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Vitamins and minerals and miscarriage

(7 Posts)
obieone Fri 05-Feb-16 10:55:14

My DD, who is healthy anyway, unbeknownst to me was taking an off the shelf multi vitamin pill daily before and during pregnancy to be healthy.
The vit pill included vitamin A.

She and I were not aware that too much vit A can cause pregnancy problems.

There was a warning on the front of the bottle not to take the pills when pregnant or thinking about conceiving, but it was only when I visited her after another miscarriage, that I read the front of the bottle, and saw the warning on it. As with all pill bottles, writing is small and she had not spotted it.

She has now mentioned it to her doctor and the doctor told her not to beat herself up about it, but not to take off the shelf vitamins when pregnant in future because of vit A content.

I just thought I would pass this on.

Jalima Fri 05-Feb-16 11:05:35

I wouldn't have thought there was too much Vit A in an off-the-shelf multi-vitamin pill but they do do special ones for pregnant women (is Pregna-care one?) and I don't think she should feel she is to blame.

Really, the warning should be in large letters if there was sufficient Vit A in the tablet to cause problems. It's remiss of the manufacturers not to do that.

I was advised to eat liver when I was pregnant because I was low on iron! It contains a lot of Vitamin A, probably more than in a tablet.
Pregnant women are advised not to eat it now, or liver pates or to take fish liver oil capsules.

obieone Fri 05-Feb-16 11:46:24

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2546477/Taking-multivitamins-raise-risk-miscarriage-Mothers-likely-lose-baby-taking-supplements-six-weeks-conception.html

[not sure if the link is going to work]

Yes, she is told about pregnacare now.

Anya Fri 05-Feb-16 11:52:26

I didn't know that obieone but I hope your daughter goes on to complete a full pregnancy in the near future. My daughter, two years after an uneventful first pregnancy tried for a second baby. She miscarried several times at 12 weeks. After a series of tests it was found her thyroid gland was underactive and after being put on thyroxin she produced another healthy son.

I just mention this as another possible cause of miscarriage.

obieone Fri 05-Feb-16 12:36:47

Thank you very much Anya.

In her latest pregnancy she was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. She was borderline, so because she was pregnant, she was put on thyroxin. So that might have been another reason for her previous miscarriages. And this one.

Anya Fri 05-Feb-16 13:03:52

I think your daughter needs to get her thyroid stabilised before trying for another baby. You say she was put onto thyroxin while actually pregnant and I can see that they hoped this might help.

But my daughter was advised NOT to get pregnant until her levels were stabilised for at least three months. Then when that happened, only then was she given the go ahead.

So I have every confidence that if your daughter gets specialist treatment for her underactive thyroid, and I'm not talking the GP here, then things will go well next time.

Re GPs. They can't be a specialist in everything and DD's consultant was looking for different readings than the GP and DD had to explain to the GP, who fortunately wasn't one of those 'I know best' types and listened to her.

Hope that makes sense??

obieone Wed 10-Feb-16 16:38:53

They are getting both tests and specialist help and tests.

She is going to contact the manufacturers about clearer and better labelling of off the shelf vitamins, than there is at present.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-356406/Vitamin-warning-pregnant-women.html