Best Prenatal Supplements – Top 10 Brands Reviewed for 2019

While it’s important for everyone to do their best to stay healthy, there are certain stages of life where paying attention to your health is of the utmost importance.

One of those stages is pregnancy.

If you are pregnant, or may become pregnant soon, you owe it to yourself, and to your future child, to be the best you can be. That starts with exercising, eating healthy, and maintaining good overall health.

Pregnancy is a beautiful, natural and fulfilling process. It’s also one of the most physically demanding, difficult and painful things a human being goes through in life!

In order to minimize the risks involved and improve the health of your future child, it’s incredibly important to take care of yourself during pregnancy.

There are all sorts of things that should be done during pregnancy to improve the health of your future child. You should speak with your doctor for the full details.

Today, we’re here to talk about one small piece of the puzzle – pregnancy nutrition, and specifically pregnancy vitamins.

In order to help you find a good product we’ve researched & compared the best prenatal supplements on the market right now.

Top 10 Prenatal Products Compared

1. Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal Multivitamin

Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal comes with a complete multivitamin blend, raw fruit and vegetable blend, digestive comfort blend, and raw sprout blend, this powerful all-in-one product is a great choice for you and your baby.

Highlights:

• 800mcg folate
• Raw whole food based
• Non-GMO
• Included probiotics for digestion
• Complete multivitamin blend
• Great value for money
• Well reviewed

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin, consisting of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B6, Folate, B12, Biotin, iron, calcium, zinc and many more.
• 870mg RAW organic fruit & vegetable blend, consisting of apple, beet, broccoli, carrot, spinach, and much more. This blend is designed to help you easily increase your daily intake of fruits and veggies.
• 77mg prenatal digestive comfort blend, consisting of ginger and probiotics.
• 10mg RAW organic sprout blend, consisting of quinoa sprout, millet sprout, and much more.

Who makes it: This top prenatal vitamin is made by Garden of Life, a large scale manufacturer of health foods and health supplements. With a focus on creating highly effective products using whole-food ingredients, Garden of Life is a leader in the natural supplement industry. Wherever possible, they use organic, non-GMO, gluten free, and whole-food based ingredients in their nutritional supplements.

Bottom line: This was a very easy choice for our list of prenatal vitamins. With an all-natural supplement that covers all the basics of prenatal health, you can be confident in the efficacy of Vitamin Code RAW Prenatal.

Where to Buy Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal

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2. Zahler Prenatal Vitamin + DHA

Zahler Prenatal Vitamin + DHA is a premium prenatal choice that also includes a 250mg dose of DHA.

Highlights:

• Complete multivitamin
• 250mg DHA per serving
• 800mcg folate per serving
• Well reviewed
• Good value

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin, consisting of vitamin A, C, D, E, b vitamins, folate, iron, zinc and more. A full-fledged multivitamin blend with extra folate and biotin.
• 250mg DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid.

Who makes it: This product is made by Zahler, an advanced nutrition company based in the US. With a focus on using natural products to create powerful supplements, Zahler has quickly become a leader in the industry. Today, they offer a full line of supplements and strive to maintain some of the highest quality standards in the industry.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a prenatal vitamin with DHA, this is a great choice. Containing a complete multivitamin plus a full 250mg dose of DHA in each serving, Zahler makes a fantastic product in this prenatal vitamin. It’s certainly not the cheapest option, but it still provides a great value.

Where to Buy Zahler Prenatal Vitamin

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3. New Chapter Perfect Prenatal

New Chapter Perfect Prenatal is an expertly formulated multivitamin blend designed with the needs of mothers-to-be in mind. With a potent blend of vitamins and minerals, made with organic vegetables and herbs, Perfect Prenatal is a great product. And with a unique use of fermented folate, this gentle-on-the-stomach supplement is packed with high quality ingredients.

Highlights:

• Formulated for pregnancy
• Contains 600mcg fermented folate
• Contains daily dose of iron & calcium
• Complete multivitamin
• Made with organic vegetables and herbs
• Non GMO, gluten free, kosher
• 3-in-1 formula: multivitamin, multimineral & multiherbal.
• Well reviewed
• Good value

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin consisting of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B6, B12, folate, iron, calcium and much more. An all-in-one multi with healthy doses of the three of the most important pregnancy nutrients: folate, iron and calcium.
• 300mg prenatal herbal blend, consisting of organic blueberries, oats, prunes, blackberries, dandelion leaf, lavender, and much more. This blend harnesses the restorative powers of nature to provide a natural health boost.
• 100mg sprouted seeds blend, consisting of sprouted broccoli, cauliflower, kale and more.

