Materna for pregnant women: instructions for use
If a woman is planning a pregnancy or is already carrying a baby, her need for vitamins increases, so expectant mothers are usually prescribed multivitamin complexes.
One of the well-known drugs in this group is “Materna”. Not so long ago, this supplement was often prescribed to women in the position, since it was referred to as one of the best multivitamins for pregnant women.
However, since the 2000s, “Materna” has disappeared in pharmacies and is no longer sold in Russia, but it is still being produced abroad.
Composition
The complex is produced in round plastic jars containing 100 tablets in the shell. They lack dyes and flavoring, swallow them fairly easily. From each pill "Materna" a woman can get:
- retinol in a dose of 5000 IU;
- 30 IU tocopherol;
- Vitamin D at a dosage of 400 IU;
- ascorbic acid in the amount of 100 mg;
- thiamine at a dose of 3 mg;
- 3.4 mg riboflavin;
- 10 mg pyridoxine and pantothenic acid;
- 12 mg cyanocobalamin;
- 1000 mcg of folic acid;
- nicotinamide at a dosage of 20 mg;
- Biotin in a dose of 30 mg;
- 250 mg of calcium;
- 150 mcg of iodine;
- iron at a dosage of 60 mg;
- 25 mg of magnesium and zinc;
- copper at a dosage of 2 mg;
- 5 mg manganese;
- 25 µg of chromium and molybdenum.
Act
Vitamin compounds present in the “Matern”, supplemented with useful mineral components, help to fill their lack, often found in women in the position. Such substances:
- normalize metabolic processes;
- reduce the symptoms of early toxicosis;
- reduce the percentage of developmental pathologies in infants;
- contribute to the proper formation of the skeleton of babies;
- increase the defenses against infections and colds;
- serve as prevention of gestational diabetes;
- accelerate tissue regeneration;
- reduce the risk of placental abruption;
- improve iron absorption;
- prevent calcium loss in the third trimester;
- reduce the severity of edema;
- prepare the body for lactation;
- help to recover faster in the postpartum period.
When and how to take?
“Materna” is used for the prevention of calcium deficiency and anemia in pregnant women, and can also be taken during the period of preparation for conception, and after childbirth, to provide the female body with essential substances when breastfeeding.
The complex should not be used in case of hypersensitivity to any component, as well as in case of hypervitaminosis, urolithiasis and an increased iron content in the future mother's body.
Among the possible negative side reactions On the “Mother” note allergic rash, nausea, redness of the skin, unpleasant taste in the mouth, decreased performance, dizziness. Due to the presence of vitamin B2 in the composition, the urine of the expectant mother during the use of such a complex becomes more pronounced in color, and the presence of a high dose of iron makes the fecal mass of a pregnant dark color. This is a normal reaction, which is typical for other multivitamin supplements with riboflavin and iron.
The instruction prescribes to take "Materna" only once a day, because one tablet of this supplement includes all the necessary substances in a daily dosage. For maximum absorption of the ingredients, it is best to drink the drug in the morning, so usually the tablet is swallowed after breakfast with aerated water.
The duration of the use of such multivitamins should be clarified with your obstetrician-gynecologist, but most often they take the tablets continuously for one month, then they take a short break and continue vitamin prophylaxis. Although there have been no cases of an overdose of “Materna”, large doses of vitamins can adversely affect the condition of the pregnant woman and the development of the fetus, therefore, it is impossible to take several tablets a day.
Reviews
The reputation of “Materna” is ambiguous, and the reviews about such a complex are rather contradictory. Many future mothers who drank these pills during pregnancy were satisfied with their action, but they also have enough negative reviews. Doctors also refer to the “Matern” in different ways - some experts consider the complex to be high-quality and effective, others warn about the birth of a large child or the occurrence of an allergy in the crumbs after birth.
As for side effects, in most cases, “Materna” is well tolerated.
However, some future mothers still noted an allergic reaction to such an additive, so they were prescribed other multivitamins, for example, Vitrum Prenatal Forte or Elevit Pronatal. Analogs are more in demand and for the reason that it will not be possible to purchase “Mattern” in Russian pharmacies.
If a pregnant woman nevertheless decided to drink such a complex, she would have to order the drug in another country and follow such recommendations:
- discuss the possibility of taking "Materna" with your doctor;
- do not drink more than one tablet per day;
- ensure the integrity of the packaging and check the expiration dates before using the complex;
- not to take the drug longer than the prescribed period of the doctor;
- for any ailments and warning symptoms, stop using them further and consult a specialist.
