What is the difference between one a day prenatal and one a day prenatal advanced?

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Best Prenatal Vitamins

• Best Prenatal Vitamin Overall : One A Day Prenatal 1 Complete Multivitamin
• Best Value Prenatal Vitamin : Nature Made Prenatal Multi + DHA
• Best Prenatal Gummy Vitamin : Vitafusion Prenatal Gummy Vitamins
• Best Vegetarian Prenatal Vitamin : Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal
• Best Preconception Prenatal Vitamin : Therologix TheraNatal Core
• Best Prenatal With Iron : Pink Stork Total Prenatal + DHA
• Best Prenatal Vitamin with Organic Ingredients : New Chapter Advanced Perfect Prenatal Multivitamins
• Best Prenatal DHA : Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA
• Best Vegan Prenatal : Naturelo Prenatal Multivitamins
• Best Liquid Prenatal : Pink Stork Liquid Prenatal

One of the most important steps you can take during pregnancy to ensure you have a healthy baby is also one of the simplest: taking a prenatal vitamin every day. A prenatal vitamin can’t replace a nutritious diet, adequate health care and stress management, but it can help your baby get a balance of crucial nutrients to support her development.

Here’s how prenatal vitamins benefit you, along with how to choose the best prenatal vitamin.

What are prenatal vitamins and when should I start taking them?

Prenatal vitamins are specially formulated supplements designed for pregnancy, and most contain a similar balance of key nutrients to support the health of mom and baby. "These all help with either development in the baby, or they help mom maintain her levels of certain vitamins and minerals," says Nicole Rankins, M.D., an OB/GYN and site director of the OB Hospitalist Group in Norfolk, Virginia.

Dr. Rankins suggests ideally starting prenatal vitamins three months before you hope to conceive. That's because women who take supplemental folic acid — a key component of good prenatal vitamins — before they get pregnant can reduce the risk of neural tube defects (which affect the brain and spine).

However, given that many pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned or mistimed — making preemptive vitamin-taking challenging! — give yourself some grace if you didn’t start taking prenatals early. "Don't beat yourself up, just take them as soon as possible," says Dr. Rankins. Make sure to also ask your healthcare provider about continuing to take a prenatal after you give birth and finish breastfeeding (if you opt to do so).

What vitamins need to be in them?

It’s important to remember that each person (pregnant or not) has slightly different nutritional needs based on genetics and any pre-existing health conditions. Always check with your provider about your specific needs for a prenatal, and if you're a vegetarian or vegan during pregnancy, be sure to tell your doctor to ensure you're getting the right nutrients.

That said, the following vitamins and minerals, listed here with the recommended daily amount (RDA), are considered must-haves during pregnancy. You can get many of these nutrients in your diet, but prenatal vitamins are meant to fill in any gaps. Note that while you shouldn’t expect your prenatal to contain full RDAs of every single ingredient listed, they should have decent doses of the following:

• Folic acid (also called folate or vitamin B9): 600 mcg. As mentioned above, folic acid can help protect your baby against early neural tube defects.
• Vitamin A: 750 to 770 mcg "Vitamin A plays a role in the formation of the fetal eyes, ears, limbs and heart," says Jill Purdie, M.D., medical director and OB/GYN at Northside Women’s Specialists in Atlanta, Georgia. Amounts over 10,000 IU (aka international units) can be toxic, so many manufacturers use the safer beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A.
• Vitamins C (80 to 85 mg) and E (15 mg): "These two play an important role in fetal collagen production and supporting the mother's immune system," says Dr. Purdie. Excess vitamin C can be dangerous for your baby, so don't take extra without consulting your doctor.
• Vitamin D: 15 mcg (600 IU). "Vitamin D helps with fetal and maternal bone health, and there are also emerging studies that suggest it aids in immunity and improves mood for the mother," says Dr. Purdie. If your doctor suspects you may not be getting enough, she may recommend an extra supplement.
• Calcium: 1,000 to 1,300 mg. All women ages 19 to 50, including pregnant women, need 1,000 mg per day of this crucial nutrient to help build your baby’s bones and teeth. (Calcium supplements may also reduce the risk of preeclampsia in people with low calcium levels.)
• Iodine: 220 mcg. Iodine aids your baby-to-be's thyroid and brain development. According to Dr. Rankins, "many people can get enough through their diet, since salt is fortified with iodine."
• Iron: 27 mg. This mineral is critical to increasing baby’s blood supply (and yours). "Iron requirements in pregnancy increase, so supplementation is necessary to maintain adequate blood cell production," says Dr. Purdie. If, like many women, you become anemic during pregnancy, your doctor may recommend more.
  Zinc: 11 to 12 mg. This mineral supports your immune system and healthy cell division.

