Prenatal vitamin

Prenatal vitamins are similar to other multivitamins but do contain different amounts of specific nutrients to better suit the needs of an expecting mother.

The increased dosage of folic acid[5] or folates reflects the American Dietetic Associations position that women should consume "400 μg per day of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods (cereals and other grains), supplements or both, in addition to consuming folate from foods in a varied diet.

Although explicitly in many formulas to support neural development, the omega-3 fatty acids are used by both mother and fetus to create the phospholipid bilayer that makes up cell membranes.

Although prescription vitamins are often covered by insurance, the relative potency of prescription-grade products is typically not significantly different from those available through retail.

Differences in prescription versus retail vitamins do however exist in consistency and quality level, as well as the relative bioavailability of some specific ingredients.