If you’re here then you’ve probably Google’d about: should i take prenatal vitamins for hair growth.
What Are Prenatal Vitamins?
The vitamin aisle at your local pharmacy contains a huge assortment of vitamins for different genders and ages. Prenatal vitamins are specifically geared toward women thinking about becoming pregnant or who are pregnant. The concept behind prenatal vitamins is that some of a women’s nutritional and vitamin needs increase with pregnancy.
A baby especially needs certain nutrients to develop. Expectant moms don’t always take in enough nutrients in their daily diets. Prenatal vitamins are meant to bridge the nutritional gap.
It’s important to remember that prenatal vitamins are a supplement to a healthy diet for expectant moms. According to the Mayo Clinic, pregnant and adult women need 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily. Prenatal vitamins typically have between 200 and 300 mg of calcium.
Calcium is important for all women because it keeps their bones strong. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women (and those trying to get pregnant) take in 600 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day from all sources. Since it may be difficult to get this much folic acid from foods alone, a supplement is recommended.
Many fortified foods including cereal, bread, and pasta have folate too. According to the Mayo Clinic, pregnant women need 27 mg of iron a day. This is 8 mg more than women who aren’t pregnant.
When Should I Take Prenatal Vitamins?
Always talk with your doctor before starting to take prenatal vitamins. If you’re trying to conceive or are pregnant, your doctor will likely recommend that you take them. Women who are carrying multiples, pregnant teenagers, and pregnant women with a history of substance abuse have a higher risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Doctors often recommend that women who are breastfeeding also continue taking prenatal vitamins after delivery. Prenatal vitamins can serve as a further supplement to lactating women who need plenty of nutrients to make breast milk.
Can I Take Prenatal Vitamins If I Don’T Want To Get Pregnant?
Prenatal vitamins are specific to the needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women. Taking too much folic acid each day can have the adverse side effect of masking a vitamin B-12 deficiency. Excess iron can be a problem, too.
Getting too much iron is associated with health problems like constipation, nausea, and diarrhea. Again, it’s better if you get these nutrients through your diet instead of a pill. For these reasons, most women should skip prenatal vitamins unless their doctors tell them otherwise.
Some claim that taking prenatal vitamins makes hair grow thicker or faster, and that nails could grow faster or stronger too. Taking prenatal vitamins for better hair or nails likely won’t bring the desired results.
Wait — Is That “Baby Glow” Real?
For some, like Jennifer Lopez, whose motherhood merely enhanced her star-power exponentially, it is indeed an actual thing.
For others, including Beyonce, pregnancy was challenging — proving that even among pampered celebs, every woman is different and every pregnancy is unique. It’s a fact that during every normal pregnancy, greater blood volume floods the blood vessels, resulting in skin that looks flushed (if you have a publicist, this is reported as “radiant”). Spikes in hormone levels may cause the sebaceous glands to excrete more oil, giving the skin more sheen.
The hormonal message is so intense that some women experience changes in the texture (and even the color) of their hair during pregnancy, when curls may straighten, or new hair that grows in may be curlier than expected. The scalp and hair may also feel oiler than pre-baby since the sebaceous glands are in overdrive. However, all good things must come to an end: After the baby’s born, the hair’s growth cycle does a mic drop, and all of the hair, which would have normally been shed over the course of the last nine months, may end up in your hairbrush and your shower-drain.
Related: Postpartum Hair Loss Explained.
How Your Hair Changes During Pregnancy
A woman’s body is constantly growing and changing throughout her pregnancy—even her hair can undergo a noticeable transformation. Progesterone levels also rise, giving way to increased sebum.
Between the increased blood flow (also good for stimulating hair growth) and a prolonged growth phase and more scalp oils—all genetically determined—it’s no wonder women are singing the praises of their prenatal vitamins.