Feeling run down or having low energy is a common experience for many expecting mothers. The first and third trimesters can be especially tiresome. The rapid hormonal changes in the first trimester take a toll on many women. In the third trimester, the weight gain from pregnancy can be physically demanding on the body. For expecting mothers who have older children, this time of year brings additional challenges. Kids are back in school and calendars fill up quickly. Children’s schedules and new events and responsibilities tend to take over. The balance of family, work and staying healthy while pregnant is a tricky one to achieve.

So many moms focus on their families and forget about their own nutritional health. Sometimes nutritional deficiencies can compound the situation for expecting moms. They need to be aware of their energy levels and iron intake. While a daily prenatal vitamin may be addressing their folic acid needs, it’s also important to make sure that daily iron recommendations are being met. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pregnant and lactating women should get 18 mg of iron each day.¹

The majority of iron in the human body resides in the hemoglobin in the blood. Iron and hemoglobin play a role in transporting oxygen and nutrients to both a mother and her baby. During pregnancy, a woman’s blood volume increase 30 percent to 50 percent to support the increasing needs of the baby.² Therefore, a woman must consume more iron so her body can function at optimal levels. Fatigue and weakness, among other symptoms, occur when there is an iron deficiency.²

Prenatal Vitamins with Iron

The Prenate^® Vitamin Family has several prenatal vitamins that contain a chelated form of iron, Sumalate^®, which is a highly bioavailable form of iron. This type of iron is about three times more bioavailable than common iron forms, so smaller doses are more efficient.^3,4,5

In addition to being absorbable, Sumalate^® is proven to be well-tolerated, even in pregnancy. Many forms of iron can be hard on the stomach, causing gastrointestinal side effects. In recent studies about half as many patients reported GI side effects with chelated iron versus other forms.^4,6

Prenate^® offers five prenatal vitamins that help mothers meet their daily recommended intake of iron:

• Prenate Pixie^®
• Prenate Mini^®
• Prenate^® Enhance
• Prenate^® Restore
• Prenate Star^®

Prenate^® is committed to providing nutritional support for mothers and babies. With products designed with the patient in mind, Prenate^® offers a line of prescription prenatal vitamins for each stage and special need of pregnancy. Expecting mothers can save on their prescription prenatal vitamins with our savings cards. Click here to get your coupon now and pay only $18 per prescription refill! Talk to your doctor to see if Prenate^® vitamins may be right for you to help fill nutritional gaps.