Did you know that to best support your baby’s development, it’s important to have adequate stores of folate in the first days and weeks after conception, before you even know you are pregnant? That’s one of the reasons guidelines recommend you start taking a pregnancy multivitamin supplement at least a month before you start trying for a baby. Another reason is that a supplement helps provide you with nutrients and antioxidants to support your increased needs during pregnancy.
This article may help answer:
↓ Why does my baby need folate or folic acid?
↓ What supplements should I take before conception?
↓ When should I start taking a pregnancy multivitamin?
↓ Which pregnancy multivitamin should I use?
Find out more:
How does Elevit help meet your increased needs during preconception and pregnancy?
Elevit Pre-conception and Elevit Pregnancy are specialist pregnancy supplements formulated to help meet your increased nutritional needs when you are trying to conceive and when you are pregnant.
When should I start taking a pre-conception & pregnancy supplement?
It is recommended to start taking Elevit Pre-conception Multivitamin at least four weeks before you start actively trying to get pregnant. By taking Elevit Pre-conception ahead of conception you are preparing your body for pregnancy and building the essential nutrients it needs to support the healthy growth and development of your baby from the very start.
When you enter your second trimester of pregnancy you can then switch to Elevit Pregnancy multivitamin for the remainder of your pregnancy
What’s so crucial about folic acid?
Folate, the nutritional form of folic acid, plays a critical role in the development of an unborn baby’s central nervous system.
It’s important to have adequate stores of folate before you even know you are pregnant.
During the first few weeks of your pregnancy, before most women find out that they’re pregnant, your baby develops a neural tube, which then forms the brain and spinal cord. You need enough folate in your system at this stage to help prevent neural tube defects and aid the development of your baby’s central nervous system.
References
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes, 2006.
- De-Regil Lm et al, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 12. Art. No.: CD007950.
- Vutyavanich T. et al. Obstet & Gynecol 2001; 97(4): 577–582.
- Sahakian V. et al. Obstet & Gynecol 1991; 78(1): 33–6.
- The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Pregnancy (2019) Available at: Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Pregnancy
- European Food Safety Authority, Scientific Opinion, EFSA Journal 2010; 8(3):1461.
- Bramswig S et al. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 79(2), 2009, 61-70. Sponsored by Roche Consumer Health Ltd.
- Czeizel AE, Dudás I. Prevention of the first occurrence of neural-tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:1832–1835. Supplements supplied by Hoffmann-LaRoche.
- Department of Health (Cth) Pregnancy Care Guidelines available at: Pregnancy Care Guidelines
- Schaefer C et al. Nutrients 2020, 12(12), 384. Sponsored by Bayer.
- National Institutes of Health: Choline fact sheet for health professionals. Accessed July 2022. Available at: NIH Choline Fact Sheet
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. Choline. Accessed November 2022. Available at: Nutrient Reference Values
- Long S. Goldblatt J. MTHFR Genetic Testing: Controversy and clinical implications. RACGP. AFP Vol 45, No. 4, April 2016. Accessed Nov 2022. Available at: MTHFR Genetic Testing
- Cabezuela M et al. Nutrients 2020, 12(1):80. Sponsored by Generaliert Vacciniana, grant PROMETEO-2018-167 to J.R.V. and T.B.
- Elevit 20th Anniversary Source Data. We estimate that we have supported 2 million babies over the last 20 years. Based on ABS Births 2001-2019, FiftyFive5 Brand Penetration research 2018 and FiftyFive5 Green Cross 2 Research 2021.
- Healthdirect website: Healthdirect Foods High in Vitamin D
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Iodine Supplementation for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women. 2010. Accessed November 2022. Available at: NHMRC Iodine Supplementation
- Linner A, Almgren M. Epigenetic programming – The important first 1000 days. Acta Paediatr. 2020;109(3):443-452.
- Morning Sickness. Government of Western Australia. Available at: Morning Sickness Article
- Kuroda et al. 2021. Effects of periconceptional multivitamin supplementation on folate and homocysteine levels depending on genetic variants of methyltetrahydrofolate reductase in infertile Japanese women. Nutrients. 13.1381. Study financially supported by Bayer Healthcare Consumer Care.