You may also want to consider these extras when selecting a prenatal vitamin:

• DHA: Regular prenatal vitamins may not contain DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in many types of fish. DHA may aid in baby’s brain development, both before and after birth. If you’re unable to get the recommended two to three servings (8 to 12 ounces) of pregnancy-safe fatty fish per week, ask your doctor if you should take a supplement.
• Other nutrients: You might also see several other additions on the label such as copper, choline, thiamin, vitamin B12, magnesium and ginger or vitamin B6 (both may help with morning sickness).

Are there any side effects to prenatals?

Generally, prenatal vitamins are considered safe when taken as directed. However, certain specific vitamins or nutrients can cause mild side effects, primarily related to digestion. Here’s an overview:

• Constipation: "The pregnancy hormone progesterone can cause constipation, and then if you add an iron supplement, it can be tough," says Dr. Rankins. Drink plenty of water and make sure you're getting enough fiber in your diet. You can also ask your doctor about a stool softener to help keep things moving.
• Nausea and vomiting: Iron can also make people feel queasy. Dr. Rankins suggests taking prenatals with "easily digestible" foods such as crackers or applesauce. You may also need to take your vitamin at bedtime, switch brands or even experiment with different formulas.
• Bright yellow urine: Large doses of B vitamins like riboflavin may give your pee a more colorful hue that’s typically harmless, but always check with your doctor if you're concerned.

What are the different kinds of prenatals?

Walking into the pharmacy or searching for prenatals on Amazon makes it feel like there are approximately 10 billion different kinds of prenatals. But they can broadly be divided into these categories:

• Capsules or tablets: "If a woman wants to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals in one prenatal vitamin, a pill that you swallow whole is the best choice," says Purdie.
• Liquids, powders and chewables: "For women experiencing nausea, a chewable or liquid vitamin may be a better option, but these may be missing some of the above essential nutrients," says Dr. Purdie. “It is important to read the labels to see if you would need to take an additional supplement.”
• Prescription: Some women who experience side effects with their prenatals may want a prescription. "Both prescription and over-the-counter vitamins will have all the necessary nutrients, however, the formulation may be different — the prescription vitamin may have iron that causes less constipation, or it may include a stool softener to help with constipation or vitamin B6 to help with nausea,” says Dr. Purdie. But assuming you can tolerate the OTC versions, there's no reason to go running to the doctor. "In general it's easier, more convenient and maybe even less expensive to stick with an over-the-counter vitamin," Dr. Rankins adds.

How to buy the best prenatal vitamin

As you start to research vitamins, here are some things to keep in mind to ensure you get the best type for you.

• How long will this bottle last? Vitamins are expensive, so it’s smart to consider how many pills come in a bottle and compare that with how many pills are recommended daily. (A large bottle goes quickly if you're taking three pills each day.)
• What format is best for me? Hate swallowing pills? Look for capsules with a slick coating and ones that don't contain calcium, since they tend to be smaller. Or opt for liquid or chewables, just keeping in mind you might miss out on certain nutrients.
• What is my diet like? If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, for example, it can be more challenging to get iron and calcium from food alone — making it smart to prioritize supplements with those minerals or take extra. Talk to your doctor to get her recommendations, too.

Ultimately, consistency is the most important factor. "The best prenatal is one you can tolerate and take every day," says Dr. Purdie.

How we chose the best prenatal vitamins

We started with the above ingredients and found supplements that contain most (if not all) of the nutrients you need. We also kept in mind the criteria from Dr. Purdie and Dr. Rankins. From there, we checked which ones were tested and recommended by OB/GYNs, editors and members of the What to Expect community of millions of moms. Here are our top picks.

Best Prenatal Vitamin Overall

One A Day Prenatal 1 Complete Multivitamin

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Pros: Widely recommended by OB/GYNs, large variety of nutrients (including DHA)

Cons: Some people don’t like the smell or taste

Why We Love It

You can’t go wrong with One A Day’s prenatal vitamins. The brand contains hefty doses of the most critical nutrients (iron, vitamin D, folic acid), plus a few important extras, like DHA, vitamin B6 and about 12 percent of your RDA for calcium. The comprehensive formula is packed into one daily pill, making it super convenient.

Size: 30 to 60 softgels per bottle

Serving: One tablet per day

Community Reviews

“I just take One A day prenatal. Has everything you need.”

- amcMama2

“I LOVED my One A Day prenatal. I need more iron so I’m on prescription now, but the One A Day were my favorite!”

