Taking vitamin complexes before pregnancy. Vitamins for conceiving a child for women and men, contributing to the proper development of the fetus

No need to be surprised if a gynecologist advises you to start taking vitamins long before the conception of a child. At this stage, the condition of the girl's body must be stabilized, and for this it is necessary to ensure the supply of important micro- and macroelements.

What vitamins to take when planning a pregnancy

What vitamins to drink when planning pregnancy

Pregnancy planning includes a number of important activities. Partners undergo a full examination by doctors, change their lifestyle and start drinking special vitamins. What are the best vitamins to drink when planning a pregnancy? Probably every girl thought about this question. About the vitamins that you need to drink at the planning stage of conception, we will talk further.

Vitamins with folic acid

When planning pregnancy, it is mandatory to prescribe vitamins with folic acid (B 9). The daily dosage of this vitamin is about 400 mcg or more. A deficiency of B 9 in a girl's body can lead to sad consequences. Due to its deficiency, the child may be born mentally retarded.

Vitamin B

Vitamin B plays an important role in pregnancy planning. Deficiency of vitamins B1 and B2 in a woman's body in the future, after conception, can have a negative impact on the development of the baby. Due to the lack of these vitamins, the work of the nervous system of the child is disrupted, its muscle fibers are not properly formed. For a day, a girl should take about 3-5 mg of vitamin B1 and 3 mg of vitamin B2.

Vitamin C

The dosage of vitamin C when planning a pregnancy is approximately 80 mg, while immediately after the conception of a baby, it decreases. The use of this vitamin is a preventive measure for the development of anemia, which can occur during pregnancy.

Vitamin D

When planning a pregnancy, vitamin D must be taken by girls who are not often enough in the sun. It is best to consult a doctor before taking it. In general, the daily dose of this vitamin should not exceed 400 micrograms. Subsequently, after conception, vitamin D will improve the absorption of calcium by the body. That is, its task is to contribute to the correct formation of the skeleton of the fetus.

Vitamin E

When planning pregnancy, the daily intake of vitamin E is usually 100-300 mcg. This vitamin is necessary to improve the functioning of the female reproductive system. In addition, due to its presence, the synthesis of sex hormones is carried out and subsequently comfortable conditions are provided for bearing a baby. Taking vitamin E is considered one of the most effective preventive measures to avoid the threat of miscarriage or miscarriage in the future.

What vitamins to take before planning pregnancy

Now you have learned which vitamins you need to take before planning a pregnancy. It should be noted that not only girls should drink vitamins, but also future dads.

In addition to taking vitamins, it is important to completely change your lifestyle and revise your diet. Proper nutrition is the basis of the health of the unborn child. Even before the conception of a child, it is necessary to include in the diet all the necessary trace elements and eat only natural products. You should also limit the intake of fat, focus on plant foods with fiber.

If you decide to become parents, pay attention to your own health at the stage of planning a child. Remember, the well-being and development of the baby that you will be born directly depends on your health. The intake of the most important vitamins and elements in the body is the key to the proper development of the fetus during pregnancy.

Pregnancy planning increases the couple's chances of successful conception and reduces the risk of developing various pathologies throughout the entire period of gestation. It consists in visiting some specialists, passing tests.


Pregnancy should be planned at least 3 months before the intended conception. If a doctor finds a woman has an infection or lack of immunity to certain pathogens, he will suggest vaccination or treatment. Only after that it will be possible to start conception.


Visiting doctors and taking tests are mandatory not only for women, but also for men.


During the pregnancy planning phase, partners should eat well, lead a healthy lifestyle, and take some vitamins. Only a doctor can prescribe them and recommend certain dosages. In each case, the set of vitamins and their recommended dosages may be different. It all depends on the season, the quality of nutrition of women and men, as well as their individual characteristics.

What vitamins to drink when planning a pregnancy

3 months before the intended conception, both partners need to start acid. The use of this vitamin significantly improves the quality of sperm. It is also necessary for the prevention of various kinds of abnormalities in the development of the neural tube of the fetus, which are fraught with underdevelopment of the brain and spinal cord.


