Prenatal vitamin

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Prenatal vitamins, also known as prenatal supplements, are vitamin and mineral supplements intended to be taken before and during pregnancy and during postnatal lactation. Although not intended to replace a healthy diet, prenatal vitamins provide women of childbearing age with nutrients recognized by the various health organizations including the American Dietetic Association^[1] as helpful for a healthy pregnancy outcome. It may be appropriate to start taking prenatal vitamins once the woman enters childbearing age,^[2] however if a person is not pregnant or planning to become pregnant the Mayo Clinic^[3] does not recommend taking these supplements. Prenatal vitamins are similar to other multivitamins but do contain different amounts of specific nutrients to better suit the needs of an expecting mother.^[3]