A GP guide to supplements in pregnancy
Patients can often feel overwhelmed by the advice about nutritional supplements in pregnancy. Here's a rundown on the evidence
Evidence-based nutritional supplement advice is essential during pregnancy to ensure effective interventions are offered, while simultaneously protecting women and babies from the cost and potential harms of supplements that lack efficacy or are unsafe.
GPs are in a key position to provide such evidence-based information to women who are planning pregnancy or during pregnancy.
This article summarises the evidence in relation to commonly recommended supplements in pregnancy.
The developing fetus requires calcium for skeletal and dental development, and for the healthy regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle and neural tissue.1,2
