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10 best prenatal vitamins for conception and pregnancy
Pregnancy and trying to conceive can place an enormous strain on your body, so it’s important to keep yourself as fit and as healthy as possible. The best prenatal vitamins will help do just this.
By Laura Cooke | Last updated Dec 6, 2023
Whether you’re pregnant, still eagerly awaiting that positive pregnancy test or undergoing fertility treatment, it’s important that you are healthy and well-prepared for what’s to come - physically, at least - and that's where the best prenatal vitamins shine. But with so many different types to choose from, it can be hard to know which one is right for you.
The NHS recommends taking a prenatal vitamin every day during pregnancy to provide the key nutrients and minerals your body and your growing baby needs. The best prenatal vitamins include your daily recommended 400 mg dose of folic acid (which doctors advise you start taking up to three months before you try to conceive). Arguably one of the most important ingredients in a good prenatal vitamin, folic acid has been medically proven to reduce the risk of problems with the baby's development during early pregnancy. Vitamin D is also strongly recommended by medical experts - with the best prenatal vitamins including both these ingredients as well as others to boost health, energy and development for the months before, during and after pregnancy.
We've taken a thorough look through expert review and health sites as well as the Mumsnet forums to find the best prenatal vitamins for you, no matter where you are in your conception journey. As home to the largest online network of UK mums and dads, Mumsnet is a second-to-none resource when it comes to finding the best items for pregnancy and beyond, from the best stretch mark cream to the comfiest pregnancy pillow.
Here are the best prenatal vitamins 2023.
Good for women who can’t swallow tablets
Great option for those with morning sickness
Pleasant flavour
Taking too much can have a laxative effect
Not suitable for women on Warfarin and other oral anticoagulants (blood thinners)
Price on writing: £7 | Vitamin type: Liquid | Time frame: Pregnancy | One pack lasts: 20 days
Vitabiotics Pregnacare Liquid is hugely popular among mums-to-be, particularly those who struggle with swallowing tablets.
This orange-flavoured liquid is gentle on the stomach, which makes it ideal for women who are suffering from morning sickness or hyperemesis gravidarum (severe nausea and morning sickness), and who struggle to keep vitamin pills down. It's also widely available in Boots stores and supermarkets, so you can pick it up at the same time as shopping for skincare for pregnancy items as well.
Packed with no less than 18 vitamins and minerals, including the recommended dosage of folic acid and vitamin D, Pregnacare Liquid is also suitable for vegetarians. For those who like their vitamins on the solid side, Pregnacare is also available in tablet form.
Read next: If you'd like more information on naturaul pain relief options for labour, don't miss our guide to the best TENs machines available to buy or hire, as well as top-rated hynobirthing books full of helpful techniques Mumsnetters swear by.
Another vote for Pregnacare liquid. I had the tablets for ages but started suffering HG and I couldnt swallow them. Whenever I tried, I would literally projectile vomit. The liquid version has been absolutely fine though.
Liquid Vitamins
From £7 for 200 ml
Affordable
Delivers both essential vitamins needed for pregnancy
If you need extra nutrients, you’ll need to buy an additional product
Price on writing: £4 for 60 tablets | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Conception and pregnancy | One pack lasts: Two months (60 days)
There are two things that every mum-to-be needs during pregnancy - folic acid and vitamin D. And Boots’ own-brand tablets deliver the recommended dose of both for just a fraction of the price of its competitors.
Free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, and lactose-free to boot, just take one tablet a day to help keep you and your baby healthy and well.
Related: Combine with one of the best pregnancy books and/or parenting books to arm your mind as well as your body for the marathon (that is parenthood) to come.
Good for those who can’t take tablets
Nice flavour
Suitable for vegans
Pricey compared to other brands
Price on writing: £8 for 60 tablets | Vitamin type: Chewable tablets | Time frame: Conception, pregnancy, postnatal | One pack lasts: One month (30 days)
If you struggle to swallow tablets, the Bump and Me Folic Acid Pregnancy Vitamin Gummies are a great alternative.
