Healthcare professionals usually recommend prenatal vitamins for those who are trying to become pregnant, those who are already pregnant, and those who are breastfeeding or breastfeeding. These supplements ensure that pregnant and breastfeeding people get enough essential vitamins and minerals during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
“After all, pregnancy and breastfeeding take a huge toll on the body,” says Renita White, M.D., a Georgia-based board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist.
Prenatal vitamins can help fill in nutritional gaps, prevent deficiencies, and reduce the risk of premature birth and low birth weight, but they can also cause side effects in some cases.
“The problem is that symptoms like constipation, nausea and bloating can also be caused by the pregnancy itself, so it can be hard to know if supplements are the culprit,” says Dr White.
Additionally, some women are already feeling nauseous and bloated from early pregnancy symptoms and may not be able to tolerate pre-pregnancy vitamins, which could make their symptoms worse.
Luckily, there are ways to reduce the discomfort you’re experiencing, even if prenatal vitamins are the culprit. Read on to learn more about what to expect if you take prenatal vitamins and how to minimize prenatal vitamin side effects.
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Common Side Effects of Prenatal Vitamins
Even among the most experienced medical professionals, it’s not always easy to distinguish between pregnancy symptoms and prenatal vitamin side effects, so how can you tell which is the culprit?
“As pregnancy progresses, no two times are the same, so if you stop taking prenatal vitamins and your symptoms go away, you don’t know if it’s because of the medication or the pregnancy,” says Amy M. Valente, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University.
However, in some cases, prenatal vitamins can cause the following conditions:
constipation
Constipation is It may be caused by pregnancy or by the iron in some prenatal vitamins. Dr. Valente notes that taking iron supplements along with citrus fruits, which contain vitamin C, may improve iron absorption and alleviate this condition. Other studies have shown that the high iron content in prenatal vitamins may be the cause of increased gastrointestinal problems in pregnant women.
nausea
Valente believes that prenatal vitamin nausea is due to the size and smell of the pills. After all, the micronutrients in prenatal vitamins tend to make the pills large, which can make you nauseous when you try to swallow them. Also, some pills have a nausea-inducing smell or contain preservatives that make the condition worse, Valente says, noting that the micronutrients themselves are rarely the culprit.
Bloating
It’s hard to tell whether the reports of bloating are due to the pregnancy or the prenatal vitamins, but some pregnant women may be particularly sensitive to the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or fish oils, which are sometimes included in prenatal vitamins, Dr. Valente says.
gas
Gas is another possible side effect of the DHA in fish oil that can show up in prenatal vitamins, but gas can also be caused by what you eat before or while taking your prenatal vitamins, Dr. Valente says.
Allergic reactions
According to Dr. White, abdominal discomfort, nausea, or vomiting after taking prenatal vitamins could be a hidden sign that you’re allergic to something in the supplement. While reactions to micronutrients are rare, they could be due to the ingredients used in making the capsules or tablets, and this isn’t an issue specific to prenatal vitamins.
Dry or itchy skin
Dry, itchy patches on the skin could be a sign that you’re getting too much vitamin A, which is commonly found in prenatal vitamins and foods like eggs, milk, carrots, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe.
“Since vitamin A is easily obtained from food, you may not need as much in supplement form,” says Dr. Valente.
Bruise
If you’ve noticed you bruise more easily since starting prenatal vitamins, you might not be imagining it: It could actually be that your body processes vitamin E and vitamin K, which are involved in blood-clotting reactions, says Dr. Valente.
How to Manage Side Effects of Prenatal Vitamins
The easiest way to avoid side effects from prenatal vitamins is to try a different brand.
“Not all prenatal vitamins are the same,” says Dr. Valente. If switching prenatal vitamins doesn’t help, try changing the time of day you take your vitamins. “You may find it easier to take your vitamins in the afternoon rather than in the morning when you’re more active, or taking them after a meal that includes healthy fats and citrus fruits may optimize nutrient absorption,” says Dr. Valente.
Dr. White suggests that you could also split the pill in half and take half in the morning and the other half at night, or, with your healthcare provider’s permission, take the pill every other day. (This last option isn’t right for all pregnant women, as some need more of certain nutrients, like folic acid and iron.)
But ultimately, if you have trouble swallowing large pills, you can also take individual supplements, says Dr. Valente. Talk to your healthcare provider about which supplements you might need.
When to see a healthcare provider
Dr. White says that if you continue to experience unpleasant symptoms like nausea, vomiting, constipation, or skin changes after switching vitamin brands, you may need to talk to your healthcare provider.
“It could indicate a problem unrelated to the vitamins,” she says, adding that side effects from prenatal vitamins should be mild and short-lived.
