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Here's Why You Should Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins Before You Conceive

If you’re planning for a baby, you may be researching everything you need to know for the best chances of conception. And we love that! Of course, so much of the baby-making equation is entirely out of our control, but nutrition is something we can absolutely manage (and it can be a game changer). Enter the prenatal vitamin — for her and for him. But for a prenatal to do its job properly, it needs a little time. Here’s why you should start taking prenatal vitamins at least three months before you hope to conceive.

Key Takeaways

    • Prenatal vitamins are a huge part of preconception care.
    • The preconception window is three to six months before conception, so the best time to start prenatals is as soon as you start planning for a baby.
    • All the nutrients a baby needs come from mom, and starting prenatals early will help build a reserve.
    • A dad-to-be’s health before conception impacts the health of the future pregnancy and baby.
    • Men and women should get specialized nutritional support from prenatals that are specifically designed for their needs.
    • Prenatal vitamins contain nutrients that support the systems making pregnancy possible.

Understanding the role of the prenatal vitamin

Most of us understand that a women’s prenatal vitamin is delivering key nutrients that a baby needs to grow. And if that’s the case, why start before a pregnancy? Good question! There’s a simple answer. Prenatal vitamins are actually a big part of preconception care, which also involves things like cleaning up your diet, getting regular exercise, minimizing stress, and generally doing what you can to lead a healthy lifestyle. Since you can’t predict how long it’ll take to get pregnant, and you won’t even realize you’ve conceived for at least a few weeks, it’s a good idea to hedge your bets and get started early. The preconception window is that three to six-month period before conception, so the best time to start a prenatal vitamin is when you decide you want to have a baby in the near future.

Think about it — pregnancy is work. Your body is building an entire new human, and it draws from your own nutrient stores to make that happen. Cue the hormonal roller coaster, exhaustion, moodiness, aches and pains, forgetfulness, and all the ups and downs of pregnancy, right? Your baby is going to get all the nutrients he or she needs from you, which brings up a critical point. You’re definitely going to need to shore up your own stock of nutrients to make sure you don’t become deficient once your baby is here and busy growing.

The nutrients you both need

But there’s another reason to get started on the prenatal vitamins early. Key micronutrients are linked to the same processes that drive conception in both men and women. From vitamins C, B6, B12, D, E and K2 to folate, zinc, chromium and choline, women can use these nutrients to reduce chances of miscarriage, trigger ovulation, improve egg quality, and generally boost their chances of conception.

Then there’s the timeline factor. While it’s true that a woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, technically, those eggs are precursor cells. In order to be ready for fertilization, human eggs go through a dizzyingly complex growth process in an ovary follicle that takes around — you guessed it — three months. A steady stream of important nutrients during this growth period means better egg quality.

On the men’s side of things, improving sperm health involves specific nutrients — think CoQ10, methylated folate, L-Carnitine, selenium, and others. And the importance of sperm health really can’t be overstated. Science tells us that a man’s health in that preconception window directly affects both his partner’s future pregnancy and the health of their baby. Sperm health is linked to pregnancy outcomes, and the most common cause of problematic sperm is a lack of nutrients. In fact, only one in four men has optimal sperm. See why specialized nutrition is so key?

There’s a timeline impact on this side of the baby-making equation, too. Men produce millions of sperm on the daily, but there’s a critical maturation process that takes about three months. During this time, the right nutrients can ensure that a sperm ticks all the boxes for motility, morphology, and other parameters indicating general quality. And where can a guy get those nutrients? You know it!

One for him, one for her

The best way to boost fertility health is with a prenatal that delivers the nutrients both partners need. And the best time to begin that boost is early. If a baby is the plan in the next year, that’s your cue to start taking prenatal vitamins — both of you. Men’s and women’s prenatals fulfill similar roles of supporting your fertility health, but the nutrients themselves vary. That’s the key difference between the two, and why it’s not a good idea for men to take women’s prenatal vitamins.

Beli’s formulas for him and her deliver the nutrients men and women need in appropriate amounts for the best chances of a successful conception, pregnancy, and baby. Our science-aligned prenatals are made with everything you need, and nothing you don’t. And while it’s true that getting pregnant isn’t as easy as downing a pill, it’s also true that the vitamins in a quality prenatal vitamin — like Beli — support the very systems that make a pregnancy possible, and the sooner you get started, the better. Bottom line? If a baby is the goal, you should start taking prenatal vitamins now.

 

Additional Resources

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Read More

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Perimenopause is a transitional time that’s pretty wild in its own right, with hormonal changes similar to a roller coaster and major changes to your cycle. Balanced hormones are, of course, key to successfully becoming pregnant and it’s certainly reasonable to wonder whether it’s possible to get pregnant during perimenopause. The short answer is oh yes. 

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Read More

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Read More

Everyone responds to supplementation (not to mention pregnancy!) differently, which is one reason that how you feel isn’t a clue into whether or not your prenatal vitamin is actually working. Instead, you need to be confident about the prenatal vitamin itself, and there are a few things you’ll want to look for.

Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

When you’re pregnant, of course, you’re told to limit your caffeine consumption. But what about when you’re trying to conceive? Can too much caffeine affect your chances of conception as a couple? It's a good idea to cut back—which means you need to be really clear about sneaky sources of caffeine in your diet.

Read More

Here at Beli, we’re staunch advocates of supporting male fertility in anticipation of fatherhood. In fact, our men’s prenatal vitamin, Beli Vitality for Men, is actually our flagship product. Today, we’re diving into the obvious and unexpected benefits of prenatal vitamins for men, starting with what actually happens when you start taking them.

Read More

Forbes Health recently reviewed our men's prenatal vitamins and we love author Leigh Weingus' take: "Beli Men Vitality Multivitamins first caught my eye because while I often see supplements that claim to improve fertility outcomes for women, I rarely see the same thing for men." We hear you, Leigh! Check out the full review here and read on for some highlights.

Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

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Read More

Shilajit is finally getting the credit it’s due, and we’re proud to point out that our proprietary formula was the very first to include this powerful Ayurvedic compound. Here’s why shilajit is rapidly becoming the darling of the male fertility world–and what you’re missing if you’re skipping it.

Read More

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Read More

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Read More

Perimenopause is a transitional time that’s pretty wild in its own right, with hormonal changes similar to a roller coaster and major changes to your cycle. Balanced hormones are, of course, key to successfully becoming pregnant and it’s certainly reasonable to wonder whether it’s possible to get pregnant during perimenopause. The short answer is oh yes. 

Read More

A few years ago, the keto diet was all the rage—a high-fat, low-carb way to shed pounds quickly. While it’s lost a bit of its luster, as all diet trends do, interest in the keto diet remains. Specifically, those hoping to become parents wonder whether following this way of eating could support fertility. Is a diet high in fat and low in carbs the answer? It’s possible. Here’s what to know about the keto diet and whether it might help support fertility.

Read More

When you’re pregnant, of course, you’re told to limit your caffeine consumption. But what about when you’re trying to conceive? Can too much caffeine affect your chances of conception as a couple? It's a good idea to cut back—which means you need to be really clear about sneaky sources of caffeine in your diet.

Read More

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Read More

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Read More