Who makes it: Perfect Prenatal is made by New Chapter, a large health food manufacturer with a focus on natural ingredients. By harnessing the wisdom of nature and using organic, sustainably sourced and non-GMO ingredients, New Chapter makes fantastic health products for a variety of needs. New Chapter truly cares for the needs and wants of their customers, and perhaps more importantly, also pays close attention to the needs of this planet – using sustainable practices to protect the planet we all share.

Bottom line: This is a great natural prenatal vitamin and an excellent value for money. It comes from one of the most well-respected brands in the business when it comes to whole foods-based supplements.

Where to Buy New Chapter Perfect Prenatal

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4. Rainbow Light Prenatal One

Rainbow Light Prenatal One is a food-based prenatal multivitamin that’s designed to be both effective and gentle. Lastly, added enzymes and probiotics make this product very easy to digest and gentle on the stomach.

Highlights:

• Gentle on the stomach
• 100% natural
• Food-based multivitamin
• 800mcg folate
• Iron, calcium, b-vitamins and more
• Digestive support blend with probiotics & enzymes

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin, consisting of iron, calcium, folate, vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B12, and much more. A potent, simple and effective prenatal blend.
• Digestive support blend, consisting of probiotics protease, amylase and more.
• Much more, including a bioflavonoid blend and a gentle prenatal blend!

Who makes it: This product is made by Rainbow Light, a leading manufacturer of natural health supplements. With a dedicated drive to produce effective supplements using the natural ingredients created by the earth, Rainbow Light takes a natural approach to everything they do. They are also a very generous company, donating a percentage of their profits to charities worldwide.

Bottom line: This is one of the best natural prenatals on the market. As with most Rainbow Light products, they take a “everything you need, nothing you don’t” approach to their formulas, leaving you with a powerful prenatal vitamin using all-natural ingredients.

Where to Get It

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5. Deva Vegan Prenatal Multivitamin

Deva Vegan Prenatal Multivitamin is a 100% vegetarian and vegan formulated prenatal supplement. Combining all the ingredients and nutrients your body needs, with none that it doesn’t, this is a great option for those wanting to avoid animal products.

Highlights:

• Vegan & vegetarian
• Complete multivitamin formulated for pregnancy
• Pregnancy doses of B12, folate, iron, calcium & more
• Very affordable
• Great value for money

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin consisting of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B vitamins, iron, calcium, folate and more. 100% vegan formula!

Who makes it: This prenatal is made by Deva Nutrition, a large manufacturer of vegan supplements and health products. Offering everything from vitamins to nutritional oils and digestive support supplements, Deva focuses on creating high quality, effective products without the use of animal products. All of their products are 100% vegan and vegetarian!

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a vegan prenatal supplement, this is your best choice. It’s a simple yet highly effective blend, perfect for vegans and those on restricted diets. With that being said, there’s nothing particularly unique or attractive about this product for non-vegans.

Where to Get It

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6. Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA

Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid supplement designed to improve the health of your pregnancy. Unlike the rest of the supplements on this list, this is strictly a DHA supplement, and does not include a multivitamin.

Highlights:

• Potent DHA supplement
• 830mg omega-3s
• 480mg DHA
• Includes vitamin D3 for bone & mood support
• Small, easy to take soft gels
• Affordable

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• 830mg Omega-3s, including 480mg DHA.
• 400 I.U. vitamin D3

Who makes it: Prenatal DHA is made by Nordic Naturals, a large scale manufacturer of omega oil supplements. With a focus on sourcing sustainable, ethically harvested oils, Nordic Naturals makes some of the best DHA & omega supplements available worldwide.

Bottom line: Overall, this is a great DHA supplement, but it’s not a full prenatal vitamin. If you’re looking for strictly DHA , this is a great choice from a great company. If you’re looking for a complete prenatal, look elsewhere or combine this product with another from this list.

Where to Get It

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7. Twinlab Pre-Natal Care

Twinlab Pre-Natal Care is a simple and affordable prenatal vitamin. Containing adequate amounts of just about every key pregnancy nutrient, this blend offers an easy way to keep your diet.

