What to look for in a prenatal vitamin.
An evidence-led guide to evaluating any prenatal on the pharmacy shelf. We don’t recommend specific brands, your bloods, diet and provider should guide the choice.
Use these nine criteria to evaluate any prenatal vitamin. Tap any item to read why it matters, what to look for on the label, and what to watch out for.
The studies behind each criterion. We align with the evidence, not the guidelines.
Periconceptional folic acid supplementation prevents 70-80% of neural tube defects in women without prior risk factors, and an even higher proportion in those with prior NTD pregnancy.
MRC Vitamin Study Research Group, Lancet 1991; De-Regil LM et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015.
Children of women with mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency in pregnancy scored significantly lower on verbal IQ and reading at age 8 in a UK cohort of 958 mother-child pairs. Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study confirms mild deficiency persists despite mandatory salt fortification.
Bath SC et al., Lancet 2013;382:331-7.
Crossover RCTs show alternate-day dosing of oral iron produces higher cumulative absorption and lower serum hepcidin, with fewer side effects, than daily dosing, particularly relevant for women who tolerate iron poorly.
Stoffel NU et al., Lancet Haematology 2017;4:e524-33.
A controlled feeding study found infants of mothers consuming 930 mg choline/day in the third trimester had faster information-processing speed at 4, 7, 10 and 13 months than infants of mothers consuming 480 mg/day. Most Australian women fall well below 480 mg.
Caudill MA et al., FASEB J 2018;32:2172-80.
A Cochrane review of 70 RCTs (n ≈ 19,927) found omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation in pregnancy reduced preterm birth before 37 weeks by 11% and early preterm birth before 34 weeks by 42%, with the largest effect in women with low baseline intake.
Middleton P et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018.
Maternal B12 deficiency is associated with developmental delay, irritability and failure to thrive in exclusively breastfed infants, with most cases reversed by maternal supplementation. Plant-based diets are the strongest risk factor.
Dror DK & Allen LH, Nutr Rev 2008;66:250-5.
A Cochrane review of 30 trials found vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and low birthweight, though confidence in effect size is moderate due to trial heterogeneity. The MAVIDOS trial showed no overall effect on neonatal bone mass but evidence of seasonal benefit.
Palacios C et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019; Cooper C et al., Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2016.
A Cochrane review of 21 trials found zinc supplementation in pregnancy reduces preterm birth risk by 14%, with no clear effect on other outcomes. Effect appears strongest in low-income settings.
Ota E et al., Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015.
What the box actually says
Matching a shelf full of boxes against a list of nutrients is harder than it should be, because Australian labels name the chemical compound rather than the nutrient. Here is roughly what the panel on the back looks like, and what each line means.
- Folate. Some list methylfolate, 5-MTHF or L-5-methylfolate instead. Both raise folate; folic acid is the form the trials used.
- Iodine. The number that counts is the one after "equiv.", not the weight of the compound.
- Vitamin D. Measured in IU rather than micrograms. 1000 IU is 25 mcg.
- Iron. Bisglycinate is the gentler one on your gut. Some prenatals leave iron out on purpose.
- Omega-3. Often a separate capsule rather than part of the tablet.
Amounts are left off on purpose. The checklist below carries the numbers to look for, and a panel showing set doses would read as us pointing at one product.
Her Journey · herjourney.com.au
Prenatal vitamin checklist
Use this when comparing prenatal vitamins. Tick each box if the brand meets the criterion. Take any unticked items to your healthcare provider.
Pharmacy checklist
Take this with you. Tick each box as you check the label of the prenatal you’re considering.
Talk to your provider before deciding. A blood panel before pregnancy or in early pregnancy, at minimum ferritin, vitamin D and B12, can guide your choice. Higher-risk pregnancies (previous NTD, diabetes, certain medications, BMI over 30) usually need higher-dose folic acid (5 mg) under clinician care.
Health education only. Not medical advice. · herjourney.com.au
All recommendations in this guide are drawn from peer-reviewed research and systematic reviews.
- MRC Vitamin Study Research Group. Prevention of neural tube defects: results of the Medical Research Council Vitamin Study. Lancet 1991;338:131-7.
- De-Regil LM, Peña-Rosas JP, Fernández-Gaxiola AC, Rayco-Solon P. Effects and safety of periconceptional folate supplementation for preventing birth defects. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015.
- Bath SC, Steer CD, Golding J, Emmett P, Rayman MP. Effect of inadequate iodine status in UK pregnant women on cognitive outcomes in their children. Lancet 2013;382:331-7.
- Stoffel NU, Cercamondi CI, Brittenham G, et al. Iron absorption from oral iron supplements given on consecutive versus alternate days. Lancet Haematology 2017;4:e524-33.
- Caudill MA, Strupp BJ, Muscalu L, Nevins JEH, Canfield RL. Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed. FASEB Journal 2018;32:2172-80.
- Middleton P, Gomersall JC, Gould JF, et al. Omega-3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018.
- Dror DK, Allen LH. Effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on neurodevelopment in infants: current knowledge and possible mechanisms. Nutrition Reviews 2008;66:250-5.
- Palacios C, Kostiuk LK, Peña-Rosas JP. Vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019.
- Cooper C, Harvey NC, Bishop NJ, et al. Maternal gestational vitamin D supplementation and offspring bone health (MAVIDOS): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2016;4:393-402.
- Ota E, Mori R, Middleton P, et al. Zinc supplementation for improving pregnancy and infant outcome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015.
herjourney.com.au · Health education, not medical advice
Evidence: Cochrane, Lancet, FASEB J, NHMRC · trial citations listed above · © Her Journey 2026