Is vitamin C safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about vitamin C during pregnancy?

1. The recommended daily amount in pregnancy is 80 mg for ages 14 to 18 and 85 mg for ages 19 and older, and most people can get enough vitamin C from a balanced diet. 1
2. Vitamin C intake below the recommended amount or above the upper limit is not known to increase the chance for birth defects, though two babies exposed to more than 400 mg a day showed signs of vitamin C deficiency after birth. 1
3. The tolerable upper intake level in pregnancy is 1,800 mg a day for ages 14 to 18 and 2,000 mg for ages 19 and older, counting food and supplements together. 2
4. Taking too much vitamin C causes diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps, and people who smoke need an extra 35 mg a day above the standard recommendation. 3
5. Taking vitamin C does not reduce how often people in the general population catch colds and shortens them only slightly, so the case for high-dose supplementation is weaker than its reputation suggests. 4

Is vitamin C safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. If food aversions have narrowed what you can keep down, vitamin C is one of the easier gaps to close, since a single orange or a cup of strawberries covers the day. Your prenatal also contains some. There is no reason to megadose in the first trimester.
• Second trimester. Appetite usually returns here and food sources become easy again. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron from plant foods, which is useful timing since iron demand climbs through the second trimester.
• Third trimester. Nothing changes for the daily target. If you are reaching for high-dose vitamin C packets at the first sign of a cold, note that two babies exposed to more than 400 mg a day showed signs of vitamin C deficiency after birth, which is the reason clinicians prefer you stay near the recommended amount.