#138 - Not All Prenatals Are Equal--Here’s What To Look For

That prenatal bottle can look “complete” and still give you almost none of what you actually need. We see it all the time: a kitchen sink label stuffed with ingredients, but the pill is kept small, so you end up with trace amounts that don’t meaningfully support pregnancy. We break down how to cut through the marketing and choose a prenatal vitamin based on what your body is really doing during pregnancy.

We start with the fundamentals: pregnancy demands more red blood cells and nonstop DNA and RNA building for rapid growth. That’s why we focus on a short list of essentials, including folate in a bioavailable form like methylfolate (not just folic acid), vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin, iron in a form that delivers meaningful elemental iron, and vitamin B6, which can also support nausea control for some women. We also talk through common “missing pieces” in many prenatals, like choline and adequate DHA for brain and eye development, and why vitamin D often makes more sense as a separate, individualized supplement.

Then we make it practical with three simple questions to guide your choice: does it include the right nutrients, can you tolerate it, and will you take it consistently considering pill count and cost? We also share how we built our own options at Centurion Health, Bump DHA and Bump Mini, based on real-world feedback from doctors and patients who need something effective and doable.

If this helps, share it with someone who’s expecting or planning for pregnancy, then subscribe and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the one thing you’re going to check on your prenatal label after listening?

Thanks for listening to this edition of Frontline Health by Centurion. Remember, you are your best health advocate.

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Transcript

The Kitchen Sink Prenatal Problem

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast is that it's kind of that kitchen sink mentality. They've thrown everything into this prenatal. And the reason they do that is they don't want to miss anything. But ultimately, when they throw everything in and they keep it small, they're really not getting you enough of anything. And it's just kind of trace amounts of everything to try to make you feel good about what's in it. And I think that's one thing that you really need to watch out for. Make sure that you're getting the right forms and the right amounts in your prenatal, and you'll be off to the races with a great start for your baby and for you through a pregnancy.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion Health, where we share health news, tips, and insights to help you take ownership of your health. My name is Evan Patrick. I'm here with Troy Duell, founder and CEO of Centurion Health, as always. And today we are talking about how you can choose the best prenatal vitamin possible. If you've ever stood in the vitamin aisle at the grocery store or pharmacy, staring at 20 different prenatal options, thinking, aren't these basically all the same? You're not alone. But here's the truth that we want to share with you today. Not all prenatal vitamins are created equal, and some are missing nutrients that are critical for your baby's development. So today we're breaking down what actually makes a prenatal vitamin good, what most prenatal vitamins are missing, and how to choose the right one for you. So let's start with a big question now, Troy. Is there one perfect prenatal vitamin for everyone?

The Core Nutrients Pregnancy Demands

SPEAKER_00 1:38

In a word, nope, there is not. So some bodies tolerate it more than others. So that's where things change and why one prenatal may not be a good fit for you. But the important thing is there are certain standards and certain ingredients and certain amounts that it shouldn't matter who you are that you need to have in a prenatal. There are other things that you can add on or take off, but there are certain things that we need to make sure or are in each prenatal for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Absolutely. And that's where studies really come in. And we look at what the studies are saying about the nutrients that have the greatest benefit during pregnancy. And that kind of gives us a baseline idea of what should be uh in a prenatal. So let's simplify this. What nutrients should every prenatal vitamin include?

