Despite taking a standard prenatal, up to 95% of women are still nutritionally depleted in at least one key nutrient. This includes female athletes, whose nutrient needs (iron, energy availability, several B vitamins) climb even higher than those of sedentary women. It's one of the questions I get asked most by athletes at every level who are preparing for or currently in pregnancy: what prenatal do you actually recommend?

Usually, the person asking wants a prenatal that's convenient to take consistently and provides nutritional insurance to support a healthy pregnancy. Many of the prenatal supplements I recommend, including Needed’s Prenatal Vitamin, contain multiple capsules to get a robust amount of micronutrients to help support an athlete during pregnancy. I know multiple capsules can be a barrier for a lot of people, especially when dealing with pregnancy symptoms like nausea, food aversions, reflux, and fatigue. Many would prefer to take a gummy, which are more palatable and therefore usually easier to take alongside pregnancy symptoms consistently, but up until recently I rarely recommended gummy supplements for a variety of reasons.

Most gummy prenatals do not contain certain nutrients or adequate doses to support a healthy pregnancy. The challenge with gummies is that there is a ceiling within the gummy matrix on how much nutrition can be held, making it challenging for companies to make a product that meets the needs of pregnancy. That is until I was introduced to Needed’s Prenatal Multi Gummy during my second pregnancy.

With practitioner grade nutrition in three delicious gummies, Needed has discovered how to break through the gummy matrix nutrition ceiling to fit the nutrients pregnant people need without artificial dyes or flavors. These gummies offer 4x more nutrition than the average of leading prenatals, including capsules‡. For my clients who are active individuals looking to continue their endurance training during pregnancy, a nutrient dense prenatal is beneficial to meet the elevated nutrition needs of pregnant athletes. Since quality is also important, rest assured that Needed’s Prenatal Multi Gummy tests for heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants in over 2,000 quality checks per batch.

**A note for pregnant athletes:** Nutrient needs can be higher during pregnancy, and training adds another layer of nutritional demand. When choosing a prenatal, consider not only whether a nutrient is included, but whether the dose is appropriate for your individual needs, diet, training volume, and lab values.
Folate needs and the appropriate form of folate should be discussed with your healthcare team, particularly if you have a personal or family history of neural tube abnormalities. Individual supplementation needs should also be personalized with your healthcare provider or sports dietitian.

I also recommend additional omega 3 supplementation if dietary sources are inadequate to support brain development in babies*, which is found in seafood and fish oil supplements. Additional iron supplementation can also be important for many pregnant athletes to maintain adequate iron status and red blood cell health for both mom and baby* if they are not meeting the recommended daily amount of 27mg through diet alone. Particularly in athletes, these nutrients can be in higher demand to support a healthy inflammatory response* from training and red blood cell health optimal for higher-volume and impact training like running. Food aversions to iron rich foods can make this challenging, so supplementation can be helpful if lab values show levels are suboptimal.

I typically recommend taking these nutrients separately from your prenatal to improve toleration, absorption, and dosing. Across all Needed prenatals, iron and omega 3’s are kept separate intentionally, each for its own reason. Omega 3’s are separated out to allow for a meaningful, optimal dose that wouldn’t fit inside a multivitamin. Iron is separate because needs vary too much from individual to individual to treat as one-size-fits-all; it’s best dosed individually and taken separately from other nutrients typically found in a prenatal supplement. For this reason, I appreciate that Needed’s Prenatal Multi gummy does not contain these nutrients so you can take them separately if it is decided with your health care provider that you would benefit from a supplement.

Needed’s Prenatal Multi gummy is a fantastic prenatal gummy option for active women trying to conceive or who are currently pregnant. It can be used when taking a capsule based prenatal is challenging due to symptoms or even based on preference.

To check out Needed’s products, visit: https://thisisneeded.com/holleysamuel

This post includes paid content sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend to clients and also use personally.

‡4x more nutrition refers to the average amount of vitamins and minerals compared to the average of the leading prenatal brands as of May 2026. Brand A: 8x, Brand B: 4x, Brand C: 4x, Brand D: 4x.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

+Based on a comparison of each brand’s labeled daily serving amounts of vitamins and minerals. As of May 2026.

References

Burden, R. J., Morton, K., Richards, T., Whyte, G. P., & Pedlar, C. R. (2015). Is iron treatment beneficial in, iron-deficient but non-anaemic (IDNA) endurance athletes? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med, 49(21), 1389-1397.

Butte, N. F., Wong, W. W., Treuth, M. S., Ellis, K. J., & O'Brian Smith, E. (2004). Energy requirements during pregnancy based on total energy expenditure and energy deposition. Am J Clin Nutr, 79(6), 1078-1087.

Gallo Galán LM, Gallo Vallejo MÁ, Aguilar-Cordero MJ, Rojas-Carvajal AM, Gallo Vallejo JL. Revisión de la nutrición e hidratación con relación al ejercicio físico en el embarazo [Review of nutrition and hydration in relation to physical exercise during pregnancy]. Nutr Hosp. 2024 Aug 29;41(4):916-924. Spanish. doi: 10.20960/nh.05060. PMID: 38967305.

George CV, Bell Z, Renard M, et al. Pregnancy and postpartum nutritional wants and needs in athletes: a cross-sectional survey in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Performance Nutrition. 2026;2:14. doi:10.1186/s44410-026-00030-0

Holtzman, B., & Ackerman, K. E. (2021). Recommendations and Nutritional Considerations for Female Athletes: Health and Performance. Sports Med, 51(Suppl 1), 43-57.

Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Dietary supplements and life stages: pregnancy. Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated April 3, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2026. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Pregnancy-HealthProfessional/

My Top Prenatal Gummy Vitamin For Nausea