Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multi

Pregnant women have their own unique nutritional needs from a multivitamin. The National Institutes of Health recommends 600 mcg of folic acid and 27 mg of iron for pregnant women -- the levels found in the Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multi. This multivitamin also contains vitamin A solely in the beta-carotene form, which is also recommended for pregnant women. There's little calcium in this multivitamin, however, so you may need an extra calcium supplement if your doctor recommends it. The Pregnancy Plus multivitamin is approved in independent testing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests last year indicate that nearly all multivitamins contain small traces of lead -- almost 99 percent of the multis they tested did – so the goal is to choose a multi with the lowest levels possible. None of the 324 multivitamins exceeded the safe/tolerable level for pregnant women of 25 mcg per day.

Pregnancy Plus had one of the lowest lead levels at 0.189 mcg in a daily dose. The multi with the highest level, Sound Formula's After Baby Boost 1, had 8.97 mcg of lead in a daily dose, but that's still below the safe/tolerable level set by the FDA. Pregnancy Plus prenatal multivitamins contain no gelatin or animal products, so they are suitable for vegetarians. Some users say they have a strong vegetable smell, but others have no complaints about the multi.

We found the best review of Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multi at ConsumerLab.com. This independent organization tests numerous multivitamins to ensure they dissolve properly, contain what they state on the label and don't contain toxins. Multivitamins that meet all these criteria are listed as "Approved" by the organization. We also look at a few user reviews to gauge how easy the pills are to take and whether women have any noticeable side effects.