While you may ordinarily eat a healthy diet, pregnancy creates an additional strain on your body. In addition to needing more calories to support your growing baby, you need more energy and nutrients to foster his or her development.1,2 Unfortunately, many women are unable to meet the requirements through diet alone. That's why it's so important to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about a prescription for CitraNatal prenatal vitamins.
Benefits of prenatal vitamins
There are many benefits associated with prenatal vitamins, including:
- Folic Acid helps prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida5,6
- Iron can prevent iron deficiency anemia, which sometimes occurs during pregnancy8
- Vitamin B6 helps reduce nausea in pregnant women7
- Multivitamins can help prevent preeclampsia and preterm birth3,4
- DHA can help bolster the development of your baby's brain and eyes9-11
Learn more about the vitamins and minerals your baby needs for healthy development.
Important Safety Information
WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. KEEP THIS PRODUCT OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.
Warnings
Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and INR. Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients on anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired bleeding diathesis.
Folic acid alone is improper therapy in the treatment of pernicious anemia and other megaloblastic anemias where vitamin B12 is deficient.
Precautions
Folic acid in doses above 0.1 mg daily may obscure pernicious anemia in that hematologic remission can occur while neurological manifestations progress.
This material is intended to provide basic information. Patients should discuss all medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment with their healthcare provider.
Please see full Prescribing Information
- Dietary supplement fact sheet: iron [Internet]. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements; 2007 Aug 24 [cited 2008 Apr 20]. Available from: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron.asp
- Ladipo AL. Nutrition in pregnancy: mineral and vitamin supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jul;72(1 Suppl):280S-290S.
- Bodnar LM, Tang G, Ness RB, Harger G, Roberts JM. Periconceptional multivitamin use reduces the risk of preeclampsia. Am J Epidemiol. 2006 Sep 1;164(5):470-7. Epub 2006 Jun 13.
- Vahratian A, Siega-Riz AM, Savitz DA, Thorp JM Jr. Multivitamin use and the risk of preterm birth. Am J Epidemiol. 2004 Nov 1;160(9):886-92.
- Werler MM, Shapiro S, Mitchell AA. Periconceptional folic acid exposure and risk of occurrent neural tube defects. JAMA. 1993 Mar 10;269(10):1257-61.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Spina bifida and anencephaly before and after folic acid mandate--United States, 1995-1996 and 1999-2000. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004 May 7;53(17):362-5.
- Sahakian V, Rouse D, Sipes S, Rose N, Niebyl J. Vitamin B6 is effective therapy for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.Obstet Gynecol. 1991 Jul;78(1):33-6.
- Gordeuk VR, Brittenham GM, Hughes M, Keating LJ, Opplt JJ. High-dose carbonyl iron for iron deficiency anemia: a randomized double-blind trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 Dec;46(6):1029-34.
- Jacobson JL, Jacobson SW, Muckle G, Kaplan-Estrin M, Ayotte P, Dewailly E. Beneficial effects of a polyunsaturated fatty acid on infant development: evidence from the inuit of arctic Quebec. J Pediatr. 2008 Mar;152(3):356-64. Epub 2007 Oct 22.
- Innis SM, Friesen RW. Essential n-3 fatty acids in pregnant women and early visual acuity maturation in term infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;87(3):548-57.
- Judge MP, Harel O, Lammi-Keefe CJ. Maternal consumption of a docosahexaenoic acid-containing functional food during pregnancy: benefit for infant performance on problem-solving but not on recognition memory tasks at age 9 mo. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1572-7.
Expecting? Estimate your due date with this online pregnancy wheel.
Click here for an interactive guide to a baby's growth and development during a typical pregnancy.
More than 500,000 babies are born too soon each year. Some are so small they struggle to survive. This year, Mission Pharmacal is joining forces with the March of Dimes* as a National Corporate Sponsor to help raise awareness about the growing crisis of premature birth. To learn more and help us fight prematurity, click on the links below. For more than 60 years, Mission Pharmacal has been committed to providing products for healthy women and healthy babies.
