Essential Takeaways
• Nutrient needs change during pregnancy, which is why we recommend switching to a prenatal multivitamin when thinking about or trying to have a baby.*
• For those who aren't expecting or trying to get pregnant, a quality multivitamin should help fill nutrient gaps in the diet. However, there may be some benefits of taking a prenatal multivitamin when you’re not pregnant but are thinking about trying at some point in the future.
On paper, the answer should be pretty straightforward: take a prenatal multivitamin when pregnant or trying, and a regular multivitamin when not. But we also know it’s not always so cut and dried—especially if you’ve heard some buzz about taking prenatal multivitamins because of certain additional nutrients they often contain (like biotin, for example).
The short answer: if you believe your nutrient needs might be different than the norm, then it’s best to check in with a primary care physician or OB/GYN to talk about the available options. Otherwise, read ahead—we’ll clear some things up about taking a prenatal multivitamin when not pregnant (including if someone has recently given birth).
Multivitamins vs. Prenatal Multivitamins
First, it’s helpful to understand the potential nutrient differences between a women's multivitamin and a prenatal multivitamin—so let’s do a side-by-side comparison of our Essential for Women 18+ multivitamin and our Essential Prenatal multivitamin as an example. It really all comes down to the nutrients and amount of nutrients needed based on which stage of life you’re in.