Does consumption of iron and calcium supplement at the same time have any effect on fetal growth?
george2278 asked:
My wife is 20 weeks pregnant. We recently came to know that calcium and iron supplements are not to be taken at the same time.However, till the 16 th week my wife was taking both the iron and calcium supplements at the same time. However, her diet was rich in calcium and iron supplements.Will these have any effect on the fetal growth.
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My wife is 20 weeks pregnant. We recently came to know that calcium and iron supplements are not to be taken at the same time.However, till the 16 th week my wife was taking both the iron and calcium supplements at the same time. However, her diet was rich in calcium and iron supplements.Will these have any effect on the fetal growth.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:44 am
There should be no effect on foetal growth, as the foetus draws it from Mum to Mum’s detriment. You can still take both - but you need to ensure that the iron is not taken within 4 hours of the calcium (ie you could do one at night, and one in the morning, or one morning and night and the other at midday). Tea, legumes, rice and grains can reduce the absorption of non-haem iron as well, so moderate their ingestion. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of non-haem iron, so eating fruit throughout the day will assist maintaining or building iron levels and/or stores.
(FYI non-haem iron, like what is in most enhanced foods and fruit and veg, is less readily absorbed by the body. The best iron is haem-iron, like in red meats). Nimbus
October 9th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
What Nimbus says is true. The only reason I know of why Calcium and iron supplements should not be taken together is because calcium interferes with your body’s ability to absorb the iron effectively. So better take them separately. Nothing to worry about, your wife and baby will be fine. Am in my 32nd week, I take my calcium/multivitamins in the morning with my breakfast and the iron supplement at night before bedtime.
Best wishes to you and your wife! mom2be
October 11th, 2009 at 3:58 am
Too much of anything isn’t good. Has your wife talked to her doctor about these supplements? It is best to check.
The best thing is actually to take prenatal vitamin. As folic acid is very very very very important during pregnancy. It is used for developing the spinal column that protects the spinal chord. Deficiency in folic acid may result in neural tube defects like spina bifida. And prenatal vitamins is rich with folic acid, plus eating green veggies would help too.
As far as iron, if your wife is otherwise not anemic, iron is not important yet. Besides, prenatal vitamin has iron in it. Some women become anemic during the last trimester of the pregnancy, and at this point, your doctor may advice you to take iron supplement.
As far as calcium, I’ve never been told to take calcium either. But, if you want to… the next best thing is Tums (for hearburn). You get the benefit of helping out heartburn (very common in pregnancy) and get the calcium from it. mrs.izabel