The Best Prenatal Vitamins, Tested by a Mom-to-Be

In a nutshell:

Based on feedback from medical experts, a survey of 200 members of The Bump community and the author’s product testing, we chose TheraNatal Complete Prenatal as the overall best prenatal vitamin due to its comprehensive ingredient list and robust standards for effectiveness and safety.

As soon as you get that positive pregnancy test, chances are you’ll start the hunt for a prenatal vitamin—that is, if you aren’t taking one already. After all, prenatal vitamins are crucial to baby’s health, and yours too, to help make sure you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals that are recommended for a healthy pregnancy. “Daily prenatal vitamins supplement a balanced and nutritious diet as your body evolves during pregnancy to accommodate a growing fetus,” says Irogue Igbinosa, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and a maternal-fetal medicine physician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.

Below, discover our favorite prenatal multivitamin options for an array of lifestyles and needs, plus expert-backed advice and answers to a series of commonly asked questions.

How We Tested and Chose the Best Prenatal Vitamins

We did extensive research to create a shortlist of 13 top-rated prenatal vitamins to test, and from there took the following steps:

• As an expectant mother in her third trimester of pregnancy (at the time of publication), I tested the prenatal vitamins throughout my first, second and third trimesters. Along with robust research and expert insight, I evaluated the ingredients list, ease of use, taste, side effects, dosage, value for money and overall quality of the vitamins.
• We consulted four ob-gyns, a certified nurse midwife and a prenatal nutritionist to understand essential nutritional factors and safety considerations to keep top of mind.
• We followed nutritional recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Mayo Clinic and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• We reached out to The Bump community and surveyed almost 200 people who were either currently expecting or had recently given birth and asked for their recommendations and experiences with specific prenatal multivitamins.
• Because no two pregnancies are the same, we scoured forums and message boards and read user reviews to find out how these prenatal vitamins performed for expectant moms across the country.

Editorial integrity is at the heart of everything we publish. Read about how The Bump develops and reviews all articles, including product reviews.

The Best Prenatal Vitamins

Choosing the Right Prenatal Vitamin for You

People often ask: “What are the best prenatal vitamins out there?” Really, it’s a bit of a trick question. “There isn’t one ‘best’ prenatal vitamin,” says Twogood. As with most things related to pregnancy and parenting, what works for one person may not be a great fit for another. Women respond to supplements differently. “Some patients may have their nausea alleviated by using gummies, while another may feel more nauseous because of the smell or taste of the gummies,” Twogood says. Some people prefer to stick with a strict vegan prenatal, while others may be turned off by a certain texture or aftertaste. “Depending on a variety of individual factors—or just good experience—your doctor may recommend one in particular,” she adds.

Choosing the top prenatal vitamin involves personal preference—and some research. While even the best prenatal multivitamins out there may not meet all of the nutrient recommendations, talk to your doctor about your primary needs and choose one that best addresses them.

Prescription vs. over-the-counter prenatal vitamins

Trying to decide between an over-the-counter versus prescription prenatal vitamin? Keep in mind that the essential ingredients are usually the same in each—though prescription prenatal vitamins sometimes contain extra nutrients, such as additional omega 3s or iron. “An over-the-counter whole-food multivitamin is a wise choice for the vast majority of pregnant women,” Carley Mendes, a prenatal nutritionist and founder of the website Oh Baby Nutrition. “Further supplementation is best advised on an individual basis, as everyone’s needs are unique,” she adds. “Your healthcare provider may advise prescription supplementation if you have specific deficiencies or disorders.”

Why are prenatal vitamins not FDA-approved?

Long story short, vitamins and supplements don’t require FDA approval to be sold and marketed. While the federal agency governs medications and drugs, supplements don’t fall into this realm. “However,” says Igbinosa, “federal law requires all companies manufacturing prenatal vitamins to meet safety standards and include ingredient labeling.” Twogood further explains that it’s “difficult to ‘prove’ that some proprietary blend of prenatal vitamin has a direct positive effect on a pregnancy because there are so many variables that go into a healthy pregnancy.”

While prenatal vitamins might not be FDA-approved, you can look for certifications like ones from the NSF and United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and third-party testing to indicate the vitamins meet safety and ingredient standards, Lipinski says.

Ingredients to Look for in Prenatal Vitamins

With a nutritious diet, you should already be getting a lot of the vitamins and minerals necessary during pregnancy. That means that you shouldn’t have to depend on your prenatal vitamins to provide 100 percent of the daily recommended allowance for these nutrients—after all, the best over the counter prenatal vitamins are meant to supplement, not substitute, healthy eating habits. Prenatal vitamins also aren’t legally required to provide a minimum level of those nutrients either, since they aren’t regulated by the FDA. “The doses may vary, but the key ingredients won’t vary drastically,” notes Twogood.

So what should the best prenatal vitamins include? The most important nutrient in a prenatal vitamin, according to Twogood, is folic acid, which has been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida.

Understanding folic acid

You may have heard two terms come up when it comes to prenatal vitamins: folic acid and folate. Both are forms of vitamin B9, but folate is a naturally occurring form of vitamin B9, commonly found in foods like asparagus, leafy greens or lentils. Folic acid, on the other hand, is a synthetic form of folate commonly used in supplements.

