The majority of pregnant women and the women wishing to get pregnant are advised to take daily prenatal vitamins. However we also have to think about the prenatal vitamin side effects. Although these appear quite rarely, you should know about them so that you won’t get alarmed.
Nausea, intestinal issues and constipation as side effects of prenatal vitamins
These are known to be the most common complaints of women taking prenatal vitamins. In the majority of the cases the side effects are caused by iron. It is known that pregnant women are more prone to developing anemia (low red blood cell count) and iron can help prevent this condition.
This is why iron is a common component of the prenatal vitamins. If you experience the adverse effects of prenatal vitamins you should know that some of them contain lower doses of iron, and there are some that don’t have any iron at all.
In order to make the nausea better you should take the vitamins with food. You could also relieve the other prenatal vitamin side effects as well if you have a diet high in fiber and if you drink a lot of fluids. This way you can avoid being affected by constipation.
Headaches
This is also a frequent one of the prenatal vitamins’ adverse effects. You should know about this that during pregnancy the hormonal levels of women change. As a result they could have more frequent headaches and they could think that this is a side effect of the vitamins.
On the other hand copper can also be to blame in case of the prenatal vitamin side effects. If a woman has high levels of copper to start with and she takes vitamins containing copper, they could have more headaches. If you experience this symptom you should talk to your doctor about it.
Discoloration of urine
The pregnant women who are taking vitamins could see discoloration of urine as one of the adverse reactions to prenatal vitamins. As the body processes the vitamins, the excess gets to the kidneys and then into the urine. As a result urine could become orange or bright yellow.
The prenatal vitamin side effects depend on the dosage of the vitamins that women take and also the ability of their body to absorb the vitamins. Usually vitamin B12 is to blame for the color change. No matter how surprising the symptom may be, you shouldn’t get alarmed by it.
Metallic taste
The women who usually don’t take vitamins could experience this one of the prenatal vitamin negative effects. The metallic taste appears in the mouth because of the mineral content that the vitamins have. It could help to take the vitamin with food or to take it during the night.
You shouldn’t think that for sure you will experience the prenatal vitamin side effects. These appear very rarely and they are mild. Keep in mind that the prenatal vitamins are crucial for the development and the health of the baby, so you really shouldn’t skip taking them.