Highlights:

• Designed as the complete prenatal multivitamin
• 800mcg folate
• Iron, calcium, b12 and more
• Complete daily dose of vitamins in just 2 capsules
• Packed in a shatter-proof bottle

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin, consisting of iron, folate, calcium, vitamin b12, A, C, D, E and much more.

Who makes it: Pre-Natal Care is made by Twinlab, a nutrition company with nearly 50 years of industry experience. Today, they offer several lines of products, ranging from vitamins to protein powders and beyond. Their focus on quality and affordability makes them a top choice amongst health and fitness enthusiasts.

Bottom line: It’s a simple, straightforward multivitamin formulated for pregnancy. And while it doesn’t offer anything particularly unique, it covers all the most important aspects of prenatal nutrition.

Where to Get It

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8. One A Day Women’s Prenatal Vitamins

One A Day Women’s Prenatal Vitamins contain proven doses of iron, folic acid, DHA and more, this simple multi covers all the bases. And, coming from Bayer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, you can rest assured that these are high quality vitamins.

Highlights:

• 2 in 1 product: complete multivitamin and a DHA/EPA supplement
• Contains 800mg folate per serving
• 200mg DHA per serving
• Complete dose of iron & calcium
• Complete multivitamin
• Made by Bayer

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin, consisting of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B12, B6, folate, iron, calcium and much more.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acid blend, consisting of 200mg DHA and 23mg EPA.

Who makes it: This product is made by One-A-Day, a company owned by Bayer. Bayer is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Originally founded in Germany in the 1800’s, today Bayer is a massive multinational corporation that manufactures both over-the-counter supplements and prescription medications.

Bottom line: While it’s called “one a day”, it’s actually two separate capsules that you take: a multivitamin and a omega-3 capsule. It’s an affordable, easy option for mothers-to-be, and it comes from one of the biggest health companies out there.

Where to Get It

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9. MegaFood Baby and Me Prenatal Multivitamin

MegaFood Baby and Me is a powerful, yet gentle, and easy-to-digest formula, this product can help improve the health of your pregnancy. With a nutrients derived from whole foods, this is a very clean product with no fillers or unnecessary junk. Long story short, it contains everything you and your child need, and nothing you don’t!

Highlights:

• Contains 800mcg folate for healthy fetal development
• Made with whole-food derived nutrients
• Specifically formulated for pregnancy
• Free of gluten, soy and dairy
• Kosher & vegetarian
• GMO free
• Great value for money

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin blend, consisting of vitamin A, C, D3, E, K, B2, B6, B12, biotin, iron, folate and much more. With a full fledged multivitamin with additional ingredients added to meet the needs of pregnant women.
• Nurturing prenatal blend, consisting of red raspberry leaf, ginger root, chamomile flower, dandelion root, and more. This blend provides additional herbal and plant-based nutrients to support pregnancy health.
• FoodState fruit blend, consisting of orange, blueberry and cranberry.

Who makes it: Baby & Me prenatal vitamin is made by MegaFood, a large manufacturer of health goods and supplements. Since day one, MegaFood has been dedicated to the pursuit of improving lives through the creation of high quality, all-natural products. MegaFood believes that “it’s all about real”, and takes a farm-to-tablet approach to deliver nutrients that are whole-food derived wherever possible. Today, they’ve become a favorite amongst health-conscious individuals, and continue to provide great products at affordable prices.

Bottom line: Overall, this is a good choice with a powerful formula that covers all the bases. And with naturally derived nutrients, this product is providing the best quality ingredients for you. Lastly, it comes from MegaFood, one of the best vitamin brands out there. Baby & Me is certainly not the cheapest prenatal vitamin, but it provides excellent value.

Where to Buy MegaFood Baby and Me Prenatal

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10. Thorne Research Basic Prenatal Multivitamin

Thorne Research Basic Prenatal is a simple prenatal vitamin for mothers-to-be. This no-frills product covers all the bases, offering a complete multivitamin with pregnancy-grade servings of iron, folate, and calcium. There’s nothing particularly unique about this product, but it’s a high quality, consistent and affordable option.

Highlights:

• Complete multivitamin formula
• Contains 1000mcg folate per serving
• Extra calcium and iron
• Simple and effective
• Well reviewed

What’s in it: One serving contains:

• Complete multivitamin, consisting of vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B6, B12, folate, iron, calcium and more.