- Sweetnik19

Best Value Prenatal Vitamin

Nature Made Prenatal Multi + DHA

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Pros: Contains a wide variety of pregnancy nutrients (including DHA) in high amounts

Cons: A larger pill than other brands (a little longer than a penny)

Why We Love It

A 2021 What to Expect Mom Must-Have award winner, these prenatal vitamins from Nature Made are packed with all the nutrients you need, and in impressive amounts. They’re especially rich in folate, vitamin D, iron and DHA, and even contain 12 percent of the RDA for calcium. The more affordable price tag doesn't hurt either, especially when you consider how many vitamins you'll need over the course of your pregnancy.

Size: 60 to 90 tablets per bottle

Serving: One tablet per day

Community Reviews

“I took the Nature Made Prenatal +DHA for a few months and it was great.”

- embabe21

“Most prenatals make me nauseous but I’ve been using NatureMade with DHA & I’ve had zero issues.”

- ExpatMamaDE

Best Prenatal Gummy Vitamin

Vitafusion Prenatal Gummy Vitamins

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Pros: Easy to take, high in vitamin D, tastes good

Cons: Doesn’t contain iron or calcium

Why We Love It

Can’t stomach a horse-sized supplement? A gummy might help. Vitafusion Prenatal Gummies pack many of the essential nutrients you need (including DHA) into a lemon- and raspberry lemonade-flavored chew. Plus, they also contain 800 IU of vitamin D, about 133 percent of the daily value for pregnant women. Just note that you'll need to ask your practitioner if you should supplement with calcium and iron separately.

Size: 90 gummies per bottle

Serving: Two gummies per day

Community Reviews

“I take vitafusion prenatal gummies. This is my 3rd pregnancy I've taken the same ones for all 3!”

- JMP3489

Best Vegetarian Prenatal Vitamin

Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal

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Pros: Contains probiotics and over 20 organically grown ingredients

Cons: Doesn’t contain DHA, serving size is bigger than most at three capsules daily

Why We Love It

Garden of Life prenatals are made using whole plant foods and boast an impressive list of nutrients (800 mcg of folate and 1,400 IU of vitamin D, for example). We also love that they contain vitamin B6 and some ginger, which can help ease morning sickness. Just note that these don’t contain calcium or DHA, so ask your doctor about taking separate supplements.

Size: 30 to 180 capsules per bottle

Serving size: Three capsules per day

Community Reviews

"I used the RAW while I was pregnant and still do now that I'm BFing. They are wonderful vitamins! No complaints at all other than the smell used to irk me a little in the first few months of pregnancy, but then again.. what smell didn't haha."

- jordanwin

Best Preconception Prenatal Vitamin

Therologix TheraNatal Core

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Pros: Vegetarian, specifically formulated for women trying to conceive

Cons: Doesn't contain DHA

Why We Love It

Designed to help your body prepare for pregnancy, Theralogix’s prenatal vitamins contain 2,000 IU of vitamin D and over 1,300 mcg DFE of folate, plus other nutrients that are beneficial when you're trying to conceive. They also have both calcium (about 11 percent of your RDA) and iron. However, talk to your doctor once you’re pregnant to ensure that the higher level of certain nutrients is still safe for a developing baby.

Size: 90 tablets per bottle

Serving size: One tablet per day

Community Reviews

"My fertility clinic recommended Theralogix TheraNatal Core."

- richfield95

Best Prenatal With Iron

Pink Stork Total Prenatal + DHA

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Pros: Easy to swallow, high in iron, woman-owned company

Cons: Some can't stand the scent

Why We Love It

Not all prenatal vitamins have iron, so if you’re iron deficient, it’s a nutrient you really have to prioritize. These vitamins from Pink Stork contain every nutrient on our essentials list, including DHA, iron, iodine, calcium, and the full pregnancy RDA of iron. They do have a light citrus scent that some absolutely love — and say makes the pills more palatable — but others despise.

Size: 60 to 180 capsules per bottle

Serving size: Two capsules per day

Community Reviews

"I’ve been using Pink Stork - on Amazon. They’re easy to swallow… and they don’t have a yucky aftertaste."

- 3rdbabyomg

Best Prenatal Vitamin with Organic Ingredients

New Chapter Advanced Perfect Prenatal Multivitamins

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Pros: Made with organic ingredients, great for combatting nausea

Cons: Doesn’t contain DHA, have to take multiple pills a day

Why We Love It

New Chapter’s kosher prenatals are made with organic vegetables and herbs and are 100 percent vegetarian. (To be specific, these vitamins are International Certification Services (ICS) organic certified, meaning that at least 70 percent of the product is organic.) We like how they contain 27 mg of iron (which is about 100 percent of your daily value during pregnancy!), but are gentle enough to take on an empty stomach. They also contain a modest amount of calcium (about 6 percent percent of the RDA during pregnancy, to be more specific).

