by
Meosha
*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Prenatal vitamins are designed to give the body necessary nutrients to grow a baby. As a byproduct they boost hair’s strength and some women use them for that purpose, even though they aren’t pregnant. What are your thoughts on this concept? Do you consider it reckless, extra/doing the most, or a good idea? Have you tried it? What was your experience? Please share!
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I have been taking prenatal vitamins faithfully for 7 months. I had a substantial hair loss after a stressful event in my life. My hair has now doubled in thickness, and for the first time in 6 years, I am actually keeping length. Prenatal vitamins have extra folic acid and B vitamins which are essential in amino-acids necessary for building blocks. Most vitamins are poorly absorbed through the GI tract, and because of the liver metabolism, only about 20% is actually absorbed. Most vitamins are absorbed through food intake.
i used to take prenatal as my doc suggested during my pregnancy to my surprise my hair growth was great (my hair was not all that good). my daughter is now a year old i stopped taking prenatal and again i started losing my hair very badly now double the times it used to fall before pregnancy. i actually googled looking for side effects if i can start taking prenatal, even if am not pregnant this really helped me. looking at most of your comments over the topic i got to know its fine to take prenatal as a supplement for vits in that way my hair also gets essential nutrients..
I have always been a firm believer in taking vitamins. Even before I started my natural hair journey I always took vitamins. When I returned to natural, however, (about a year and a half ago) I read that taking prenatals worked wonders for hair growth. I stopped taking them about 9 months ago and started taking regular multivitamins again just to see if it made any difference. I took the regular vitamins for about three months until they ran out and have since started taking prenatals again. I’m not sure it the prenatals increased my hair growth, per say. I can say, however, that I noticed alot less shedding with taking prenatals. Also, my nails are much stronger and dont break as easily. so yes! i am very much #TeamPrenatals lol
oh! p.s. I’m only 20 years old. so I guess you can say I’m of “child bearing age” lol but no kids over this way and never been pregnant! i just personally see prenatals as having extra boosts of daily nutrients 🙂
I have thought of taking them, though will consult my doctor on them first.
I took prenatal vitamins when I was pregnant and i got a lot of hair growth, and I was never sick, nausea nothing! And on top of that my skin was glowing. I am goin to try it not pregnant and see how it goes
Prenatal vitamins can be somewhat good for your health because they do contain many vitamins that the body needs….but I also do think that it’s best to consult with a doc before taking prenatal vitamins. Some people just don’t need that much iron and folic acid when they are not pregnant. I think it’s best to take a vitamin that is made specifically for what you are taking it for: you wouldn’t take a blood pressure pill to lose weight! So it’s prob better to take prenatal for pregnancy & hair vitamin for faster growth.
I’d like to try them, I mean I don’t think anyone can tell people not to because different things work for different people, so it might not always have the same affect one you thanit had for another person. I’m currently taking Biotin and my hair has grown about 1 1/2 inches since December. I’m sure that prenatal vitamins will only hurt you if you don’t use as directed, it’s basically giving your body a double dosage of normal vitamins because your body will have to start getting ready to sustain two lives. So as long as you don’t go overboard with taking them, I see no harm.
My friends mother has taken them and her nails have grown,skin has cleared AND her hair grows like crazy. I think we all should take them, even teenage girls to boost health
I have three kids. Prenatal vitamins made me very ill so I only took iron. My hair was healthy and long and my children were all healthy and full term. Eating properly is more important in my opinion.
I believed women should take them, even if they are not pregnant those are the vitamins women are suggested to take any way, specially when you are over your 30’s. My mother is 75 and she takes them it has worked great for her.