The use of folic acid is especially necessary in the first weeks of pregnancy, when a woman may not even know about her “interesting position”. As a rule, experts recommend consuming 2 tablets of this vitamin 2 times a day for both women and men. In this case, a man can stop taking the drug immediately after conception, and the expectant mother needs to continue taking it throughout the first trimester of pregnancy.


When planning conception, you need to take vitamin E. Its lack in the body of a woman or man can prevent successful conception. The dosage of the drug should be prescribed by a doctor, since excessive intake of the vitamin can lead to various kinds of disorders.


During pregnancy planning, it is imperative to take vitamin A if it is not supplied with enough food. It is important to remember that its overdose leads to the appearance of various pathologies in the development of the fetus. If a woman eats fully and her diet includes greens, eggs, liver, cheese, butter, cream in sufficient quantities, the doctor may not prescribe an additional intake of a synthetic drug.


If a woman's nutrition is not complete, a specialist may advise the use of vitamin complexes. In winter and spring periods, additional intake of vitamin C may be required.

Most married couples sooner or later begin to think about the birth of a child. And in order for the baby to be born healthy, it is very important to properly prepare parents for conception and gestation. After all, only a set of preventive measures can minimize the likelihood of exposure to negative factors and increase the chances of a favorable pregnancy outcome.

Vitamins in pregnancy planning play the same important role as a comprehensive examination and a healthy lifestyle.

Multivitamins taken before pregnancy create reserves of useful elements in the body of women that are necessary for bearing a child, establishing full lactation and recovering in the postpartum period. It has been scientifically proven that a lack of vitamins before pregnancy leads to the development of severe anemia, gestosis and purulent complications. In men, multivitamins increase fertility, especially in the presence of bad habits.

So, the couple decided to have a child. How long should I take a multivitamin before conception? The complex of vitamins must be drunk at least 3-4 months before the desired pregnancy. It is this period of time that allows you to accumulate the necessary amount of microelements, sufficient to meet the needs of both the female body itself and the child developing in it. And in men, during this period, the composition of sperm and the quality of germ cells are normalized. Especially important are those planning a pregnancy before winter and spring, when it is not possible to fully obtain them from fresh vegetables and fruits. Also, the timing of taking vitamins can be increased to 5-6 months in women:

  • with chronic diseases of internal organs;
  • who have had previously complicated pregnancies;
  • having increased physical or mental stress;
  • working in industries with harmful labor factors.

There are cases when the desired pregnancy does not occur in the first cycle after the abolition of contraception. This does not mean that women have the opportunity to stop taking vitamins and resume it in case of a successful conception. Multivitamins should be used all the time when planning a pregnancy.

Do men need to take vitamins?

Vitamins for men when planning pregnancy also play an important role. Yes, the future dad will not have to carry a child and give birth to him. But in the process of conception, female eggs and male sperm are involved, so the father's contribution to the health of the child is no less important.

The lack of vitamins, as well as bad habits, negatively affects male fertility. With avitaminosis, the quality of sperm deteriorates, spermatozoa become less active and capable of fertilization. Therefore, if men are deficient in sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals, attempts to conceive may be ineffective.

Men, like women, should take a vitamin complex regularly for at least three months. And if he has severe chronic diseases, bad habits or negative working conditions, then this period can be extended to six months.

Vitamins needed when planning a pregnancy

All vitamins and minerals play a role in the human body. But some of them are especially important for women when planning a pregnancy and bearing a child.

Folic acid

Folic acid or vitamin B9 is one of the most important vitamins, which from the first days after conception regulates the processes of formation of the nervous system in a child. With its deficiency, the risk of developing neural tube defects is significantly increased: underdevelopment and hernia of the brain, pathologies of the spinal cord. Such developmental anomalies occur in the first weeks, even before the delay of menstruation.

Therefore, it is the intake of folic acid when planning pregnancy that serves as a prevention of such defects. The prophylactic daily dosage of vitamin B9 is 0.4 mg per day. But for women and men whose children have previously been diagnosed with congenital malformations and who are planning pregnancy, the dose of folic acid is increased to 1 mg per day. Natural sources rich in vitamin B9 include legumes, carrots, beets, red tomatoes, nuts, buckwheat, parsley and spinach.