These raspberry-flavoured chewable gums contain eight vitamins and nutrients, including the recommended dose of folic acid. As well as being the perfect one-stop-shop in terms of pregnancy vitamins, Bump and Me vitamins are also recommended for the conception stage and can be taken postnatal for extra energy too.
With these covering your prenatal vitamin bases you'll be free to make the more fun pre-birth purchases such as the best baby gifts and the most stylish maternity jeans.
Great for morning sickness
No other supplements needed
Only one month’s supply per box
Price on writing: £5 for 28 tablets | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Pregnancy | One pack lasts: One month (4 weeks)
Seven Seas has provided everything you could possibly need for the duration of your pregnancy in one handy box, and is widely available to purchase so you can easily pick up a supply whilst out shopping for the best maternity clothes.
Containing no less than 21 vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, vitamin D and iron, these tablets also come with added ginger to help with morning sickness and nausea.
If you’re looking for prenatal vitamins to take beyond pregnancy, Seven Seas also offers a Pregnancy Plus vitamin which helps to support breastfeeding - a great item to include in a care package if you're looking for the best gifts for new mums.
Personally I prefer the Seven Seas one to the Pregnacare ones. They have ginger in so are more soothing on the tummy - the Pregnacare ones made me feel really nauseous.
Pregnancy Multivitamin For Women
From £5 for one month supply
Best folic acid prenatal vitamin
Suitable for vegans and vegetarians
Great value
Easy to swallow
No Vitamin D included
Need to buy additional products for other vitamins
Price on writing: From £3 for 90 tablets | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Conception and pregnancy | One pack lasts: Three months (90 days)
When trying for a baby, experts recommend taking folic acid supplements for three months before conception. This handy tub of tablets from Natures Aid provides a three month supply of your recommended daily dose. One tub will also see you through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
As well as containing no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives, lactose, yeast or gluten, Natures Aid Folic Acid has also received a big thumbs up from the Vegan Society.
Read next: Discover the best maternity leggings and the best birthing balls as recommended by Mumsnet users.
Enhances fertility
Good choice for older women
Vegan-friendly
Pricey - only one month’s supply per bottle
To be used in conjunction with another multivitamin supplement - not intended as a standalone alternative
Price on writing: £27 for 60 tablets | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Conception | One pack lasts: One month (30 days)
It may be on the pricey side, but Mumsnetters swear by Zita West Vitafem Boost when it comes to trying to conceive (TTC).
The supplements contain antioxidants such as Vitamin E and Manganese to neutralise damaging free radicals which have been linked to poor egg quality. It’s particularly good for women over 40 who are TTC. Combine with the best ovulation test for more ways to track fertility and help maximise chances of conception.
Contains no soya, gluten, yeast, gelatin, dairy and sugar
Plant-based formula
Good for the preconception stage
Large tablets
Pricey - 180 tablets last for just two months
Price on writing: £36 for 180 capsule | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Conception, pregnancy | One pack lasts: Two months (60 days)
Plant-based Naturelo Prenatal Multivitamin is jam-packed full of 25 nutrients to support you and your baby throughout pregnancy.
Easy to digest and absorb, these supplements even include a gentle non-constipating form of iron to help make those nine months just a little bit easier (and on the subject of lightening your load during those nine long months, don't miss our guide to the best pregnancy support belt as recommended by Mumsnet users)
These great all-round supplements are non-GMO (produced without genetic engineering), contain no preservatives, colours or flavouring, and are suitable for vegans. The only downside is the tablets are quite large, so if you have difficulty swallowing tablets, you may want to consider something else.
I eventually decided on the Naturelo Pre-Natal as it was recommended in the fertility book "It Starts with the Egg", although it no longer contains DHA as apparently it made the capsules "fishy".
Prenatal Multivitamin
Natural Vitamins & Minerals
Gluten-free
Free from pork or beef gelatin
Pricey
Not suitable for women on blood thinning medication
Price on writing: £21 | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Pregnancy and postnatal | One pack lasts: One month (30 days)
Omega-3 fatty acids are important in pregnancy as they help to develop baby’s eyes and brain. But if you don’t get enough omega-3 in your diet, don’t worry, because fish oil capsules can help.