I dont know about the hair, but I have noticed my nail growth when I take them.
i dont know to much about the prenatal pills but what if the pills where used crushed up in the shampoo would that help
No. Hair growth starts on the inside of the body. Its 100% more likely your hair will grow faster if you take them rather than put them in your shampoo.
a friend of mines actually crushes it and puts it in her shampoo and she noticed growth in her hair.. i dont know if everybody is different but it did work for her.
my mom is taking them and her hair has grown.
prenatal pills and regular multivitamins are 2 completely different things and there is a reason. prenatal pills have extra nutrients and vitamins, some with increased dosage for a pregnant woman and her growing baby. a regular multivitamin has recommended dosage for an everyday woman who isnt pregnant. most doctors prescribe prenatal pills to certain women because they are of child bearing age, they assume you would want to have a baby. so its meant to prepare a healthy environment in your body for the baby and when you get pregnant maintain that healthy environment for the baby. trust and believe if doctors knew you were taking it cuz of your hair, they wouldnt recommend it.
multivitamins in general contains fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K which are stored in the liver and fatty tissues and arnt readily excreted from the body. that means increased vitamins A, D, E or K can be toxic and lead to health problems.
so yes it is that serious. and people wonder why all sorts and diseases and disorders come up later in life. too much of any and everything is bad. eat clean and healthy. eat your fruits, veggies, multi grains, good fats and drink water. you dont NEED multivitamins to be healthy.
it annoys me to see things like “its not reckless, its jsut a multivitamin”. a lot of people are misinformed and not enough people do research before trying any and everything they hear or read. people need to becareful.
i am not dismissing the use of either two, but know why you are doing it. yes multivitamins CAN make a difference in skin/hair/nails IF and only IF you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. no if your hair grows perfectly fine, taking a multivitamins is not going to make your hair grow from 1/2in per month to 2in per month. yes some people need it to treat certain conditions and illness.
put the bottle of pills down. or do your research beforehand. read a science article and not what other misinformed people have to say. you can easily find this sort of information on wikipedia.
side note: it intrigues me that some naturals say they wanna be natural, they wanna be healthy, they wanna be “chemical free” yet are so quick to take any pill (manufactured in a lab and most not FDA approved) that promises to make some sort of a difference in their hair. what happened to letting your hair and body be?
I was agreeing with your argument until you pulled out the ”shame on you, supposedly natural-pill popper girl” card. Women have the right to do with their bodies what they please, yes, some people are reckless and immature but still they deserve to make their own decisions and face their consequences for doing so as well.
I don’t think you will see any hair/nail benefits from taking pre-natals. I barely remembered to take mine when I was pregnant and after the pregnancy my hair was at the end of my waist. Grew like weeds and I was very bad about taking my vitamins. My son was born healthy and I got through it as well. Don’t think it adds any benefits for that reason, I say leave the pre-natals to women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.
The reason your hair grows while pregnant is only partially because of the vitamins. They DO aid in hair growth, but the underlying reason for faster hair growth is because your blood becomes super oxygenated and that allows for your body to transport nutrients much more readily than if you were not pregnant.
Prenatal vitamins are nothing but multi vitamins. I take them daily and Im not pregnant nor do I have any children. They work wonders. It’s not that serious.
I was actually going to buy some prenatal vitamins today. They are also suppose to help clear up your skin. I had a friend in A school who used Prenatal vitamins and her skin was flawless. To me it’s just extra vitamins. It’s not like you are taking some sort of unknown drug. You’re boosting your health. So I would encourage anyone to try it and see how it works out.
you said you were going to try them, how has it worked out for you?
taking prenatal vitamins won’t hurt you. women of child bearing age should be taking a multi vitamin anyways.
If you decide to take prenatal vitamins for hair growth make sure you follow the RDA on the label. These are fat soluble vitamins which means they are stored in the tissues and organs. Taking too much can cause toxicity and lead to medical issues that are best avoided.
