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Trying to get Pregnant, Pregnant or Nursing? Prenatal vitamins are recommended for all women of childbearing age. So whether you are planning to get pregnant, or if you are pregnant or nursing, or a woman of child bearing age it is recommended that you should be taking a prenatal vitamin each day. O-Cal Prenatal Vitamin and O-Cal FA multivitamin are complete formulations that have a great track record of being gentle on the stomach and easy on the pocket book. If your prenatal cost more than $5 per month you are pay too much.

Nutrition is the building blocks for a healthy mom and baby. Since the growing baby’s exclusive nutrient source is mom, it is important that mom is well nourished. Prenatal vitamins are designed to provide the extra nutrients that may be hard to get from a typical diet, such as Folic Acid, Iron and Calcium.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube birth defects (spina bifida). Folic Acid works to prevent birth defects if taken before conception and during early pregnancy. Studies show that if all women consumed the recommended amount of folic acid before and during early pregnancy, up to 70 percent of all neural tube defects could be prevented (1, 2). Folic acid also may help prevent other birth defects, including cleft lip and palate and some heart defects (1, 3). The March of Dimes states that a recent study suggests that women who take folic acid for at least 1 year before they become pregnant can cut their risk for having a premature baby born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy by half (4). The study also suggests that these women can reduce their risk of having a very premature baby (born before 32 completed weeks) by up to 70 percent. Premature babies are at increased risk of newborn complications and lasting disabilities, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy and vision loss, with very premature babies at the highest risk.

Iron is a mineral that is an essential constituent of blood and muscle, and is require for transporting oxygen in the blood stream. Iron deficiency anemia is a common condition in pregnancy; studies indicated that approximately 20% of women and 50% of pregnant women are iron deficient (5). Iron helps both the mother and baby’s blood carry oxygen. Typical symptoms of iron deficiency are fatigue, irritability, weakness, pale skin color.

Calcium: Getting enough calcium is essential during pregnancy. If mom doesn’t get enough calcium from her diet, the body takes it from her bones to give to her baby. Over time, this loss may weaken bone and lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes the bones weak and more likely to break. Calcium is used throughout your body. It helps keep your bones and teeth strong. During the last two trimesters of pregnancy and during breastfeeding, your body absorbs more calcium from food than when you are not pregnant. Your baby needs this extra calcium to build healthy teeth and bones. If you don’t get enough calcium in your diet during pregnancy, the calcium your baby needs will be taken from your bones.

References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Folic Acid. Updated 1/30/08.
2. Berry, R.J., et al. Prevention of Neural Tube Defects with Folic Acid in China. New England Journal of Medicine, volume 341, number 20, November 11, 1999, pages 1485-1490.
3. Botto, L.D., et al. Vitamin Supplements and the Risk for Congenital Anomalies Other Than Neural Tube Defects. American Journal of Medical Genetics C Semin. Med. Genet., volume 125, number 1, February 15, 2004, pages 12-21.
4. Bukowski, R., et al. Preconceptional Folate Supplementation and the Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Cohort Study. PLoS Med, volume 6, number 5, May 12, 2009: e1000061
5. http://www.nlm.hih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000584.htm.

Disclaimer: Statements made on this site are for informational purpose only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease and are not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. Statements made on this site have NOT been approved or reviewed by the FDA. If you are suffering from any disease or illness you should consult your personal health care practitioner before changing any medication.

O-Cal Prenatal Vitamins

Importance of Folic Acid

Folic Acid is very essential for a healthy pregnancy and healthy fetal development. Folic acid has been shown to decrease the risk of birth defects like spina bifida or other neural tube defects. It is recommended that women increase their intake of folic acid even before trying to conceive. – and with the O-Cal Prenatal formulation of  1 mg folic acid (1000 mcg), provide the ideal dosage for those trying to conceive, those that are  pregnant and those who are breastfeeding.

Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is very important. When a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can prevent major birth defects of her baby’s brain or spine. During pregnancy, the body’s requirement for Folic Acid increases and O-Cal Prenatal helps meet these new prenatal nutritional needs by providing 1 mg of folic acid per tablet in addition to other essential vitamin and minerals

 Importance of IronIron is a mineral that is an essential constituent of blood and muscle, and is required for the transport of oxygen. The primary role of iron relates to the ability of red blood cells to adequately carry oxygen to sustain the body’s cellular support. When the body is deficient of iron serious medical problems can arise. Iron deficiency is a common problem with most women, particularly pregnant women. A small percentage of men also suffer from iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is a frequent concern for post weight loss surgery (WLS) patients. When iron deficiency progresses to anemia, and anemia is finally detected, an unbalanced condition has already been reached. The key to successful iron supplementation is patient compliance. Pharmics has developed iron supplements that overcome the stigma of iron of therapy, better tolerated for better compliance and absorption

• Pregnancy

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  • Iron is needed for proper placenta development
  • Iron is needed for the prevention of pre-term and low birth weight babies
  • Studies estimate that up to 58% of pregnant women are iron deficient.

O-Cal Prenatal is an excellent choise to meeting the nutritional needs of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.  

Prenatal Direct is now open for business. Pharmics has been providing top quality prenatal vitamins since 1970. O-Cal FA and O-Cal Prenatal have been traditionaly sold by prescripton only but are now available without a prescription, when purchased directly from www.prenataldirect.com . We want to do our part to provide better access to prenatal vitamins at an affordable price.  The cost of prescription prenatal vitamins is going thru the roof, we want to do our part to reverse that trend.   

Typically prenatal vitamins are available from a pharmacy. Insurance companies require a copay, typically $10 or more and require that you come back to the pharmacy monthly for refills.  Typically during the duration of a pregnancy one pays anywhere from $80 to over $200 for prenatal vitamins.  Our goal is to save both time and money.  1 bottle of prenatal vitamins that will last for the duration of the pregnancy with free home delivery for less than $40 ($0.17 per day). If your co-pay for prenatal vitamins is more than $5 you are pay too much.

The benefits of O-Cal FA and O-Cal Prenatal are:

• Prescription strength prenatal vitamins, now available without a prescription
• 1mg Folic Acid
• Small easy to swallow tablets
• Well tolerated, Gentle on the stomach
• Gluten Free
• 1 bottle per Pregnancy (240 tablets)
• No more trips to the pharmacy
• Easy Refills without having to make a visit to the Doctors office
• Cost Savings