Size: 48 to 270 vegetarian tablets per bottle

Serving size: Three tablets per day

Community Reviews

"It's amazing, doesn't give me constipation or stomach upset like many other vitamins I tried."

- celiema

Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA

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Pros: Strawberry flavor option to combat fishy taste

Cons: Doesn't contain other necessary nutrients, so you'll probably need to take it alongside another vitamin

Why We Love It

If your prenatal vitamin doesn’t contain DHA, ask your doctor if you should take an additional omega-3 supplement like Nordic Naturals. The brand’s prenatal softgels contain an impressive 480 mg of DHA and 400 IU of vitamin D3. While many fish oil supplements taste, well, a little fishy (which probably won’t sit well with any morning sickness), these softgels are available in an unflavor or a strawberry flavor.

Size: 90 to 180 softgels per bottle

Serving size: Two soft gels per day

Community Reviews

“I've been taking Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA which is a fish based DHA since before conception.”

- workingonmynightcheese

Best Vegan Prenatal

Naturelo Prenatal Multivitamins

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Pros: Vegan, includes iron

Cons: Must be taken three times daily

Why We Love It

Plant-based parents-to-be will love these vegan supplements, which contain nutrients such as folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamins A, C and D. It also uses chelated iron, an altered form of the mineral that some feel is easier to digest. And while you have to take three capsules per day, they can be opened so that you can add the powder to food or drink if you’d prefer that route.

Size: 180 capsules per bottle

Serving size: Three capsules per day

Community Reviews

“I HIGHLY recommend Naturelo prenatal vitamins. Before we started trying to conceive, I began researching prenatal vitamins and I probably spent 40+ hours reading online and also calling and emailing vitamin manufacturers. I learned a ton. I finally decided on the brand Naturelo."

- sweetpea2014

Best Liquid Prenatal

Pink Stork Liquid Prenatal

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Pros: Great option for moms-to-be with nausea, can mix with other beverages, women-owned company

Cons: No DHA, some say the taste could be better

Why We Love It

For moms-to-be experiencing nausea or hyperemesis gravidarum (or for those who simply don’t enjoy taking pills), Pink Stork’s liquid prenatal is a great option to consider. Widely loved by expectant moms in the What to Expect community, this liquid prenatal packs in tons of the nutrients you need, like folic acid, zinc, vitamin C and even iron. You can even mix it in with your favorite beverage to make it even easier to ingest. (You can, of course, feel free to take the standard one tablespoon daily by itself — but some reviewers note it has that standard vitamin taste, so adding it to another beverage may be ideal). Note, though, that this prenatal doesn’t include DHA — although Pink Stork does sell this liquid in a bundle with probiotic and DHA supplements, albeit in pill form.

Size: 16 fluid ounces (32 servings)

Serving size: 1 tablespoon per day

Community Reviews

“I take Pink Stork liquid prenatal. You mix it with a beverage so you don’t taste it.”

- Strick9j

“Pink Stork makes a liquid kind that you can add to water/lemonade/Gatorade so it’s not bad at all.”

- LindseyC7

• What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Nutrition During Pregnancy, March 2021.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Folic Acid Helps Prevent Serious Birth Defects of the Brain and Spine, September 2021.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maternal Diet, September 2021.
• Jill Purdie, M.D., Medical Director and OB/GYN, Northside Women’s Specialists, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Mayo Clinic, Iron Supplement (Oral Route, Parenteral Route), August 2021.
• Mayo Clinic, Prenatal Vitamins: Why They Matter, How to Choose, May 2020.
• Mayo Clinic, Riboflavin (Oral Route), February 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ginger and Vitamin B6 for Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in Early Pregnancy, January 2007.
• National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, The Effects of Vegetarian and Vegan Diet during Pregnancy on the Health of Mothers and Offspring, March 2019.
• National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Maternal Omega-3 Nutrition, Placental Transfer and Fetal Brain Development in Gestational Diabetes and Preeclampsia, May 2019.
• National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Vitamin D Deficiency and Antenatal and Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review, April 2018.
• National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Vitamin D Effects on the Immune System from Periconception through Pregnancy, May 2020.
• National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Zinc Supplementation for Improving Pregnancy and Infant Outcome, February 2015.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Folate, March 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A, January 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin A (Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, March 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin C, March 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin E, March 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin D, March 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Calcium, November 2021.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Iodine, March 2020.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Iron, March 2020.
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, Zinc, December 2021.
• Nicole Rankins, M.D., OB/GYN and Site Director, OB Hospitalist Group, Norfolk, Virginia.
• U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Advice about Eating Fish For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years, December 2021.