The Short Answer
Needed is one of the most complete and bioavailable prenatal vitamins available today. It easily earns our clean rating for its rigorous third-party testing and practitioner-formulated dosing.
If you can stomach the $60 monthly price tag and 8-capsule daily serving size, it is an exceptional choice. It provides optimal doses of hard-to-find nutrients like choline and magnesium while intentionally leaving out ingredients like iron that block absorption.
Why This Matters
Most conventional prenatal vitamins are based on outdated RDA guidelines from the 1940s. Up to 95% of pregnant women taking standard prenatals remain nutritionally depleted. Do Multivitamins Work
Mainstream brands often rely on a one-a-day format, which physically cannot hold the bulky minerals a growing baby requires. Needed flipped the script by ignoring capsule count and focusing purely on clinical dosages.
They include 400mg of cholineâa nutrient critical for fetal brain development that is almost entirely missing from drugstore brands. Best Prenatal Vitamin
The brand is also fanatical about transparency, ensuring every batch is third-party tested for heavy metals, pesticides, and microbes. They openly publish their testing data, proving their heavy metal levels sit well below strict California Prop 65 limits. Heavy Metals Supplements
What's Actually In Needed Prenatal Multi
- L-Methylfolate (918 mcg DFE) â The active, bioavailable form of vitamin B9. Unlike synthetic folic acid, this form can be utilized by the 30-40% of women with an MTHFR gene mutation. Methylfolate Vs Folic Acid
- Choline (400 mg) â Essential for neural tube and cognitive development. Most one-a-day prenatals skip this because it takes up too much physical space in a single capsule.
- Vitamin D3 (4,000 IU) â An optimal clinical dose that is 2 to 4 times higher than what is found in standard prenatal vitamins. How Much Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12 (200 mcg) â Provided as a 50/50 split of methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin for maximum cellular absorption.
- Glycinate Minerals â Minerals like magnesium and zinc are bound to glycine, making them highly absorbable and much gentler on the stomach. What Type Magnesium Best
What to Look For
Green Flags:
- Third-party heavy metal testing â Needed tests every batch against strict Prop 65 limits and passes easily. Their lead levels average a microscopic 0.154 mcg per serving. Third Party Tested Meaning
- No Iron or DHA included â Leaving these out is actually a sign of quality. Iron competes with calcium for absorption, while DHA can turn rancid if not encapsulated separately. Should Prenatal Have Dha
- Flexible formats â They offer both a capsule and a vanilla powder. The powder can be easily blended into smoothies for those suffering from severe morning sickness.
Red Flags:
- Massive pill fatigue â The standard daily dose is 8 capsules. For women dealing with first-trimester nausea, swallowing this many pills can be a huge hurdle.
- High monthly cost â At $60 for a one-time purchase, it is significantly more expensive than standard drugstore options.
The Best Options
Needed offers a few different formats to help mothers combat pill fatigue. Both the capsules and powder deliver the exact same premium formulation.
| Brand | Product | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needed | Prenatal Multi Capsules | â | The gold standard formulation, but requires 8 pills daily. |
| Needed | Prenatal Multi Powder | â | The exact same nutrient profile in a smoothie-friendly powder. |
| Needed | Prenatal Multi Essentials | â ď¸ | A pared-down 3-pill version that sacrifices some optimal dosing. |
The Bottom Line
1. Prepare to take additional supplements. Because Needed leaves out Iron and Omega-3s for absorption reasons, you will likely need to buy and take these separately.
2. Split the dose. Don't take all 8 capsules at once. Take 4 with breakfast and 4 with lunch to maximize nutrient absorption and minimize digestive upset.
3. Use the powder if you have nausea. If swallowing 8 pills makes you gag, the vanilla Prenatal Multi Powder is a lifesaver during the first trimester.
FAQ
Does Needed Prenatal have DHA?
No, Needed intentionally leaves DHA out of their prenatal multi. Omega-3s are best taken as a separate softgel to prevent them from going rancid and to ensure optimal dosing. Needed sells a separate third-party tested Omega-3 supplement. Should Prenatal Have Dha
Why doesn't Needed Prenatal have iron?
Iron competes with other essential minerals like calcium and zinc for absorption. It is also notorious for causing nausea and constipation during pregnancy. Needed recommends testing your iron levels with your provider and taking a targeted iron supplement only if required.
Is Needed better than Ritual?
Needed provides significantly higher doses of key nutrients than Ritual, but Ritual is much easier to take. Needed requires 8 capsules daily and includes 26 nutrients. Ritual requires only 2 capsules daily, includes DHA, but lacks the robust levels of choline and magnesium found in Needed. Is Ritual Prenatal Good