Vitamin supplements and heartburn during pregnancy
Faculty member, Department of Family Medicine,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
USA
Q: I am five months pregnant and I am suffering from chest pain, vomiting and back pain. When I take iron and calcium supplements I feel like vomiting and get heartburn. It is harmful for my baby if I do not take these supplements. Please suggest what I can do for myself and my babys good health.
A:First of all try to find out if you have any infection especially in your urinary tract. Urinary tract infections are very common in pregnancy, and can give you back pain and vague symptoms of nausea etc. Second, vitamins are important in pregnancy. Try to change the brand of prenatal vitamins. Some brands are better tolerated than others. If you can drink at least 5 glasses of milk, dont worry about calcium supplements. If all of this fails, try taking your vitamins at different times of the day and see which time suits you the best.