Prenatal Vitamins...but I'm not pregnant!

quichebradford

A friend of mine told me that taking prenatal vitamins was good for hair and nail growth and that they're safe to take even if you aren't pregnant. I am not taking any vitamins right now and I'm looking for a good "one a day" I can take. How different is a prenatal vitamin from a regular one a day multivitamin? I want to try them for my hair, but I'm not sure how it will interfere with my diet and exercise. Any thoughts?

SuzanneRogers

I have taken Prenatal vitamins for years, they give the extra energy I need.. nothing in them that are bad for you.

fitness_superstar

bump

godroxmysox

That's very interesting; I've never even heard that.

p_m_g

My friend started taking prenatal vitamins while training for a half marathon for some of the reasons you listed (hair and nails). She thought they were great and they didn't affect her training at all. In fact, she thought they helped.

flutterqueen04

They really aren't different at all. They have more of the nutrients you need when you get pregnant like folic acid and iron, etc. In all honesty they are just a normal vitamin. They are totally ok to take. They won't make you gain any weight, if that is what your concerned with :-)

The extra iron in them can make you nauseous. Either take them right before bed, with milk, or with a small bit of food. :-) I believe they also have B vitamins that help with energy as well.

HeatherDMcGuire

My nails grew longer and stonger when I changed my multi-vitamin with the prenatal. Good, smart choice...and they are sooo much less expensive:)

lmaharj

http://www.livestrong.com/article/357368-multivitamins-vs-prenatal-vitamins/

brbetha01

Not sure if it would work but when I was taking prenatals, they were really hard on my stomach. They would make me sick whereas I could take a regular multi-vitamin and even Flintstones.

If you want something for hair, skin, and nails, I would take anything with Biotin... I've taken a Biotin supplement I got at the Vitamin Shoppe and my hair grew pretty quick and had strong nails, also.

♥xenawarriorprincess♥

I take them regularly and I'm not pregnant...they have extra stuff in them that I need...I take vitafusion pre-natal gummies...love them

ladybg81

I was told that years ago.

symphonika

they have more folic acid in them than regular ones...which is why it makes your hair and skin healthier. But overall, yes they are pretty much the same.

Flyntiggr

The biggest difference in Prenatal vitamins vs. 'regular' ones is the folic acid levels in the vitamin. Many women's folic acid levels are low, which is why they add it to prenatal vitamins, as it is important for conception and the health of the fetus.

muitobem

I have been taking prenatal vitamins for the past 3 yrs...been the best vitamin for me..keeps my energy up as well. The doctor told me it's the best vitamin for a woman to take....
I have a guy friend who actually takes them too....for several years....doctor recommended to him...

mea9

I''ve been on and off them since Jr. High per my doctor - so that's about 30 years:-) They are good. Full of Iron so if you get a bit nauseous take right before bed (I barf mine up in 15-20min in the am). I get mine from the heathfood store. I like sisu - You get what you pay for with vitimins so talk to your health food store and find a good brand for you.

sincereme

I take them. I find them great!!!!

yeabby

I highly recommend any of the multi-vitamins from Thorne Research or Biotics. They are more expensive than others but, they are made with the most absorbent form of each vitamin and mineral. This is a bit inconvenient compared to Centrum, etc. but, you get what you pay for.

TubbsMcGee

I take Jamieson Prenatal Multivitamin every day.

My doctor recommended I start taking them because
a.) I'm anemic and they provide you with 100% of your iron RDI, and
b.) because I'm of child bearing age--and if I were to get pregnant, it would be better for the growing baby if I already had all those good vitamins pumping through my body.

My hair and nails grow like crazy--I'm not joking. I have to cut my bangs every 4 days, and trim my nails every 2 days...which makes for short lived pedis/manis!