Who makes it: This product is made by Thorne Research, a supplement manufacturer with 30+ years of industry experience. For 3 decades, Thorne Research has been dedicated to helping their customers achieve better health, through the use of high quality supplements and health products.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a basic, effective supplement, this is a great choice. It comes from Thorne Research, a very well-respected company. Nutritionally, it covers all the bases, leaving you with a high quality blend of all the nutrients that are most important for a healthy pregnancy.

Where to Buy Thorne Research Basic Prenatal

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Frequently Asked Questions About Prenatal Vitamins

What Are Prenatal Vitamins?

Prenatal vitamins are multivitamin products specifically designed for pregnancy.

Taking prenatal vitamins is recommended by the vast majority of health professionals.

During the entire process of pregnancy, a woman’s body is put under intense strain, and therefore requires significantly more nutrients than normal.

Prenatal pills are very important for a healthy pregnancy (1). Even if you already eat healthy and take a general multivitamin, you’ll still likely need the help of an effective prenatal vitamin in order to meet your daily requirements of key nutrients.

While a healthy diet paired with a general multivitamin will cover most of the bases of proper nutrition, you’ll still find it hard to meet daily requirements of iron and folic acid, two nutrients which are essential for healthy fetal development.

It’s important to understand that while prenatal vitamins will help you have a healthier pregnancy, it’s still very important to follow proper pregnancy nutrition guidelines (2).

You need to speak to your doctor, as well as conduct your own research to structure your dietary needs.

What Are the Ingredients Found in Prenatal Products?

Pregnancy is an extremely demanding process. It requires a lot of the mother-to-be, and while you are pregnant you will experience a number of major changes.

Your appetite will increase, signaling a need for extra nutrients in your system.

After all, you’re in the process of growing a whole new human being, so it’s no surprise that a steady stream of nutrients is necessary.

During pregnancy, your diet will need to change.

Following the recommended nutritional intake during pregnancy is very important to your health as well as your child’s health (3).

And while a healthy diet will cover most of the bases of nutrition, there are some nutrients that are difficult to obtain from foods alone.

This is where prenatal vitamins come in handy.

Most health experts recommend that pregnant women take prenatals, even if they consume healthy, balanced diets (4).

In addition to meeting daily nutritional needs, these products are formulated specifically for the demands of pregnancy.

Here are some of the ingredients found in prenatal vitamins:

• Folate – Folate, also known as folic acid, is a B-vitamin that is found in some foods, but is often hard to get adequate amounts of from our daily diet (5). The standard recommended intake is 400mcg per day. Folate is a vital nutrient, especially during the early stages of pregnancy. Consuming the recommended amount of folate before you become pregnant and during the early stages can help reduce the risk of certain birth defects (6).
• Iron – Iron is another vital pregnancy nutrient. Used in the production of blood, iron needs increase as your body begins to produce blood for your child. WebMD recommends at least 27mg of iron per day during your pregnancy, as well as at least 9mg per day during breastfeeding (7).
• Calcium – Calcium is also important during pregnancy (8). Used in the development of bones and teeth, your growing child requires quite a bit of calcium in order to develop properly. The recommended intake of calcium for pregnant women is 1200mg per day (9). If you don’t consume enough, calcium may be taken from your bones, leaving you at risk for osteoporosis and other health issues. If you eat a lot of dairy products you may already get adequate quantities of calcium, but taking vitamins can ensure you reach your needs and reduce the risk of complications.
• DHA – Some, but not all, prenatals also include DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that can help with the development of your child’s brain and eyes (10). Depending on your diet, you may or may not need additional omega-3’s. Speak with your doctor if you’re wondering about prenatal vitamins with DHA.

There are certainly other beneficial nutrients in prenatals, but the ones detailed above are the most significant (11).

What Are the Benefits of Prenatal Vitamins?

Prenatal vitamins are often recommended for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.

Here are some of the potential uses for prenatal vitamins:

Supporting a healthy pregnancy

Prenatal vitamins are designed to improve the odds of a healthy pregnancy by providing many important nutrients for pregnant mothers.

Many prenatals include up to 20 or more individual vitamins and minerals, designed to support the health of mother and child.

The most important by far are folic acid and vitamin D (12), but others may offer some benefit, as well.

