What Prenatal Vitamins Actually Contain
Of 543 on-market prenatal supplements, 26.9% contain any choline, 29.5% contain any omega-3, and 51.4% provide the 150 mcg of iodine the American Thyroid Association recommends a prenatal supplement contain.
Which nutrients prenatals include
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Declared doses against pregnancy reference values
| Nutrient | Contain it | Median declared dose | Reference value | All prenatals at or above it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iodine | 61.1% (332) | 150 elemental mcg | 150 mcg supplement (American Thyroid Association) | 51.4% |
| Choline | 26.9% (146) | 30 mg | 450 mg Adequate Intake (total diet) | 0.4% |
| Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA + DHA) | 29.5% (160) | 200 mg DHA | 200 mg DHA intake target (expert consensus) | 17.3% |
| Iron | 77.9% (423) | 27 elemental mg | 27 mg RDA (total diet) | 56.5% |
| Vitamin D | 90.4% (491) | 10 mcg | 15 mcg (600 IU) RDA (total diet) | 38.5% |
| Folate (Vitamin B9) | 89.1% (484) | 1,000 mcg DFE | 600 mcg DFE RDA (total diet) | 59.7% |
| Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) | 85.1% (462) | 8 mcg | 2.6 mcg RDA (total diet) | 83.8% |
| Zinc | 84.3% (458) | 15 elemental mg | 11 mg RDA (total diet) | 61.5% |
| Calcium | 68% (369) | 200 elemental mg | 1,000 mg RDA (total diet) | 1.7% |
Omega-3's dose compares DHA rows only. Folate doses use only labels declaring folate in DFE units (newer labels); older labels in plain micrograms are excluded from the dose columns but counted under “Contain it”.
Folate: which form
| Form | Share |
|---|---|
| Folic Acid | 88.2% (427) |
| L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (L-Methylfolate, free acid) | 6.6% (32) |
| unspecified form | 6.2% (30) |
| Calcium L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (Metafolin, brand) | 4.5% (22) |
| Quatrefolic (glucosamine salt of L-5-MTHF, brand) | 2.1% (10) |
Iodine: which form
| Form | Share |
|---|---|
| Potassium Iodide | 66% (219) |
| unspecified/undisclosed form | 22.9% (76) |
| Kelp | 12.7% (42) |
The ATA recommendation specifies potassium iodide.
Preformed vitamin A above the pregnancy upper limit
0 of 64 prenatals that name a preformed vitamin A source (retinyl palmitate or acetate) declare more than the 3,000 mcg RAE preformed vitamin A UL (ages 19-50) per serving. Applies to preformed vitamin A (retinol/retinyl esters) only; beta-carotene is excluded. Source.
Largest prenatal brands
| Brand | Prenatal products |
|---|---|
| Mission Pharmacal CitraNatal | 17 |
| Nature Made | 16 |
| Garden of Life MyKind Organics | 15 |
| New Chapter | 13 |
| GNC Women's | 12 |
| Bayer One A Day | 11 |
| Seeking Health | 11 |
| Trigen Laboratories | 9 |
| up&up | 8 |
| Nature's Way | 8 |
Method
On-market products named prenatal/pre-natal, plus multivitamin-mineral products targeted at pregnant women. A nutrient is “contained” if any label row matches it, including undisclosed amounts inside a proprietary blend. Doses are per serving as declared, not verified by testing.
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