More than 1 billion adolescent girls and women worldwide suffer from nutrient deficiencies, with potentially devastating consequences for their lives and well-being. Malnutrition during pregnancy can lead to anemia and other health complications and increases the risk of babies being born underweight or prematurely.
Prenatal vitamins can provide women with the essential nutrients they need throughout their pregnancy. But not all vitamins are equal, and what's in a prenatal vitamin — or missing from one — can lead to enormous differences in pregnancy outcomes.
While pregnant women in high-income countries receive multivitamins to guard against a range of nutrient deficiencies that can occur during pregnancy, women in lower-income countries often receive a supplement containing just iron and folic acid — if they have access to a prenatal vitamin at all.
Recent research demonstrates that a standard formula multivitamin — known as a multiple micronutrient supplement, or MMS — is a better prenatal vitamin compared to iron and folic acid. MMS costs just a few dollars per pregnancy, only slightly more than iron and folic acid — making it one of the most cost-effective interventions in global health.
“Availability of multiple micronutrient supplementation is crucial,” said Dr. Mairo Mandara, an obstetrician, gynecologist, and public health physician. “Not just for the health and wellbeing of children and women — but for the future development of their communities, and also for global equity.”
Watch the video to find out how access to MMS can help reverse this global health double standard and enable women, no matter where they live, to have a healthy pregnancy.
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