Folic acid primarily helps by reducing the risk of birth defects (see below).

Vitamin D is thought to reduce the risk of preterm birth and gestational diabetes (13). That said, some research has suggested that the most significant effects are observed when women take significantly more vitamin D than is found in the typical prenatal vitamin (14).

According to Healthline, many nutrients in prenatal vitamins may provide no benefit at all (15).

However, most medical professionals, including the Mayo Clinic, still recommend them for most women (16).

Preventing birth defects

One of the biggest uses of prenatal vitamins is in reducing the risk of birth defects.

Folic acid (vitamin B9) is hugely important for a healthy pregnancy (17) and is a primary ingredient in most prenatal vitamins.

B9 is thought to help significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects, which are thought to effect approximately 3,000 babies born in the US each year (18).

A meta-review of available medical trials found that maternal supplementation with folic acid significantly reduced the risk of congenital heart defects (19).

The risk of other defects associated with neural tube development are similarly reduced.

Folic acid may also reduce the risk of cleft palate and other physical birth defects (20).

Overall, most health professionals recommend prenatal vitamins to all women who are pregnant, and even those who may become pregnant.

With that said, some research suggests that many ingredients in prenatals don’t necessarily have any benefits (while others do).

The most important nutrients are folic acid, vitamin D, calcium and iron – so women should first ensure that they are getting adequate amounts of these key nutrients.

Speak with your medical doctor if you have questions.

Are There Any Side Effects of Prenatal Vitamins?

When you begin taking any sort of supplement, you should always be aware of any potential side effects.

When it comes to prenatals, there are generally no noticeable side effects, so long as you don’t take too much.

With that being said, there can be some serious side effects to taking too many vitamins.

Certain nutrients, such as iron, can cause serious issues if you take over the recommended safe limits.

To prevent side effects, it’s important to speak with your doctor before taking any supplements.

In addition to this, keep in mind that most prenatal vitamins also contain a complete multivitamin, which means you won’t need to take a standard multi in addition to your prenatal..

How Do I Take Prenatal Vitamins?

We recommend you consult your doctor first, before taking any product on our list.

Ideally, vitamins for pregnancy should be taken before conception actually occurs.

A lot of vital development takes place within the first few weeks of a pregnancy – a period of time when many mothers do not yet know that they have become pregnant.

Because of this, it’s important to start taking prenatals before you become pregnant.

In other words, if you and your partner are ready to have a child, and you’re trying to get pregnant, NOW is the time to begin taking prenatals.

If you are already pregnant, you should immediately speak with your doctor about adding a prenatal vitamin to your diet.

As for dosage, it’s generally advisable to simply stick with the standard dose found on your bottle.

Do not exceed that recommended dosage, unless otherwise instructed by a medical professional.

And since you’ll be visiting your doctor anyways for a check up, you can just mention vitamins during that session to get his or her feedback.

How Do I Pick a Good Prenatal Product?

Here are some things to look for when shopping for a prenatal vitamin:

• Included ingredients – first things first, take a close look at the ingredients label. Any quality prenatal vitamin should contain a complete daily multivitamin to meet your needs, as well as adequate iron, calcium, and folate to assist in the healthy development of your child. Additional ingredients are not strictly necessary, but may have notable benefits. For instance, DHA is not included in many prenatals, but research shows promising results in its ability to assist with brain development.
• Brand quality – have you heard of the brand before? Are they well known for producing quality products? On our list above, we’ve only included products from top quality brands. However, if you choose to shop elsewhere, be sure to do your research to find high quality brands.
• Community feedback – user reviews can be a great resource for learning how consumers like the product. Of course you should take reviews with a grain of salt, but still, they can be a good indication of the overall efficacy and quality of a product.
• Doctor recommendations – as soon as you learn that you are pregnant, or if you plan on becoming pregnant, you should see your doctor immediately. He or she can make specific recommendations as to your nutritional needs. Your doctor may not recommend a specific product, but they might help point you in the right direction and/or recommend specific amounts of key nutrients.

Final Thoughts

We hope this guide has given you a little bit more information about prenatal vitamins and how they can help you during your pregnancy.

Lastly, keep in mind that the supplement industry is constantly changing, and new products are released regularly. It’s a good idea to bookmark this page so that you can check back later.

Thanks for reading, and good health to you!