The 8 Best Prenatal Vitamins

Two pink lines!! Time to celebrate, get out your stretchy pants, and get serious about fueling your body.

Nutrition is a huge part of prenatal care, so you’ll want to consult with a medical professional to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need to grow a human being.

One of the very first things on the checklist for parents-to-be is to start taking a daily prenatal vitamin. But… So. Many. Choices.

These vitamins will be part of your preggo routine for the next several months (and possibly beyond), so it’s important to choose one wisely. After all, they’re providing all the nutrients that you and your baby need to thrive that you aren’t able to get from your diet. BFD status!

In this article, we’ll cover all the basics you need to find the right prenatal supplement, whether you want a version that’s organic, vegan, iron-free, or even subscription-based.

Here are our favorite, dietitian-approved prenatal vitamins for 2022.

Do I need to take a prenatal vitamin?

Prenatal vitamins are specifically designed to support the increased nutritional demands of pregnancy on a person’s body and to make sure that there’s an adequate supply of key nutrients available during fetal development to optimize the baby’s health as well.

One example of this is folate. Folate needs increase during pregnancy, and the babies born from people who don’t get enough are at increased risk of debilitating spinal cord abnormalities like spina bifida.

When to start taking prenatal vitamins

You can start taking prenatals as soon as you decide that you’re ready to start trying to have a baby.

In fact, lots of people choose to take prenatals as their multivitamins all throughout their child-bearing years, just because they provide a good balance of nutrients to support fertility, pregnancy, postpartum needs, and optimal health. This isn’t necessary by any means but can be an easy way to prep your body for baby-makin’.

Pricing guide

$ = under $0.75 per dose
$$ = $0.75–$1.50 per dose
$$$ = over $1.50 per dose

The 8 best prenatal vitamins

Best overall prenatal vitamin

Perelel Prenatal Packs

Price: $$$
Type: assorted capsules
Count: 30 servings
Dose: 1 pack (5 capsules/day)
Certifications: GMP-certified
Nutrients: vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 B5, B6, B12 (methylcobalamin), C, D, E, K, boron, choline, chromium, copper, folate (L-5-MTHF), iodine, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc; additional vitamins: omega-3 (DHA + EPA), CoQ10, ginger, calcium, probiotics

Perelel is a really cool vitamin subscription service that offers specially-curated vitamin packs that grow with you and your wee one based on your due date. This extra-special curation is why it’s our “best overall” pick.

The company offers the Conception Support Pack, 1st Trimester Prenatal Pack, 2nd Trimester Prenatal Pack, 3rd Trimester Prenatal Pack, and the Mom Multi Support Pack.

The actual prenatal vitamin in each pack contains the same nutrients, which contains all the goodies experts recommend outside of DHA (though each pack includes a separate DHA capsule). Additionally, each pack contains extra capsules based on where you are in your pregnancy journey:

The Conception pack contains extra folate and CoQ10, an antioxidant that has shown to help people undergoing fertility treatments get pregnant.
The 1st Trimester pack contains extra folate, plus vitamin B6 and ginger to reduce nausea.
The 2nd Trimester pack contains extra calcium and magnesium to support your baby’s bones and teeth development and to reduce leg cramping.
The 3rd Trimester pack contains calcium and magnesium, plus probiotics to support gut health.
The Mom Multi pack (aka the postnatal) contains added probiotic, biotin, and collagen peptides (which *might* help improve skin hydration and elasticity).

Reviews, just like the pregnant people taking the vitamins, are GLOWING but note that this is not a one pill a day situation — the packs contain up to 5 pills daily that should be taken with food.

Pros

contains bioavailable nutrient forms
a convenient subscription that’s curated based on your due date
third-party tested and manufactured in a GMP-certified facility
non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free

Cons

expensive
5 pills/day

Best prenatal vitamin with folic acid

FullWell Prenatal Vitamin

Price: $$$
Type: capsule
Count: 240
Dose: 8 capsules
Certifications: GMP-certified
Nutrients: vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7 (biotin), B12 (methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin), C, D, E, K, calcium, choline, chromium, copper, folate (L-5-MTHF and calcium folinate), iodine, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, selenium, zinc

A lot of the vitamins on our list contain some form of folate but this dietitian fave contains two forms: L-5-MTHF (the most bioavailable form of folate) and calcium folinate (aka folinic acid, which is also considered superior to folic acid for supplementation).

This prenatal also contains plenty of vitamin D (4000 IU!) and 55 percent of your daily choline needs.

There isn’t any DHA though, so you’ll need to supplement that separately. You also need to take 8 capsules total, which can be TOUGH for some people. The brand says you can lighten the load by taking 4 capsules twice a day, mixing the capsules into oatmeal or yogurt, or blending them into a cold drink.

Many reviewers love how high quality these vites are but say they smell bad and are hard to take if you’re experiencing any nausea. The lemon flavor is also hit or miss — some love it and some say it’s the worst.

Pros