SPEAKER_00 2:40

I think really the best way to look at it, to look at it is what's going on during a pregnancy. What's going on in a woman's body, what's happening in for the baby itself. And really there are two things that are happening. The first thing is you're developing and forming a lot of new red blood cells because you've got a whole new human that's growing inside of the mother, and the mother needs more red blood cells in order to create more oxygen, but you're also forming a lot of new DNA cells, DNA and RNA. So you've got a lot of cell replication that's going on. So we need to look at nutrients that specifically help address those two main issues that are going on during pregnancy. The first thing that you want to make sure is there is folate. And you want to have about 400 to 800 micrograms if you're uh not if you're a healthy individual and you don't have other needs that are going on, because we know that folate is crucial for preventing neurotube defects, but it also helps with um developing the brain and increasing energy levels and neurotransmitters and DNA synthesis for the mom, as well as red blood cell synthesis. The second is vitamin B12. Uh, specifically, you want to have methylcobalamin. You don't want the cyanocobalamin because the methylcobalamin is in the form that your body can use and it helps with the methylation, which we know is linked to red blood cell development as well as RNA and DNA development. The third thing would be iron. And typically you're looking at about 27 milligrams of iron because iron is key to helping develop blood. It helps prevent anemia during pregnancy, which is something that happens a lot because you're developing so much more blood. It's much easier to become anemic if you're not taking in the right amount of iron. Now, with this one, you have to be careful because it can affect you in several different ways. Uh, some iron forms can cause a lot of nausea in women. So you've got to be careful of that and mindful of it. But it's also important to note that iron is not created equal either. So just because the label says it's got 27 milligrams of iron in it doesn't actually mean you're getting that much because it's really all about the elemental iron. That's what you're looking for. Some labels that say 27 milligrams of ferrous fumarate actually only get you about nine milligrams of elemental iron. While other labels that may say 18 milligrams of a carbonyl iron actually get you about 18 milligrams of elemental iron. So you need to know which forms to look at. And really, probably the best form that's out there is carbonyl iron, and that is the one that has more of the one-to-one ratio of how much iron you're actually taking in. The fourth uh nutrient that I like to say needs to be in there because it helps with those two main things is vitamin B6. This one's important not only for the blood uh development, but it's also important because vitamin B6 has shown to help reduce nausea and it uh really tends to help that whole process of methylation, which we know is so crucial during pregnancy. And then there are three others that I think are are really essential for add-ons, but it depends on your diet. So DHA is one of those we recommend or see most studies recommending about 200 to 300 milligrams of DHA a day during pregnancy. And we know that that's essential for the brain and eye development in in the baby that's growing in there. And then choline, which we've talked about on a previous podcast. This one is one that you don't hear a lot. You typically want to get about 450 milligrams during pregnancy, and this also helps with brain development, but it also helps with cell structure and methylation as well. And the final one is vitamin D. Uh, typical recommendation recommendations about 600 IUs, but the the amazing thing about vitamin D is you'll have doctors who feel like you only need 100 IUs up to 5,000 IUs. So it's very, very subjective on what people feel like uh their patients need from a physician standpoint and from an individual standpoint. So what we typically recommend is with vitamin D, take it out of your prenatal altogether and just take that separately and take your prenatal by itself. But those are really the main things. The first four, the folate, the B12 methylcobalamin, uh, and really it's methylfolate. So you don't want, you want to avoid the folic acid. So you can go methylfolate or phenic acid, not folic acid, the methylfolate or methylcobalamin, the uh iron, specifically carbonyl iron, and then vitamin B6, a pyridoxyl 5 phosphate would be the best when you're talking about B6 as well.

Forms Matter More Than The Label

SPEAKER_01 7:50

So you said something really important there that I don't want our listeners to miss, and that's that it's really not even just enough to get these ingredients in your prenatal vitamin. The form really, really matters a whole lot, especially as you said, you know, folate, that folic acid is what for years and years uh people have been told that that's what they need to get in their bodies. But as you mentioned, that's a synthetic form. And we've done other episodes that I would point our listeners to if they want to learn more about why um folic acid is not processed well by some people. There are a variety of reasons, but we talk about MTHFR polymorphism and how some people are just not able to break it down and use it. Um, you mentioned the methylcobalamin with the B12, the carbonyl iron. So just something for people to keep in mind. Um, when they're looking at their prenatal vitamins, pay attention to the forms that that there are um and not just that they're checking the box and that it's cheap.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

So if someone just walks into the store and they're just grabbing a random prenatal, what are they likely missing?

What Store Prenatals Often Miss

SPEAKER_00 8:59

I think the number one thing is what you just touched on, and that's the form. So you've got to have quality nutrients. Know that not all folates created the same, know that not all B12s created the same, iron is not created the same. So you've got to make sure that you are able to A, tolerate each of those forms, but B, that it's in a form that your body is able to take in right away, because some of those forms you just process right out of the body and get rid of right away. And what you're looking for are those forms that your body can use, which would be the methylfolate and the bioavailable forms that you're looking for. Second thing is choline or DHA. Some include DHA, but usually don't have enough, and most don't have choline at all. So that's another thing that you can look at, or sometimes they'll put it in a separate pill because they don't want it to be too big. And then really the third thing you need to watch out for is that it's kind of that kitchen sink mentality. They've thrown everything into this prenatal. And the reason they do that is they don't want to miss anything, but ultimately when they throw everything in and they keep it small, they're really not getting you enough of anything. And it's just kind of trace amounts of everything to try to make you feel good about what's in it. And I think that's one thing that you really need to watch out for. Make sure that you're getting the right forms and the right amounts in your prenatal, and you'll be off to the races with a great start for your baby and for you through a pregnancy.

