Vitamin intake while trying for a baby

Me and my husband are trying for a baby and it was recommended to me that I take Pregnacare while we are trying to conceive to make sure I get my vitamins. Is it okay to take my normal multi vitamins alongside Pregnacare or should I not be doing that?

If you have chosen to take ‘Pregnacare’ it is a good idea to stop taking an additional multivitamin. Pregnacare is a scientifically developed formulation of 17 important vitamins and minerals, and contains vitamin B12, and also includes folic acid at exactly the level recommended for the development of the unborn baby. Other essential vitamins and minerals shown to help maintain a healthy pregnancy are also included. This multivitamin has been carefully developed by experts so that all ingredient levels are within safe levels for pregnancy and are moderate rather than excessive. As you are doing, it is recommended before conception to build up the stores of nutrients such as iron in women who are trying for a baby. Good nutrition is important to help prepare a woman's body for the additional demands placed on it during pregnancy. Certain nutrients, like folic acid, vitamin B12 and zinc, are also of particular importance from the very first moment of conception, for neural tube development and cell division.

The Department of Health recommends women planning a baby should take a supplement containing 400mcg of folic acid from the start of trying to conceive until the 12th week of pregnancy. This is the exact amount of folic acid contained in Pregnacare.