Mumsnetters rate the Bare Biology Mums & Bumps Pure Omega-3 Fish Oil Capsules highly, with each daily capsule providing more omega-3 than a whole tin of sardines.
The capsules are made from sustainably caught fish and, unlike other fish oil capsules, don’t contain vitamin A, which means they are perfectly safe for pregnant women.
But the best bit is that these tablets are gentle on the stomach and easy to absorb, so there’s no chance of any fishy burps after swallowing.
Read next: Has your pregnancy triggered the dreaded swollen ankles? Check out our guide to the best compression socks for pregnancy and beyond.
Best prenatal vitamins when trying to get pregnant
Gluten-free
Suitable for vegetarians
May make your wee turn yellow
Designed for women under 35*
Price on writing: From £18 for 60 tablets | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Conception | One pack lasts: One month (30 days)|
With 28 vitamins, minerals and amino acids crammed into one capsule, Proceive Conception for Women contains pretty much everything you need when TTC.
These twice-a-day fertility supplements support egg production, cell division and boosts your immune system and energy levels.
Proceive Conception also offers a dual pack for men and women so you can make sure your other half is getting all the vitamins and minerals they need too.
*Although the Proceive Women vitamins have been designed with the average fertility of women under the age of 35 in mind, there is a Proceive MAX option with extra nutrients designed to support women aged over 35, or those who've been trying for a baby for over a year.
Read next: Pregnant and looking for a wardrobe update? Discover the best maternity jeans and comfiest maternity pyjamas as rated by Mumsnet users.
Aids fertility
Gluten-free
Doesn’t contain folic acid or vitamin D
You’ll need to switch to pregnancy supplement once pregnant
Price on writing: £23 for 30 capsules | Vitamin type: Tablets | Time frame: Conception | One pack lasts: One month (30 days)
Many mums and mums-to-be swear by Ubiquinol as fertility aid. The science behind the supplement is that it contains antioxidant coenzyme Q10 which helps to stop cell damage. This includes egg cells, which means that Ubiquinol can potentially improve egg quality. The added ingredient kaneka enables the Q10 to be absorbed into the body more quickly.
And as an extra bonus, Ubiquinol is also great for your heart and brain health too.
Read next: Discover the best baby gifts according to the parents who've received them all.
What are prenatal vitamins?
Prenatal vitamins are supplements that contain all the vitamins and minerals you need throughout pregnancy and beyond. Some prenatal vitamins can be taken while trying for a baby and continued into pregnancy, while others just help to give your body a boost and aid conception.
What are the benefits of prenatal vitamins?
Despite your best efforts at eating healthily, during pregnancy you may find that your body falls short of key nutrients. Prenatal vitamins help to up your nutrient levels and ensure that your baby is developing as they should. For example, taking folic acid reduces the risk of serious neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Many of our top recommended prenatal vitamins are widely available online, in supermarkets or chemists, so it should be easy enough to stock up at the same time as your weekly shop or picking up other pregnancy essentials such as haemorrhoid cream.
We’ve trawled expert review sites and the Mumsnet forums to find out which prenatal vitamins our users recommend.
When should I start taking a prenatal vitamin and for how long?
Eggs mature inside your body about three months before they are released into the womb, so you might like to start taking prenatal vitamins three months before you start trying for a baby.
But if the pregnancy was unplanned, or spur of the moment, don’t worry - just start taking them as soon as you find out you’re pregnant.
You should take folic acid every day from before you're pregnant right up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. It’s also recommended that you take a daily vitamin D supplement right through to the end of your pregnancy. Some prenatal vitamins are also designed for use in the post-birth months to support breastfeeding or just give you natural energy boost. (On the subject of post-birth, don't miss our guide to the best pelvic floor trainer)
Prenatal vitamins can be found in your local pharmacy, health food shop or online retailers such as Amazon – but always speak to your doctor if you’re concerned you’re not getting enough vitamins, or have suffered from vitamin deficiency in the past.
What happens if you don't take prenatal vitamins while pregnant?
Folic acid is by far the most important vitamin to take during pregnancy. Folic acid can help prevent birth defects, known as neural tube defects, including spina bifida (where the bones of the spine don't form correctly around the spinal cord) and anencephaly (where part of the brain, skull and scalp don't form properly).