I strongly suggest taking them. Definitely don't have to worry about gaining weight, I've been taking them since I first started trying to lose.

roxyjo1

I have been taking prenatal vitamins for several months to get my hair & nails ready for my wedding. I can't say I've necessarily noticed any difference, but I will probably continue to take them even after the wedding.

zml_mom

I have taken them for years, through both of my pregnancies and I still take them, they have a little bit more of everything you need and have more folic acid in them,

they are known to help with hair but I personally think that its from a pregnancy and NOT the vitamins that womens nails grow better and stronger and their hair looks better because I took them before I had my kids and never noticed a difference but once I got pregnant with my oldest my nails looked great

CraftyGirl4

A prenatal vitamin is different from a regular woman's multivitamin in the following ways:

- more iron (a non-pregnant woman of child-bearing age requires about 18 mg of iron per day, a pregnant woman requires about 30 mg) - you can absolutely overdose yourself on iron, so if you're going to go the prenatal vitamin route, I would highly suggest talking to your doctor about the iron content

- folic acid (a non-pregnant woman needs less, a pregnant woman needs more - this is to prevent spinal cord related birth defects)

- zinc and vitamin C are also generally higher

- Vitamin A in prental vitamins is generally lower (high doses of vitamin A have been proven to cause birth defects)

anulle2009

Prenatal Vitms, are fine to take. I started taking them a year before i got preggo and cont. to take them. I think folic acid is higher in the prenatal than a normal reg. vitamin. Other than that i look at it as a type of multi-vitmn.

anulle2009

I still take them too and do not notice a differance in hair and nails but i did while preggo. i think its the preggo hormones than anything else. There are special "hair and Nail" vitamins. I have taken those. and saw NO differance either

lindsaylove07

I was told that women of child bearing age should be taking folic acid and/or prenatel vitamins regardless of if you were pregnant or not. The idea being is that unless you are actively trying to get pregnant you don't usually know until you've already been pregnant a month. So they shouldn't be bad if a doctor is recommending that you take it before you're pergnant it shouldn't be bad for you

heather62803

Prenatals are perfectly safe for everyone - like others mentioned the only difference is increased folic acid and iron. My doc also mentioned to me years ago, before I had kids, that all women of childbearing age should be on a daily prenatal. Most young women lack folic acid and iron in their diets and prenatals are good to replenish that. The hair and nails are a nice benefit!! Compare the labels to your regular multivitamin and you'll see that there really isn't that much of a difference!

baypathgradLyns

interesting...haven't really thought about it, but may consider taking them!

just4peachy

They really aren't different at all. They have more of the nutrients you need when you get pregnant like folic acid and iron, etc. In all honesty they are just a normal vitamin. They are totally ok to take. They won't make you gain any weight, if that is what your concerned with :-)

The extra iron in them can make you nauseous. Either take them right before bed, with milk, or with a small bit of food. :-) I believe they also have B vitamins that help with energy as well.

The extra iron can also cause issues in the bathroom... but they're perfectly safe. Make sure you read the directions, a lot of OTC prenatals are two per day as opposed to one.

sincereme

I take them because of my anemia and I think they have helped ALOT. My hair falls because of PCOS but I do see it growing out nicely. My nails grow quickly too!

TTHdred

This is a common belief, especially among black women because of the promise of healthy, long, think hair. A goal we all aspire to achieve. However, the hair results aren’t proven scientifically and can be easily accomplished by proper maintenance and care. The changes in hair and nail growth are typically found in those that take them and ARE pregnant and many believe this is as a result of hormonal changes due to the pregnancy rather than the vitamins themselves.

Contrary to what has been said, the vitamins are different from regular ones specifically in the levels of folic acid, iron and calcium found. The level of iron found in prenatal vitamins are of most concern. Too much iron can cause build up that may lead to diarrhea, vomiting and constipation. Long term effects (in rare circumstance) can cause this build up to be severe and sometimes cause death. The thing is, often black women are anemic and therefore aren’t as affected by this and miss the harm.

There are several opposing views on this (as you can see) so I strongly urge you to consult a physician before making any final decision. Each person’s body reacts differently supplements which is another reason for the varying responses. This is one topic, where “one size fits all” does not apply.

gabrielled

Something to consider: I take glucosamine, mostly for a knee problem, but as soon as I started taking them, my nails and hair started growing like crazy. My hair dresser even noticed. Just a thought.

KayteeBear

I know of a lot of people who have had good luck with using prenatals for hair growth. Biotin and MSM are also great vitamins for hair growth.