If you need some hard evidence that the various tablets that you are taking every morning are beneficial to you and your baby then read on. There are more and more studies being published that conclude prenatal and pregnancy nutrient status has a significant effect on pregnancy outcome.

Miscarriage is a common and poorly understood adverse pregnancy outcome. It is especially problematic for women with PCOS, endometriosis and autoimmune conditions, who have significantly higher rates of miscarriage compared to other women.

The University of North Carolina recently released a study of 4,752 pregnant women. Results indicate that vitamin supplementation during early pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of miscarriage.

After analysing the data, the researchers concluded that any use of vitamins during early pregnancy was associated with a 57% reduced risk of miscarriage, compared with no use of vitamins. Thus, the results of this study suggest that use of vitamins during early pregnancy may reduce the risk of miscarriage.

Hasan R et al, Self-reported Vitamin Supplementation in Early Pregnancy and Risk of Miscarriage, Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Apr 16.