Simple, right? Get your folate from food, and look for folic acid in supplements. Well hang on: when you digest folate, it turns into a form called 5-MTHF. Some supplements use 5-MTHF instead of folic acid, because it’s more readily available for the body to use, and because a common genetic variation leaves some people with trouble absorbing folic acid.

Which one should you use? Chapin recommends 5-MTHF, telling us “it’s what I personally took as a pregnant midwife.” She acknowledges, however, that there’s debate on the subject, and that the CDC and ACOG still recommend folic acid.

If you choose folic acid, look for a minimum of 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) per the CDC, though Twogood recommends a slightly higher dose of 800 micrograms (0.8 milligrams) or 1,000 mcg (1 milligram) for overweight or obese patients. Igbinosa adds, “For people with a previous pregnancy affected with a neural tube defect, additional folic acid—often 4,000 micrograms (4 milligrams)—is suggested. Please talk to your doctor if you have questions or concerns.”

Generally speaking, those folic acid numbers are about 60 percent of what you need for 5-MTHF. For instance, the 1,334 micrograms of 5-MTHF in TheraNatal is the equivalent of about 800 micrograms of folic acid.

Other nutrients to look for

In addition to folic acid, look for the other key nutrients listed below. (Aim for the minimum levels included here, but if your vitamin falls short, plan accordingly to get the rest from your diet.)

• Choline. Choline plays a key role in fetal brain development, so it should come as no surprise that your choline needs will increase significantly at this time. As per ACOG, “experts recommend that you get 450 milligrams of choline each day during pregnancy.” In addition to prenatal vitamins, you can incorporate choline into your diet through chicken, beef, eggs, cow’s milk, soy products and peanuts.

• DHA and EPA. DHA and EPA are omega-3 fatty acids that help brains develop and function at their best. “Omega 3 also has been shown to reduce the risk of preterm birth,” comments Twogood. To support baby’s healthy neurodevelopment, 800 milligrams of DHA is recommended, either within your prenatal vitamin or taken as a separate pill.

• Iron: Iron helps carry oxygen to your organs and tissues. During pregnancy, you need an extra dose for a total of 27 milligrams a day, which is present in many prenatal vitamins (with the exception of prenatal gummies), according to ACOG. This nutrient is also beneficial, as “many females of reproductive age are iron deficient,” states Twogood. Plus, Igbinosa adds, it supports red blood cell development and reduces the chance of anemia.

• Calcium: Calcium helps support baby’s bone development (and prevents osteoporosis for you). Most prenatal vitamins contain 200 to 300 milligrams of calcium, according to the Mayo Clinic, but you’ll need to get more from your diet. Other sources you could try include cow’s milk, yogurt, nuts, soy products, spinach and kale, to name a few.

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D works in tandem with calcium to help baby’s bones and teeth develop. It’s also essential for healthy skin and eyesight. Most prenatal vitamins have about 400 IU of vitamin D. Igbinosa states that the daily recommended amount for adults is 600 IU, so plan on consuming the rest via your food intake or by spending more time in the sun.

• Vitamin A: Last but not least, vitamin A is another key component when it comes to prenatal supplements. As per Igbinosa, it’s “essential for fetal skin, vision (eyesight) and [the] immune system. She advises pregnant women to consume the daily recommended amount for adults, which is 770 IU.

These are the biggies for prenatal vitamins. “For specific scenarios, like vegetarians, vegans or patients with certain medical disorders, ob-gyns may recommend specific doses of other vitamins,” Twogood adds.

When Should You Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins?

“The best time to start taking prenatal vitamins is before you get pregnant—preferably at least one month before you conceive. Any reproductive-age person considering pregnancy should take prenatal vitamins,” answers Igbinosa. Wondering why you should start so early on? “By the time most people find out they are pregnant (around 4 to 6 weeks, dated from the first day of their last period), quite a bit of early development has occurred,” Twogood explains. Moreover, baby’s “spine and brain start growing even before you know you are pregnant,” around the 3- to 4-week mark, adds Igbinosa. Prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid in particular can support baby in this earliest stage.

If you’re already pregnant and haven’t taken any prenatal multivitamins, don’t worry! Start as soon as possible to take advantage of the well-rounded support that they offer, in addition to a healthy, balanced diet.

What’s the Best Time of Day to Take Prenatal Vitamins?

When scrolling through online reviews, you may notice conflicting information about the best time of day to take prenatal vitamins—but it’s largely down to personal preference. Twogood confirms this, saying “there is no best time. Whenever [you] can consistently remember it is best.” Often, “this will be first thing in the morning or [in the] evening before bed for most people,” adds Igbinosa. However, if you’re experiencing nausea as a pregnancy symptom, she recommends taking your supplements with meals or shortly thereafter.

If you’re finding it difficult to form the habit, Igbinosa suggests making it a part of your daily routine. Try placing the bottle beside your toothbrush, setting alarms or reminders on your phone or even enlisting the help of family and friends. “And as always,” Igbinosa offers, “if something isn’t working well, contact your healthcare team to help troubleshoot.”

About the writer:

Janelle Leeson is a soon-to-be first time mom based in Portland, Oregon. She is a biologist turned freelance writer who writes about health, behavior and product testing and reviews. In addition to her work for The Bump, Leeson’s work has been featured in Forbes Vetted, Business Insider and NBC Universal among others.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.