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

bump

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.

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:)

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.

I was told that years ago.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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

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!

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.

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.

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.