Prenatal vitamins can help to boost your overall health, but these should not be a substitute for a healthy diet.
How do I choose a prenatal vitamin?
Whether you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, there are a number of things you should consider when choosing a prenatal vitamin.
Folic acid
It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to get the correct dose of folic acid. The NHS recommends taking 400 micrograms of folic acid a day while trying to conceive and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, as the first trimester is when your baby's neural tube develops and defects may occur. Most prenatal supplements will contain the recommended 400mcg of folic acid.
However, you will need a higher dose of folic acid if you have a child or close relative with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida (or if you or your partner do), if you have diabetes, take anti-epilepsy medicine or take antiretroviral medicine for HIV. If any of these apply to you, your doctor will write you a prescription for a higher dose of folic acid.
You can also get more folic acid into your diet through eating lots of green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, fortified cereals, and citrus fruits, but it’s difficult to get all the folic acid you need from food alone, so it’s worth taking a supplement too.
Vitamin D
The second most important ingredient in prenatal supplements is vitamin D. According to the NHS, you need 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to summer sunlight, so it’s particularly important to take vitamin D during the winter months.
Iron
If your iron levels are low, you’ll get very tired and possibly suffer from anaemia. A multivitamin containing iron will help to keep your levels up. This is particularly important if you are a vegetarian, vegan or following a restricted diet for health reasons. Iron helps your blood to carry oxygen to the placenta.
Other important vitamins and minerals
It’s a good idea to invest in a multivitamin that contains calcium, which helps ensure you don’t lose bone density during pregnancy, and vitamin c, which encourages cell production.
Avoid vitamin A
Make sure the multivitamins you buy are suitable for pregnant women. Some other supplements contain things such as the retinol form of vitamin A or fish liver oil, neither of which are suitable during pregnancy.
Dietary requirements
Check whether your chosen multivitamin meets your dietary requirements. Some of the products on our list are vegan-friendly, gluten-free and so on while others aren’t.
Tablets or liquid?
If you struggle to swallow tablets, you may wish to consider an alternative, such as a liquid multivitamin or chewable gummies. A liquid supplement may be a good option if you’re suffering from morning sickness and are struggling to keep anything down.
Pregnancy or pre-pregnancy
Make sure you choose a multivitamin or supplement which is suitable for the stage of your pregnancy journey to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.
Can you take too much folic acid?
No, but taking more than 1mg of folic acid regularly can cover up the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, which can damage the nervous system if not spotted and treated. This is particularly important if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, as B12 deficiency is more common.
Should I stop taking folic acid after the first three months of pregnancy?
After three months, your baby’s neural tube will have developed, so you can stop taking folic acid if you'd like to. However, you can keep taking the recommended 400mcg per day, especially if it's part of your chosen prenatal supplement.
What prenatals do doctors recommend?
Every doctor in the land will recommend taking folic acid to help reduce the risk of serious neural tube defects. The neural tube is part of the embryo from which your baby's spine and brain develop, and it's crucial to healthy development.
Your doctor will also recommend taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day. But don’t take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful.
What is the most effective prenatal vitamin?
Mumsnetters recommend Vitabiotics Pregnacare Liquid. Easier on the stomach than the tablet version, this orange-flavoured liquid is the prenatal multivitamin of choice for women with morning sickness and those who struggle to swallow tablets.
What is the best prenatal multivitamin UK?
All prenatal vitamin brands listed here come recommended by Mumsnet parents as well as health experts. What works for one person may not agree with another - so while overall we have selected Vitabiotics Pregnacare for our top spot, we'd also highly rate Seven Seas, Boots Own and Natures Aid to name but a few.
About the author
Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, with a special focus on home care content. She is a mum of two and lives in Sussex.
How we chose our recommendations
We scoured Mumsnet forums to find out which prenatal vitamins our users rate highly - and which ones they weren’t impressed by.
We also consulted consumer watchdogs and took note of what they looked for in prenatal vitamins and which brands they were recommending to their readers.
Finally, we collated all that information and then looked at other online reviews to see which prenatal vitamins had received the best recommendations.
Why you should trust us
We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.