- The Pregnancy Nutrition Survey by Elevit. Survey of 1,000+ Australians aged 18-54. Commissioned by Bayer, executed by Researchify.
[S0] Elevit® Pre-Conception Film Coated Tablets. Category D: Multiple substance formulation. Each tablet contains calcium (calcium carbonate, calcium-D-pantothenate &calcium-L-methylfolate) 125 mg; magnesium (magnesium oxide) 100 mg; vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 85 mg; niacin (nicotinamide) 18 mg; iron (ferrous fumarate) 14 mg; zinc (zinc citrate) 11 mg; vitamin E (DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate)10 mg; vitamin B5 (calcium-D-pantothenate) 6 mg; manganese (manganese sulfate monohydrate) 2 mg; vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) 1,9 mg; vitamin B1 (thiamine mononitrate) 1,4 mg; vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 1,4 mg; copper(cupric sulfate) 1 mg; vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) 770 μg; folic acid (calcium-L-methylfolate) 400 μg; iodine (potassium iodide) 150 μg; selenium (sodium selenite) 60 μg; biotin (D-biotin) 30 μg; vitamin D (cholecalciferol) 5 μg; vitaminB12 (cyanocobalamin) 2,6 μg. Elevit® Pre-Conception supports good health for mom and baby, before pregnancy and until the end of first trimester.
[S0] Elevit® Pregnancy Soft Gelatine Capsule. Category D: Multiple substance formulation. Each capsule contains DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) 200 mg; vitamin C (calcium ascorbate) 85 mg; EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) 80 mg; magnesium (magnesium oxide) 57 mg; niacin (nicotinamide) 18 mg; iron (ferrous fumarate) 14mg; vitamin E (DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) 10 mg; zinc (zinc oxide) 10 mg; vitamin B5 (calcium-D-pantothenate) 6 mg; vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) 1,9 mg; vitamin B1 (thiamine mononitrate) 1,4 mg; vitamin B2 (riboflavin)1,4 mg; copper (cupric sulfate) 1 mg; vitamin A (beta-carotene) 771 μg; folic acid (pteroylmonoglutamic acid & calcium L-methylfolate) 400 μg; iodine (potassium iodate) 150 μg; selenium (sodium selenite) 60 μg; biotin (D-biotin) 30μg; vitamin D (cholecalciferol) 5 μg; vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 2,6 μg. Elevit® Pregnancy supports good health for mom and baby during pregnancy.. Always use as directed on the label.
[S0] Elevit® Breastfeeding Soft Gelatine Capsules. Category D: Multiple substance formulation. Each capsule contains DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) 200 mg; calcium (tricalcium phosphate) 120 mg; vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) 60 mg; vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) 17 mg; iron (ferrous fumarate) 9 mg; vitamin B5 (calcium-D-pantothenate) 7 mg; vitamin E (DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) 5 mg; zinc (zinc oxide) 5 mg; vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) 2 mg; vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 1,6 mg; vitamin B1 (thiamine mononitrate) 1,4 mg; vitamin A (beta-carotene)721 μg; lutein (lutein) 250 μg; folic acid (pteroylmonoglutamic acid) 200 μg; iodine (potassium iodate) 150 μg; biotin (D-biotin) 35 μg; selenium (sodium selenite) 35 μg; vitamin D (cholecalciferol) 5 μg; vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 2μg. Elevit® Breastfeeding supports the increased nutritional needs during breastfeeding for baby’s ongoing healthy development
This unregistered medicine has not been evaluated by the SAHPRA for its quality, safety or intended use. Bayer (Pty) Ltd, Collaboration Hub, 1st Floor, Waterfall Circle, 9 Country Estate Drive, Waterfall City, Midrand, 2090, South Africa. Co. Reg. No.: 1968/011192/07 Tel: +27 11 921 5000 www.bayer.co.za CH-20260327-102
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Does what you eat in pregnancy really matter? Explore the importance of nutrition for a healthy pregnancy and how your diet affects your baby’s growth.
