Women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant should understand the benefits of taking prenatal supplements. During pregnancy, a woman’s need for nutrients like calcium, folic acid and iron become greater because both mother and baby need extra nourishment. Prenatal supplements can fill any nutritional void the mother may have in her diet by delivering nutrients that are essential for development, fetal growth and healthy living into adulthood (1). It’s important to note that not just any multivitamin will do; those formulated for pregnant women contain different levels of vitamins and minerals. Case in point, prenatal vitamins will have larger than usual amounts of iron, which are needed for the baby’s blood supply and to prevent iron-deficiency anemia. (more…)