Best supplements when trying to conceive

How do the options compare?

The comparison below weighs mainstream OB guideline standing, the depth of the pregnancy evidence base, dosing clarity, expected onset, and interactions worth flagging to your provider.

• A daily prenatal vitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid, started at least one month before pregnancy and continued through the first 12 weeks, is the core preconception recommendation. 1
• The neural tube closes on days 21 to 28 after conception, and folic acid from supplements absorbs at roughly 85 percent when taken with food versus about 50 percent for folate naturally present in food, which is why the synthetic form anchors the recommendation. 2
• The American Thyroid Association advises 150 micrograms a day of iodine as potassium iodide for anyone planning a pregnancy, currently pregnant, or lactating, yet only 34 of 59 best-selling prenatal multivitamins analyzed contained any iodine. 3
• Professional guidance for pregnancy is at least 250 milligrams a day of DHA plus EPA, alongside 8 to 12 ounces a week of lower-mercury seafood, and FDA considers supplements providing no more than 5 grams a day of EPA and DHA safe when used as directed. 4
• A Cochrane review of antioxidant supplements in subfertile women found only low to very low quality evidence of benefit and concluded there is limited evidence in support of supplemental oral antioxidants, which is the category most fertility-branded blends fall into. 5
• The same Cochrane review found the evidence for antioxidants improving live birth rate was very low quality, and evidence for improving clinical pregnancy rate was low quality, limited by poor reporting, imprecision, and inconsistency across trials. 6

Which option makes sense?

One prenatal with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid, started a month before conception, covers the strongest evidence. After that, check your label for iodine and omega-3s, since products vary widely there, and regard fertility-branded antioxidant blends as unproven extras.

Disclosure: Pregnancy Smart makes supplements that overlap with some options above. This comparison describes the evidence, not our own product; where our formulation is relevant it is named.