I choose the right prenatal vitamins? (So. Many. Options!)
Sifting through drugstore shelves or Amazon suggestions is super intimidating. So here are the best-selling prenatal vitamins on Amazon—plus, insight from docs as to whether they really work:
1. One A Day Women's Prenatal Multivitamins
This is the most popular brand of prenatal vitamins on the market, and it's a solid choice, says Hillary Wright, M.D., R.D., director of nutrition counseling at Boston IVF and an expert in prenatal nutrition.
It's not necessarily fancy, but it gets the job done for a reasonable price and, best of all, it's been verified by an independent lab so it actually contains what it says it contains, she adds. (Which isn't always the case with supplements as they're not monitored by the FDA.)
2. Nature Made Prenatal + DHA 200 mg Multivitamin
The best thing about this prenatal vitamin: a large dose of DHA, a fatty acid crucial to fetal brain development, says Wright.
"A lot of prenatals advertise they have this but they have a miniscule amount—you want a minimum of 200 mg of DHA per serving ," she says. You can also get DHA by taking a separate fish oil supplement.
3. Vitafusion Prenatal Gummy Vitamins
This is the most popular chewable prenatal on the market for good reason—it has quality ingredients and it tastes good, says Wright.
There is one downside to all gummy vitamins, however: The gummy ingredients (including sugar) displace some of the vitamins. So if you want to make sure you're getting the most nutrition for your money, stick to the pills, she says.
4. Rainbow Light Prenatal One Multivitamin
This super-popular prenatal vitamin is also one of the priciest—but it might be worth it, says Wright. The brand is known for its high quality and it includes prebiotics and probiotics to help keep your gut bacteria (and therefore, you) happy.
These extras aren't necessary, and are best gotten through food, says Wright, but they may be a good addition for some pregnant women, especially if you're struggling to get enough fiber, she adds.
5. Mama Bird Prenatal Multivitamin
These vitamins contain "methylated folate"—a new buzzword in the prenatal vitamin world. Folate is one of the most important vitamins in prenatal pills, but some women have a genetic condition that makes it hard for their bodies to convert the folic acid in most prenatals to the active form the body can use, says Wright.
Here's the issue: You can't know that you have the condition unless you've had genetic testing done. So if you want to be super-safe and cover all your bases, then a methylated version of folate might be worth the money, she says. Still, she emphasizes that for the majority of women the regular (and more affordable) variety is just fine.
6. TheraNatal Complete Prenatal Vitamin & Mineral Supplement
This prenatal is Wright's personal favorite and the one she recommends to her clients. It contains iodine and choline—two minerals vital to hormone regulation, fetal growth, and brain development—that are often missing from other prenatal vitamins.
Ideally, you want 150 micrograms of iodine and 450 milligrams of choline every day, she says. They're also independently tested and have a high standard of quality, she adds.
There is one major downside: They don't come cheap. These are by far the most expensive on the list, although you may be able to get them cheaper through your doctor or buying them direct from their site.