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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Is a prenatal multi recommended? If so, which one?

    Related Topics
    Infertility Nutrition Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

    • 1 answer
    • Melanie McGrice
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  • Melanie McGrice

    Dietitian

    Melanie McGrice is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, one of the few dietitians in Australia to achieve that status. Her success has made her an … View Profile

    Definitely. One of the key reasons for taking a prenatal multi is to boost our folate intakes. Folic acid helps to reduce the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida and cleft palates. Folate deficiency is still the primary cause of neural tube defects in Australia. Unfortunately, many women don’t start taking folic acid or a prenatal multi until they discover they’re pregnant, and by then, it’s often too late. The neural tube is one of the first parts of development, and most women don’t discover that they’re pregnant until they’ve skipped a period and are at least five weeks along….the neural tube is usually formed by then. There are other key nutrients which need boosting too. Iodine is another example. To answer the second part of the question, there is not a specific recommended brand as everyone’s requirements are different. For example, the standard recommendations are 400mg of folic acid per day (in addition to dietary folate), however, some women, such as women who are overweight, smoke, have a family history of neural tube defects or women who take certain medications have increased requirements. Some women who have certain genetic problems absorbing folic acid may need a follinic acid supplement instead. When it comes to iodine, the average women requires 150mcg per day, but women who have thyroid issues may need to avoid prenatal multis which contain iodine – so you can see that your prenatal multi really needs to be tailored to your requirements. It is highly recommended that every woman sees a fertility dietitian before thinking about conceiving.

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