Vitamins, prenatals

[Bri925]

Does anyone use prenatals and not pregnant? If so have there been any problems or issues. I have heard many different views from friends. Just wondering.

[HumanBean]

Yes I take them. No issues at all.

[Mommyof4]

As long as you are menstruating, you can take them without any worries.. I have taken Prenatals since I was 10 years old.. My OB and Family doctor recommended them and I have had no issues... I just had a hysterectomy, so I have switched to a women's multivitamin of a high quality, just as a precaution, as I will not need as much iron.

If there is a nutrition/health food store near you, it would be a good investment to visit one. The one I go to has an actual doctor there in the store that will take your health information and your weight/current meds/etc and recommend the vitamins that would best fit your needs.. Maybe it is available in your area :)

[Dragon Faery]

I take them. I've noticed my cheeks get a nice, healthy glow that they don't get when I take a regular women's multivitamin. I tend to be iron deficient, but isn't it pretty hard to overdose on iron?

Where I live, a lot of women take prenatals for hair growth. And my husband even used them when he grew his hair out (to hip!) In college.

[balticbabe]

It's easy to overdose on iron if you aren't menstruating. It's a common problem with young children. This is why there are women's formula vitamins with iron while the children's, men's, 50+, etc are iron free.

I think taking prenatal are ok when you're not pregnant. The brand of prenatal I looked into has half the iron my doctor told me to take for anemia. Some brands aren't that different than a regular woman's formula. Maybe just some extra folic acid. Ask your pharmacist.

[BlazingHeart]

Definitely be careful about the amount of iron you're getting. Iron overdose is very dangerous, can cause permanent damage to your organs, and even kill you.

[hototogisu]

I take them and have absolutely no issues. That said - I've been a vegetarian for 16 years, and also spent years and years on methotrexate, so I originally started taking prenatals for the folate.

[Ava666]

I take them, no issues (except the slightly higher price and the size of the darn things) and in fact my sister was prescribed prenatal vitamins a few years ago, with no plans on becoming pregnant what-so-ever, and she had no issues.

[Amber_Maiden]

I never took them until I got pregnant. I plan on taking them after, though, because I want to be healthy for my next pregnancies.

[battles]

I have to take prenatals, but I'm not pregnant. I haven't noticed any differences, positive or negative.

[Bri925]

I don't want to over share, but I feel fine with the vitamins only thing is I have been very late. I am certain it's not anything. But I was seeing if anyone had this particular problem.

[Dinelen]

I couldn't take prenatal vitamins even while I was pregnant. They made me feel sick to my stomach. I think I was getting too much iron, because my iron levels were perfect when I wasn't taking anything.

[DiablitaNoir]

I take prenatals and I'm not pregnant either. They seem to work fine for me, but I also have a history of mild anemia and I'm vegetarian. No issues here...I'm never late or anything. In fact, many times I end up either right on time or a couple of days early. I take prenatals not only for health reasons but also because I've heard they improve the quality of your hair, skin and nails. However, definitely be careful getting too much iron, especially if you're not already anemic and/or vegetarian. :)