Is High-dose vitamins & megadoses safe during pregnancy?
Stick to your prenatal vitamin's daily serving; take extra vitamins or minerals only if your clinician recommends them.
What the sources say
ACOG advises not taking more than the recommended amount of a prenatal vitamin, even for a deficiency, because some ingredients such as vitamin A can cause birth defects at double or triple doses; your clinician may prescribe a specific supplement instead. NIH notes the upper limit for iron in pregnancy is 45 mg/day and about 28% of pregnant women exceed it when food and supplements are combined; preformed vitamin A's upper limit is 3,000 mcg/day. While breastfeeding, CDC advises working with your provider on which supplements you need.
Common alternatives
Also listed as
megadose vitamins, high-dose vitamins, high dose vitamins, double prenatal, extra prenatal, vitamin megadose, high-dose iron, multiple multivitamins
Sources
- ACOG: Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
- NIH (ODS): Dietary Supplements and Life Stages: Pregnancy
- NIH (ODS): Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Consumers
- CDC: Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding
Last reviewed . This is general information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or midwife about your own situation.