I’ve been taking Pregnacare ‘before conception’ for a long time. I’m due to start IVF in a few days and I’ve only got a few more tablets left so I need to buy more. I’d like some advice -Is it best to buy the same again? Or I’ve read that there’s no point taking these with all the extra things in one tablet- and that I should just to take the recommended amount of Folic Acid and Vitamin D on their own instead? (which is a much cheaper option- NOT that I mind the cost! I’d rather do what’s best!)
Also just to make this even more complicated, if I do decide to take the multi-vitamins, Vitabiotics are all 3 for 2- so do I buy 3 ‘before conception’ or some ‘original’ which I think you can take before conception and during pregnancy- is this right?
Sorry for such a long, confusing message. I just want to do all I can to give us the best chance for our IVF to work! I’d really appreciate your opinions and experiences. Thank you.
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CJones40
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With the approval of my IVF consultant I took Boots conception (very similar to the pregnacare) and when the last box finished, a few days before embryo transfer, I switched to Boots pregnancy plus, which have a similar composition. I believe you can do the same with Pregnacare?
Actually, you are right, you just need folic acid & vitamin D supplements but I was feeling that a few more things would not hurt and, in the worst case scenario, just make my urine a bit more expensive
Thank you for your reply! I think I agree with you- it doesn’t harm to be taking a few extra things even if I don’t really need them. Maybe I’ll get one month of ‘before conception’ and 2 ‘original’ then, but I am afraid of tempting fate and getting ahead of things before/if they work out!
I was thinking the same but then I told myself that the only differences were the price (higher for the pregnancy plus) and the design of the box, and these could not jinx it
The pregnancy plus are the ones that include omega 3 tablets too aren’t they? That’s something else I don’t know if I should be taking! I was going to ask the dr in the clinic when I start the ivf if I should be taking them.
I have asked to my consultant (I was too scared of messing up) and he gave me the green light for both the multivitamin tablet (which includes also ginger extract) and the omega3 capsule. Ask to your clinic, better feel safe than sorry (and I noticed every dr has his own believes)
I recently went through first IVF round and the only thing I made sure to take was the folic acid. I also take B12 but that's because I have a plant based (vegan) diet.
I tried the pregnacare before conception tablets for a while but ended up feeling like they were an unnecessary expense for us. We did a blood test (through Thriva) to see if we had any deficiencies, and decided based on that not to take any further supplements.
My best recommendation would be to speak to your nurse / doctor and see what they recommend for you. If you want to check things out for yourself the Thriva blood test was interesting (not pregnancy specific).
Sorry I can't be much more help, wishing you the best of luck with the IVF. xx
Thank you for your reply! I have a very plant based diet also actually- not quite vegan but vegetarian, and not much dairy. So the B12 may be something for me to ask about. All the best to you on your journey too!
I take a standard multi vitamin, folic acid and vitamin D. My clinic has never said to take anything else and when I asked they said they only recommend folic acid xx
Thank you for your reply! When we went to a private clinic they recommended the Vitabiotics Pregnacare so that’s why I took that but NHS have just checked that I take folic acid and vitamin D.
It was my acupuncturist who recommended the vitamin D and I have always took multi vitamin. I personally think u can’t go wrong with taking a pregnancy vitamin. Good luck with your treatment xx
If you're not defiicnect in certain things then you may not need extra vitamins
Usually over supplementing isn't always an issue but fat soluble vitamins like but A, D, E, and K can be toxic in very high amounts. (Not normally enough to overdose on the multivitamins )
Usually the difference between general multivitamins and pregnancy ones is there is usually no vit A in the pregnancy ones as this can be toxic during pregnancy. They also tend to have higher iron doses as your demand increases during pregnancy.
Most of us need higher vit D especially in winter so worth taking (magensium and vit K2 Mk7 are important co factors for good calcium and vitamin D absorpiton. This directs the calcium to the bones and not high blood levels. High calcium levels can be dangerous too for your own health as well as miscsrriage)
Folic acid also for obvious reasons but some of the medical profession doesn't seem to have caught up with the fact that folate and b12 work together to form new blood cells and are both improtant for emrbyo development. You need good levels of both.
If you are on a plant based diet it's almost certain you are probably low on iron, folate (folic acid) and vit b12 as these are in their most bioavailable form in animal products and you would have to consume a lot of plant based sources to match a small amount of dairy/animal source of these vitamins.
Do please have your bloods tested. Ideally you should stop folic acid for a few weeks before testing as supplementaiton can disguise a b12 deficiency and mask results but worth checking regardless (maybe leave a week before testing if you can )
All of these vitamins are important for conception but also good thyroid conversion which is crucial for conception and pregnancy.
Have you also had your thyroid tested too? TSH should be below 2.5 when TTC and very important for IVF too. Most clinics are really hot on this and some are still completely clueless
Thank you for your reply! They did say thyroid was borderline but not quite enough to treat. All they’ve checked that I’m taking is the recommended folic acid and vitamin D, which is included in the Pregnacare and it does include B12 too, so maybe I should stay on these ones then. Thank you again for your advice and time!! Xx
I know full well how much thyroid and vitamins can affect us
Ask for your actual results for thyroid
They may be looking at the normal reference range (less than 4.0) rather than the TTC reference (less than 2.5)
Unfortunately you have to do your due diligence in this game and never just accept normal from doctors
Always double triple check
If you are going for IVF your TSH can rise quite quickly too so ideally if you can get it closer to 1.0 before IVF you will feel better and better chances
Also once you are pregnant your thyroid hormone demand goes up because your baby relies solely on your t4 levels in first trimester
So do ask them to check for TSH and free t4. If your free t4 is low then you will want to start thyroid hormone
However vitamins Def need to be optimal aswell to aid this x
Thank you for that. They didn’t tell me the number but they explained to me that it was under the ‘normal’ range but borderline for what they wanted because I was having fertility treatment. I will definitely check what the number was though and will keep an eye on it. Xx
Hi,interestingly during my NHS round all that was recommended was folic acid.
My subsequent round my consultant has prescribed pregnacare, vitamin D, Q10 and Niacin for me and for my husband a multi vitamin, Zinc, magnesium and selenium.
The round where I took more vitamins did have a better result. I would personally do it again.
Thankyou for your reply. It’s good to know. I will keep taking the Pregnacare until I speak to them and see what they recommend. All the best to you on your journey.
I would speak to your doctor/consultant they will tell you what is best for you to take, I have too much Iron so have to be careful what I take so I can only take Folic Acid.
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