my friend recommends women take prenatal vitamins cuz the body absorbs it better. Is that safe?

Question

Is it safe to take even if you're not pregnant? why does your body absorb it more than regular vitamins?

Answer 1

Actually it isn't safe to take prenatal vitamins for a long period of time if you're not pregnant or not planning to be any time soon. There are higher levels of all sorts of minerals and other things within prenatal vitamins that could damage your liver, your kidneys, and your spleen.
I will say that taking them up to a year at a pop is fine...but if you're still taking them for more than a year and a half, you're running a risk...a slight risk, but a risk nonetheless.
But all in all, vitamins affect people differently...even when I was pregnant I couldn't take prenatal vitamins because they overloaded my body with B12 and I was becoming sickly. So talk to your doctor and ask her/him.
And by the way...taking prenatal vitamins react differently in a mans body than they do in a woman's body...because men and women are different both of genitalia and physiologically.

Answer 2

before you give a thumbs down ... read the ENTIRE ANSWER PLEASE! I've got personal opinion about this that many don't share, but I did a pretty thorough check of prenatal vitamins and decided not to take them .... instead, I take a normal (small, un-horse-pill) multi-vitamin each morning which contains 400mcg Folic Acid, and then I take a plain Folic Acid 400mcg each evening. That gives me almost exactly the same as a prenatal but without the stupid price tag. Additionally, Folic Acid (the most important vitamin in early pregnancy) is water soluble, so you'll pee much of it out during the day anyway. By dividing the dose into 2 segments, I maintain a steady level throughout the day and night.

Answer 3

Absorbs what better? I'm not quite sure what your friend means but yes it is safe to take prenatal vitamins if you're not pregnant. They help your skin, hair and nails because of folic acid, and have tons of other vitamins in them to help replenish a woman's body while the baby is using these for nutrition while in the womb. There would be no reason any vitamin can't be good for you unless you have some odd health reason...

Answer 4

I don't believe the body absorbs one brand of vitamin better than another. The prenatal vitamins contain specific formuations for women with a baby growing inside of them. Pregnant women, or women considering becoming pregnant, need higher doses or B12, folate and iron.

I don't believe it's dangerous, no. The smaller amount extra that's given for the growing fetus isn't enough to hurt a non-pregnant woman.

Answer 5

I just heard that they were easier on the digestive system than other vitamins maybe due to the fact that they have to be safe for the little kid growing inside of you. Also, they must be safe to take even if you're not pregnant because my mail gynecologist use to take them....and he wasn't pregnant.