Reckless.
its just a vitamin, as long as you do not exceed the recommended daily dosage, it is not reckless, nor “extra”, nor “doing the most”. perhaps simply label of “prenatal” is the cause for concern surrounding the idea of a non pregnant female taking the suppliment for hair growth? the only difference between a prenatal and a regular multi vitamin is the formulation. the amounts of various vitamins and nutrients are the only difference, and as many others have mentioned taking these vitamins are a good idea prior to pregnancy, even it you dont plan on becoming pregnant, accidents happen even to the most careful of women. i wish i had been on a prenatal when i found out i was eleven weeks along after trying for five years with my husband and never getting pregnant once in a span of five years, then getting pregnant eight months after seperating from him. P.S. baby’s due dec. 9th
i take prenatal pills not for hair growth and not even because i’m trying to get preggo. I just take them. My doc knows that I take them and he said that’s one of the best for any woman, preggo or not.
Welp…I started taking them for this very reason, and I ended up pregnant…LOL
Lol, that happened to me. Took them for 3 months for vanity reasons but got pregnant instead. To make it worse, pregnancy made my hair dry and unmanageable so I ended up getting a hair cut lol
women have been giving birth for centuries without prenatal vitamins.
If you are healthy, eat a balanced diet and take care of yourself, I don’t think vitamins are as essential as Drs make it sound.
Shoot – even unhealthy women who do not take a lick of prenatal vitamins have healthy babies. that is one drs advice i will take with PLENTY grains of salt.
anyone bother to ask why the drs recommend this (and not say, healthier diets or sth?)
I asked mine (I’m a science nerd — a girl’s gotta know! ;P).
I had very heavy periods at the time, and showed up anemic even though I ate as healthily as possible. The amount of iron and folic acid in the prenatal vitamins (167% each) helped my blood levels bounce back to normal. So my usage isn’t because of hair, but because I’m anemic and stuffing my face with spinach and kale didn’t help much.
Reckless!
I am positive that there is a reason why it is called PRE-NATAL vitamins and not just Multivitamins….
Just my opinion…
and yes…people need to chill on that hair growth craziness….
Some go as far as washing their hair with horse shampoo despite experiencing crazy migraines…to me, that’s pure folishness!
Reckless? It depends. My doc actually recommended that I take prenatal vitamins regularly, even though I have no plans to get pregnant. I don’t take the pills with anything else, and I’m just fine. My liver doesn’t go under any crazy pressure.
It is not reckless. Before I was pregnant, I took regular multivitamins. I did not have to switch to prenatal ones because my vitamins already gave me the folic acid I needed. When you are pregnant, you think your hair is growing more but it’s not. Your body is holding onto the hair instead of shedding it like it usually does on a daily basis. That is why women think their hair is falling out once they have their child. Well, some women do actually lose TOO MUCH hair but that’s another topic. What I would suggest is to make sure you take vitamins that are organic. They may not taste or smell as good as other ones but they are made with natural products and do not contain artificial or filler additives. You will feel the difference!
I agree with CurlyMommy. I wouldn’t necessarily consider it reckless either. A prenate is just like any other vitamin/multivitamin. To me, if a person were to consider it doing too much, then the same should go for taking a multivitamin in addition to biotin and other supplements. I also take prenates just because I have some leftover, but it is not in an attempt to grow my hair long. Think each individual is capable of deciding what their body can and cannot handle. We definitely should focus more on achieving the best health (overall) possible, and not so much on growing ankle-length hair.
I wouldn’t classify it as reckless…
prenatal vitamin are just like regular multi vitamin with and added boost of folic acid.
if that all you taking, it’s fine shouldn’t cause any harm but you may not see any change in hair growth either.
I am taking prenatal just because I have them from my last pregnancy, it doesn’t do much for my hair.
PS: if you are taking other multi vitamin and adding prenatal on top of it for hair growth you are definitely overdosing, and that can cause damages.
