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Prenatal vitamins: do I need them and how to choose?

First and foremost, you should be taking care of your body long before you consider becoming pregnant. You need to provide your body with essential nutrients that will not only help you conceive, but will also help you to have a healthy pregnancy.

Folic acid is vital since getting enough before and during your pregnancy can vastly decrease the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida, in the developing foetus. Folic acid has been found to be so crucial that experts now recommend that all women of childbearing age get 400mcg of folic acid per day.

Be sure to choose a vitamin formula that also contains zinc, which has been known to increase fertility. Recent research also shows that women who took vitamins containing at least ten milligrams of vitamin B6 before they conceived or during the first few weeks of their pregnancy were less likely to experience morning sickness.
 
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More questions

The best timing for pregnancy testing is once you miss your period.
Ectopic pregnancies are fertilized eggs which implant themselves outside of the uterus. They must be terminated and can indicate future fertility issues.
Ovulation is the period during which you can conceive. Tracking ovulation can be tricky, but you can increase your chances of conceiving through math, prediction kits, or simple scientific observation.
Implantation bleeding is not a common experience, but some women do report small amounts of blood with or without cramping roughly a week or less before their anticipated period.
Pregnancy tests are only as good as the execution. Read all instructions to avoid getting inaccurate results on a home pregnancy test.
The best over the counter kits measure luteinizing hormone (LH).
There are many things that you can do to increase your chances of getting pregnant.
How STD’s can affect your pregnancy, your baby and how you should deal with them during pregnancy.
Taking care of your body before and during pregnancy
Ovulation occurs just about two weeks after the first day of your period.

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