Supplement
Prenatal vitamins are multivitamin and mineral blends made for pregnancy, covering nutrients the body needs to build a baby's tissues. People mostly look at them for healthy birth weight, and two reviews of trials in lower-income countries found birth weight changed, though the direction was unclear. That evidence is moderate at best; executive function improved in children, but the evidence is limited, and anemia risk showed no clear difference.
Sources: PMID 37051178; PMID 39154665
- Updated
- How we grade
- 2 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 3
- Outcomes
- 15
- Graded outcomes
- 0112
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant Birth Weight Small Increase | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 2 studies | 4,922 people | ||
Studies that measured infant birth weight
| ||||||
| Offspring BMI | Improves (the measure goes down) | 4,922 people | ||||
| Preterm Birth Risk | Changes; see studies | 4,922 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Function Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 439,649 people | |||
| Anemia Risk No effect | NoneNo effect | 75,051 people | ||||
| Infant Birth Weight | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 2,727 people | |||
Studies that measured infant birth weight
| ||||||
| Infant Growth | Improves (the measure goes up) | 17,257 people | ||||
| Iron Deficiency Anemia Risk | Changes; see studies | 15,540 people | ||||
| Iron Deficiency Risk | Changes; see studies | 15,540 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anemia Risk No effect | NoneNo effect | 75,051 people | ||||
| Infant Birth Weight | Improves (the measure goes down) | 2 studies | 2,727 people | |||
Studies that measured infant birth weight
| ||||||
| Executive Function | Improves (the measure goes up) | 439,649 people | ||||
| Infant Growth | Improves (the measure goes up) | 17,257 people | ||||
| Iron Deficiency Anemia Risk | Changes; see studies | 15,540 people | ||||
| Iron Deficiency Risk | Changes; see studies | 15,540 people | ||||
Key findings
- Infant Birth WeightImproves (the measure goes down)
- Executive FunctionImproves (the measure goes up)
- Anemia Risk
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Third-party tested Prenatal Vitamins products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade B
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Studies cited
2 studies from PubMed
- Effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation during pregnancy on maternal, birth, child health and development outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.
- Effects of prenatal small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements on pregnancy, birth, and infant outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data from randomized controlled trials in low- and middle-income countries.