New research has revealed that women who take multivitamins while trying to get pregnant are more at risk of having a miscarriage.
A study released on 21 January, concentrating on 35,000 expectant mothers, found that they were 32% more likely to lose their babies if they had been taking vitamins in the six weeks pre conception.
The researchers say in the International Journal of Epidemiology: ‘Women are advised to take multivitamins when they plan to conceive, believing it can do no harm.
‘We found a modest but consistent increased risk of early foetal death in multivitamin users, especially in women with a regular preconceptional intake.’
While they said that this result ‘causes concern’, there was no explanation given for why this might contribute to women losing their babies.
This study, which is the largest of its kind and focused on mothers-to-be in Denmark, was conducted by the universities of Southern Denmark, Aarhus and Pittsburgh in the US, reports The Daily Mail.
Compared with taking not taking pills, regular multivitamin intake for three or four weeks beforehand saw the chances of losing the baby rise by 23 per cent.
If taking multivitamins five to six weeks beforehand, it was 32 per cent.
While the researchers couldn’t give a concrete reason for this trend, they did rule out links with obesity, poverty, previous miscarriages, smoking and problems conceiving.
Professor Lucilla Poston, head of the Division of Women’s Health at King’s College, London, was quick to reassure expectant mothers saying, ‘It is critical that the data are not interpreted as evidence against current recommendations for folate supplementation.
‘The authors rightly recommend that further studies are needed.
‘In the meantime, supplements should be taken in accordance with current clinical guidelines.’