Three Questions To Pick Yours

SPEAKER_01 10:34

Yeah, and it's really easy to see how that can be confusing for people because if they look and see all these nutrients without understanding the form, or like you said, the the amounts also um they could potentially fall for the the kitchen sink or or something else. So let's let's make this really practical. How should someone go about choosing the right prenatal?

SPEAKER_00 10:57

Yeah, I think it comes back to three questions that are kind of built off of what we just talked about. The first question is does it contain those nutrients that we've talked about? Does it contain the four main ones that you need to have, which is folate, methylfol or methyl cobalamin, iron, and B6? If it contains those four, then you're off to a great start. Uh, and then you can add other things as needed. But the second thing is, is it well tolerated? So are you getting nauseous when you're taking it? If you get nauseous, it doesn't do any good because every time you look at it, you're not going to want to take it. And that defeats the purpose of having that prenatal to begin with. And then the third thing is, am I actually going to take this consistently? If it's too big or it has too many pills that you're trying to take, or it costs too much, that's when you want to step back and go, all right, I don't need this one at all because I'm not going to afford, uh, not going to be able to afford to buy this every month. So I'm just going to take one every other day in order to save money. That's probably a sign that you need to look for another product and make sure that whatever you're taking, you're taking every day and that it's not too big and too cumbersome or too many pills to take.

Centurion’s Bump DHA And Bump Mini

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Absolutely. Thank you for that. And I want to bring this a little more specific to what we've done here at Centurion Health because prenatals are a big part of what we do here. And we've actually created two different options for prenatal vitamins for women. Bump DHA, which has been around for how many years now, Troy?

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Bump DHA has probably been around for about nine to ten years now.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

About nine to ten years. Um, and we would describe bump DHA as kind of comprehensive prenatal support. So originally um we kind of had a lot of women who um maybe have had multiple miscarriages or who have struggled to get pregnant or struggled to carry a baby to term. Um we've kind of had them in mind. So it's got a lot of uh prenatal ingredients that really are meant to help women get pregnant and carry um that pregnancy to term, includes DHA and active forms of these key nutrients that we've been talking about today, the methyl cobalamin, the carbonyl iron, um all of these things in the right forms and amounts. And then we've got Bunk Mini, which is newer. We actually uh have come out with this within the past year, and it is, I believe last year, maybe a maybe a little over a year, but um it's our newer prenatal vitamin, and it is a simpler, more streamlined option. Um, we took feedback that we heard from OBGYNs that we work with, included some things like choline. Uh, and it's great for those who want fewer pills or easier digestion and even uh a more affordable option than bump DHA. Troy, what are your what are your thoughts on that as the the founder and the the CEO of the company who's kind of been steering the ship through all of this?

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Yeah, I mean, uh ultimately our goal is not to just make another prenatal, but we want to make one that people will actually take, that's affordable, that is manageable from a compliance standpoint, that you don't have multiple pills that you're taking. And we worked with several doctors, some high-risk doctors. That's how we originally developed the bump DHA, which is why we have higher amounts of some of those ingredients, because it was important to them to make sure they were getting everything they could from a nutrient standpoint. The bump mini, we just came in and reduced some of the levels and then added the choline in order to allow everyday individuals, somebody who's just concerned about making sure that they have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child. That's why we developed the bump mini and made it affordable and uh easy for people to get. So uh the idea is just to make it as easy as possible to create uh the best opportunity for a healthy child and a healthy mom during pregnancy.

Where To Buy And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Well, that's awesome, Troy. We are uh we're proud of those products. And if somebody's out there who's looking for a prenatal vitamin, you can find them at www.centurion.health. So if you're out there and you're you're looking for a prenatal vitamin, um, maybe you are planning to try to get pregnant, or maybe you're currently taking a prenatal vitamin that um you realize is missing some key things, uh, ask yourself, does it does it fit the kind of the some of the criteria we talked about today? And as always, have those conversations with your healthcare provider when you're making these decisions. Um if this episode helped you better understand prenatal nutrition, share it with someone else who's expecting uh or planning to be. We appreciate you so much for listening to this episode of the Frontline Health Podcast. Go out and take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. We'll see you next time. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review. We would love to hear your comments or questions about anything we've talked about on the show. For more health news, tips, and insights, follow us at Centurion Health on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. And for safe, effective, and affordable healthcare products made in the USA to help you elevate your health and life, visit centurion.health. We look forward to you joining us next time on the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion.