise and targeted in their approach to nutrition. By following the best research and expert advice, they create complete formulations that deliver only the nutrients you need for each stage of pregnancy. 

The brand has an advisory board of leading health and fertility experts, whom they consult when formulating their products. It’s reassuring to know that this forms the basis of their scientific, evidence-based approach to nutritional supplements, catering to the specific nutritional needs of today's women.

The Perdays Pregnancy Key Essentials & DHA supplement is a premium prenatal multivitamin, which includes 12 vitamins and minerals such as activated folic acid, vitamin D and Iron, plus vegan DHA. Not only have they carefully chosen key nutrients for a healthy pregnancy, but included optimal amounts of each, in the most bioavailable forms.