But then there’s the whole business of prenatal vitamins — supplements filled with specific nutrients that pregnant women need more of, including folic acid, iron, and calcium. Some also pack good-for-your-hair-and-skin B vitamins including, which is perhaps the reason why they’ve earned a bit of a reputation as a suped up beauty supplement — even for those who aren’t growing a human.
Well, that’s actually kind of a complicated question. In part, it depends on whether or not you’re trying to get pregnant. Why is it so important? There’s been a good amount of research showing that lower amounts of folic acid in your diet is linked with neural tube defects in baby , explains But that doesn’t mean you need to get your folate in the form of a prenatal vitamin. A lot of food is either naturally high in folate or fortified with folic acid .