Tocopherol or vitamin E

In the body of women, vitamin E regulates the production of sex hormones, as well as the ability of the egg after fertilization to take root in the uterine cavity. With a lack of it when planning pregnancy, infertility or spontaneous miscarriages are often observed in the short term. In men, vitamin E stimulates the maturation of spermatozoa and regulates their motility.

Its deficiency leads to an increase in the number of immature germ cells that are not capable of full fertilization. When planning a pregnancy, spouses should take 200 mg of tocopherol per day. Also, a large amount of vitamin E contains natural unrefined vegetable oils (olive, peanut or sunflower), lettuce, parsley, eggs and liver.

B vitamins

Vitamins from group B (B1, B6, B12) regulate all types of metabolism, protein synthesis, growth and development of muscle, bone and nervous tissues. The lack of their use in women leads to an increase in the symptoms of toxicosis in the early stages of pregnancy, the formation of abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system in a child. In men, a deficiency of B vitamins reduces the protein content in sperm, thereby impairing the viability of spermatozoa. In sufficient quantities, multivitamins B1, B6, B12 are found in fresh herbs, potatoes, beans, yeast, eggs and whole milk.

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What vitamins need to be careful?

Despite all their usefulness, some vitamin compounds in large dosages can be harmful for both women and their unborn children. Therefore, some vitamins when planning pregnancy should be limited in quantity.

Retinol or vitamin A

Vitamin A regulates the proper formation of tissues, the development of the visual apparatus in a growing fetus. But its excessive amount can cause severe defects of the heart, nervous system and skeleton. For women and men planning pregnancy, the daily intake of retinol should not exceed 5000 IU. When planning pregnancy, it is better to abandon the use of retinol preparations in favor of its natural sources: sea fish, carrots, red tomatoes, peppers.

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C

Ascorbic acid activates the immune system, protects against bacterial and viral infections. Its lack before pregnancy can cause improper attachment of the fetal egg in the uterus. However, excessive use of vitamin C in large doses leads to spontaneous miscarriages in the short term. The daily dosage for women when planning pregnancy should not exceed 90-100 mg. There is a lot of ascorbic acid in citrus fruits, currants, cranberries, white cabbage.

Cholecalciferol or vitamin D

In the body of a pregnant woman, its deficiency leads to increased destruction of bones and teeth. If, when planning pregnancy, a reliable depot of cholecalciferol was not created, then this leads to increased fragility of nails and active hair loss.

Vitamin D plays a major role in the formation of the skeleton in a growing baby. Its deficiency is the cause of congenital bone deformities and brain anomalies. At the same time, excessive intake of vitamin D stimulates malformations of the musculoskeletal system in a child. Women planning pregnancy should receive 400 IU of cholecalciferol per day. It is practically not found in plant products. But vitamin D is rich in liver, fish oil, sea fish and eggs.

Multivitamin complex for women when planning pregnancy

When planning pregnancy, you can select each vitamin in the required dosage separately. But it is much more convenient to take a special complex, which includes all multivitamins. It is designed for women who are pregnant or planning to have a baby. The composition of such a complex includes the most necessary and optimal dosages of vitamins. It is convenient to take it once a day.

For men, when planning a pregnancy, such a special complex has not been developed. Therefore, any other multivitamins sold in a pharmacy are suitable for them. Planning for pregnancy is an important period. Only a fully implemented complex of all necessary measures will help to give birth to a healthy child and maintain the health of the mother.

Usually a woman starts taking vitamins only when she finds out that she is pregnant. However, it is better to do this not during pregnancy, but even before conception. After all, it is very important to take care of both your own health and the health of your unborn child in advance. The main condition for the full development of the fetus is a sufficient intake of useful substances (amino acids, nucleotides, carbohydrates, fatty acids) into the mother's body, along with vitamins and minerals. The lack of these useful substances (especially in the early stages of pregnancy, when the rudiments of all vital organs are formed in the unborn child) can adversely affect the course of pregnancy, the health of the mother and the unborn child.

Are vitamins necessary during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, the need for vitamins increases by an average of 1.5 times.

In modern conditions, pregnant women not only do not receive additional amounts of vitamins, but often experience their moderate or severe deficiency. For different vitamins, it can range from 45% to 100%. The most common in pregnant women is the deficiency of vitamins B6 (100%), B1 (96%), folic acid (77%), vitamin C (64%). To make up for this deficiency, a preliminary intake of vitamins is necessary - during pregnancy planning, before conception. taking vitamins after the diagnosis of pregnancy (after 5 weeks) cannot restore the deficiency before the laying of all the necessary organs in the embryo, therefore it cannot prevent malformations associated with a lack of vitamins.

When preparing for pregnancy, it is most advisable to contact a gynecologist to work out rational vitamin therapy. Your attending physician should definitely recommend a suitable complex for you.

For healthy women, optimal multivitamin complexes, balanced incl. according to the sources of vitamin A (half the dose is in beta-carotene, which does not have a harmful effect) and microelements, are Alphabet Mom's health, Materna in pink tablets (with selenium) and Vitrum Prenatal forte.

Hypervitaminosis - an overdose of vitamins during pregnancy

During pregnancy planning, pregnancy itself and breastfeeding, it is necessary to constantly take multivitamin complexes and, in addition to them, sometimes therapeutic doses of some individual vitamins. This is of concern to some people who are tuned in to a natural way of life - getting vitamins from healthy foods. They are afraid of an overdose of vitamins - hypervitaminosis, about which the same passions are written as about hypovitaminosis. Especially frightening is the appointment of therapeutic doses in addition to multivitamins, in which it is already contained - mathematical calculations begin, the conversion of g into mg and mcg, subtraction and bewilderment. Everyone is also aware of the teratogenic effect of vitamin A, the fear extends to all other vitamins and to all doses of vitamin A, even normal ones, and to all its forms, even those that do not have a harmful effect.
Let's try to debunk these myths.

Firstly. Multivitamins contain a preventive dose of vitamins. From her to the treatment - a multiple difference. From therapeutic to hypervitamin - a few more zeros. There can be no excess from multivitamins, they are also calculated as an additive, and not as a substitute for food.

Secondly. We all have total hypovitaminosis. Such ecology and such a nature of nutrition, and such a consumption of vitamins for our diseases that hypovitaminosis is permanent. Food refined, processed, pumped up with hormones, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, fertilizers. "Natural" products have long been nothing to do with natural. And it’s ridiculous to worry about hypervitaminosis, God forbid, for some vitamins, to have a daily norm. This is possible only with a constant (not course) intake of multivitamins with trace elements.

Further. Not everything, to put it mildly, that you eat, takes and is completely absorbed. Not digested. Because a healthy body is needed for absorption (who takes the responsibility to declare the full health of their digestive tract, the absence of chronic gastritis, etc.), you need a smartly balanced diet so that there are substances that enhance the absorption and assimilation of the vitamin, etc., i.e. e. environmentally friendly products that simply do not exist anymore by definition.

Yes, vitamins from foods are better absorbed. Let's get out of the products. To get a daily dose of vitamin B2, you need to eat black bread. Vitamin C - a few kilograms of oranges. Etc.

Further. Only fat-soluble vitamins accumulate and can potentially cause hypervitaminosis: A, D, E, K. K is synthesized in our intestines as much as necessary from food and is not absorbed. D - in the skin under the influence of the sun. Not the climate to worry about an overdose of D. It is not absorbed from multivitamin tablets - it's a fat-soluble vitamin! Fat-soluble are absorbed with fat in oily solutions. The only way. Therefore, it is advised to eat carrots with sour cream or vegetable oil to assimilate carotene from carrots. Therefore, do not be afraid to add fatty vitamin E capsules to polyvinamines - vitamin E will not be absorbed in dry multivitamins. God forbid that something is absorbed from the capsule, for sure, many of them do not swallow, but bite through ...

Moms know that fish oil (vitamin D) does not save you from rickets! Because it doesn't digest properly. Therefore, modern preparations have been developed, a combination of vitamin D with calcium in the dosage necessary for absorption. It is very difficult to treat rickets (hypovitaminosis D) in children, precisely because hypovitaminosis is generally difficult to treat precisely because it is difficult to saturate the body with vitamins. It is difficult. They are not absorbed and are consumed very quickly. Faster than being absorbed.

