When Should You Start Taking Prenatal Multivitamins? Consider the 3-Month Rule

We probably don’t need to remind you that our nutrient needs change throughout our lives—and that's especially true during pregnancy.

Prenatal multivitamins are specifically designed to lend nutrient support during pregnancy—a no-brainer, right? But for many pregnant women or those thinking about having a baby, the question isn’t whether to take prenatal multivitamins—it’s when to start taking prenatal multivitamins.*

So when is the ideal time to introduce prenatal multivitamins into a regimen? Our rule of thumb: consider taking prenatal multivitamins before pregnancy when thinking, trying, and when it's time. 3 months ahead of time is often a good benchmark to aim for. But let's dive in a little deeper, shall we?

First, We Need to Understand Nutrient Needs During Pregnancy

Women need a variety of nutrients in order to support pregnancy. And while it’s technically possible to fill those nutrient needs through a healthy diet, it can also be challenging. Prenatal multivitamins are designed to help fill nutritional gaps in a pregnant woman’s diet—which supports fetal development, as well.* (1)

In order to determine when to start taking prenatal multivitamins, it’s important to understand what some of those nutrients are and the role they play.

Let’s talk about a few key nutrients that are important for pregnancy and why:

Folate. Folate is a B Vitamin that helps support neural tube development during the early stages of pregnancy and is typically found in vegetables (like leafy greens), eggs, and legumes. Folate comes in various forms, including folic acid and 5-MTHF.*

Iron. Iron needs increase during pregnancy and this essential nutrient supports red blood cell formation.* Choosing a tummy-friendly form of iron during pregnancy is also important so look for a prenatal with a gentle chelated iron. Spoiler: Our Essential Prenatal is made with 18mg of ferrous bisglycinate, which is a gentle, chelated form of iron.* (3)

Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids (including DHA) help support brain and vision health and are typically found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and shellfish.*

Choline. Choline is an important nutrient during pregnancy as it helps support a growing pregnancy and baby’s brain development.*

Why the 3-Month Time Frame Matters

Pregnancy can be hard to predict. It’s impossible to know whether it will take a month or a year to get pregnant—and, oftentimes, someone may not know they're actually pregnant until a few weeks later.

Because so much of a baby’s development happens during the early weeks of pregnancy (fetal development, brain development and more), it’s important to start taking prenatal multivitamins before trying to get pregnant to get in recommended amounts of nutrients—three months is a good rule of thumb.*

Ritual’s Essential Prenatal Multivitamins

When choosing a prenatal multivitamin, it's important it helps support nutrient needs throughout pregnancy. Ritual’s Essential Prenatal Multivitamin was designed with 12 key nutrients (including folate, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, DHA, iron, and choline) all in two daily capsules with a fresh lemon-y or minty (you decide) scent, too.*

Don't Forget About Protein During Pregnancy

A daily multivitamin can help support micronutrient needs, but it's important to consider macronutrients as well. Exhibit A: women need more protein during pregnancy and lactation to help support the increased nutrient demands that occur during the entire pregnancy and postpartum. We formulated our Essential Protein Pregnancy & Postpartum with these demands in mind—and even added choline, too.*(2)

References:

1. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Nutrition during Pregnancy.” Www.acog.org, 2022.

2. Lactation, Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Nutritional Status During Pregnancy and. Protein and Amino Acids. Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Academies Press (US), 1990.

3. Office on Women's Health. “Iron… | Womenshealth.gov.” Womenshealth.gov, Apr. 2019