these specially formulated multivitamins are designed to ensure pregnant women get all the extra vitamins and minerals essential for the development of a healthy baby and to meet the increased nutritional needs of mom too. they also benefit women who are trying to become pregnant and new mothers who are breastfeeding. specifically prenatal vitamins deliver a bigger boost of folic acid (between 800 and 1 000 micrograms a day much more than the 400 micrograms a day needed by women of childbearing age) to help prevent neural tube defects and increased iron which helps ward off anemia. they also contain amounts of other vitamins and minerals—including niacin riboflavin thiamin and vitamin c—that may be dangerous. for example vitamins a and d can be harmful when taken in too-large quantities. the rest of us should focus on getting all our nutrients from a rich and varied diet. if you want to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet take a once-daily multivitamin formulated for your age group.
if prenatal vitamins are extra good for you when you’re pregnant why not take them all the time?