In preparation for pregnancy, of course, not a preventive, but a therapeutic dose is needed. Especially with ovarian dysfunction. After all, this dysfunction is a manifestation of hypovitaminosis. After all, not a lightning-fast onset of pregnancy is a manifestation of hypovitaminosis. Are you afraid of an overdose? Raise your hands, who has dry or extra oily skin, hair, wrinkles at the age of 20, brittle nails, weakness, fatigue, lack of appetite in the morning, cracks on the lips, in the corners of the mouth .....? colds two or three times a year, tonsillitis, irregular cycle, low blood pressure, herpes on the lips, eternal tests with some kind of incurable ureaplasmosis, rash from any antibiotic on the body, bleeding gums when brushing teeth, frequent caries, adverse reactions to hormones ( contraceptives) - well? Are you afraid of hypervitaminosis? All these are signs of hypovitaminosis. Forget hyper. You are up to him as up to the stars.

Here are some more facts. Iodine deficiency, present in 25-40% of women in Russia. Taking 150 mcg of potassium iodide during planning and 200 mcg during pregnancy and solving the problem of iodine deficiency diseases of the pregnant woman (including miscarriage and increased perinatal mortality) and the newborn, including mental retardation. According to WHO, 20 million people in the world have mental retardation due to iodine deficiency - this is a situation that could be easily prevented. 10% of Russian women have reduced thyroid function - the problem is easily eliminated by taking the required dose of the hormone in a timely manner. The same applies to infections - latent, chronic, previously undiagnosed. The cure of the inflammatory process allows you to avoid the most common cause of miscarriage and complications of pregnancy - infectious.

The body will survive in a state of hypovitaminosis? Easy. Just turn off the reproduction function. Where can he multiply and spend his strength and substance to maintain another life when, God forbid, he himself can cope with a state of lack of vitamins. Therefore, everyone should constantly take multivitamins with prophylactic doses), and women preparing for pregnancy should take therapeutic doses. Because it is necessary to saturate the body for real, so that it allows itself to become pregnant, so that it matures for anyhow, and the best egg (and sperm, so for men too), so that it is enough for a child.

And if everything was so simple, prescribed vitamins, you drank them and recovered ... not the same. why? Because nothing is digested, and you are all afraid of an overdose. So that this is your last fear in life.

Vitamin A is the only one that we can talk about hypervitaminosis. Because it is really included in multivitamins in a daily dose. And if we add it in its pure form or in the form of aevit, we get a dose several times more than the daily one. Therefore, aevit is contraindicated during pregnancy and planning, after its course administration, protection is necessary for up to six months. For gynecological purposes, pure vitamin E in capsules is used. In multivitamins for pregnant and lactating, vitamin A is presented half as pure retinol acetate, and half as a safe precursor - beta-carotene. The higher the proportion of beta-carotene, the safer. There is no such separation in non-pregnant multivitamins, which is why it is so important to take multivitamins for pregnant women from the very beginning of planning.

The rest (folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamins of groups B, C, etc., beloved by everyone, etc. - water-soluble) - all this is destroyed at a temperature (trace, when cooking, lemon in tea), and all this does not accumulate. And you need grams. And don't be afraid.

Folic acid during planning and in the first trimester of pregnancy is needed in therapeutic doses - 3-4 mg per day. Multivitamins contain 10 times the dose. Therefore, without subtracting anything, it is necessary to take 3 tablets per day in addition to multivitamins. Taking a therapeutic dose of folic acid by both spouses within six months before conception dramatically reduces the risk of developing neural tube defects in the fetus. Again, this is why it's important to start the reception at the time of planning, ahead of time. In the second half of pregnancy, folic acid contributes to the treatment of hereditary thrombophilic conditions, the causes of preeclampsia and miscarriage. Here the therapeutic dose reaches 8 mg. Genetic studies and homocysteine ​​analysis make it possible to identify a group of pregnant women who are required to take it. Everyone can take it as a preventive measure. If there are no contraindications and intolerance. Folic acid in its pure form irritates the stomach, so it should be taken strictly after a normal dense meal.


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