The body is pretty good at throwing away any excess but stuff like vitamin A and iron can really mess you system up. so I’s say stock up on avocado, mangos, papaya, blueberry, strawberry, collard green, eggs, whole grain food that strengthen your system.
eat good you might get some hair in process 🙂
I wasnt too enthused about taking the prenatals WHILE pregnant (though I did) because they are huge, so I cant see taking them while not pregnant just for hair benefits…but to each his/her own. I dont think its reckless/doing the most.
i just had my baby, and my dr. said it’s true that it’s the actual hormones your body produces while pregnant that cause your hair and nails to grow faster/longer, and it’s a big misconception that prenatal vitamins help them grow. she informed me that one should only take prenatal vitamins if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Vitamins E, MSM, and Biotin have GREATLY improved the health of my hair. The answer isn’t just in a pill, it should be in addition to drinking more water, diet and exercise. All the best
Personally I think its reckless. Why are people so obsessed with long hair, my goodness. I think people really need to chill out and just enjoy the hair journey.
+ 1
Agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
OMG YESSS!!!!!! TOTALLY agree!!!
Some people do it because they are losing hair due to stress and don’t want to become bald soon. It’s not only because some want long hair. I’m sure there are numerous reasons.
doing the absolute most!!! I would not take them. General vitamin or vitamins that are good for nails and hair should be good enough…
Please do not take prenatals if not pregnant. I started taking them before I was pregnant by 6 months and my body could not handle the additional calcium and I grew a large kidney stone. I was in tremendous pain and 9 weeks pregnant. T
It will not happen to everyone, but you do not want to be the one it does happen to, like me.
I think it’s reckless – you can overdose on vitamins and that can have a negative effect on your health and your hair growth.
I read somewhere recently (that I can’t remember now) that it’s not prenatal vitamins that cause pregnant women’s hair and nails to grow, but it’s the hormone changes that come with actually being pregnant.
Interesting!
I’ve also heard the reason for the rapid hair growth during pregnancy is due to the increased blood flow throughout the body. Your heart is pumping for two, so this increase the amount of blood to all areas in the body. After you give birth, your blood flow returns to normal – thus the hair growth returns to normal as well.
Exactly, it’s part hormonal and part increased blood flow that causes hair (and nails) to grow. Also hormonal is a decrease in shedding which can cause hair to be thicker than usual for the duration of the pregnancy and about 3 months after.
There’s nothing inherently wrong or unsafe about a non-pregnant woman taking prenatals – I’m nursing so I still take them, but the not the reason behind the hair growth.
+1
From personal experience, the prenatal vitamins don’t promote hair and nail growth. My doctor advised me to take them because I’m trying to conceive not to mention slight anemia and a protein c deficiency. The rate of my hair and nail growth hasn’t increased any and it has been 9 months. So I firmly believe it’s the hormone changes…not the pills.
I believe its extra reckless only because biotin grows the hair too, why go to the extremes for prenatal vitamins
Well, actually, a lot of drs will tell a woman that is thinking, considering pregnant to take prenatal and folate acid. You don’t have to be pregnant for them to be beneficial.
Yep, my ObGyn said that ideally doctors like for a woman to have taken prenatal vitamins for three months prior to getting pregnant.
But what if she isn’t planning on getting pregnant? Shouldn’t she leave the prenatals alone?
If you leave yourself open to getting pregnant, even by chance, you should be taking prenatal vitamins. The most precious times for fetal development is in the 1st trimester, when most women don’t even know they are pregnant. It does not hurt you in anyway, and also folic acid, helps with spinal cord development (i hate to see baby’s with spinal biphida, because you know it is because the mother did not take care of herself when she was pregnant.)
My doctor recomended prenatal vitamins and I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant, its the multi-vitamin that most women need anyway. It’s not harmful, some people may just take the no iron or low iron kind. The iron made me nausous so I chose the no iron.
Yes! my doctor also perscribed me with prenatal vitamins even though I’m not planning to get pregnant. While too much of anything can be bad for you, pre-natal vitamins are full of a lot of stuff women (not just pregnant women) need to be healthy. They’re essentially a better daily vitamin if you’re deficient.
I was was put on prenatals for the treatment of anemia. I did however notice the difference in my hair’s health and growth rate. I has been sugested that all women of child bearing age eat foods and take suppliments as if they were preparing for pregnacy.