Yes! Whether you have sperm or eggs, it is recommended to take prenatal vitamins for at least three months before trying to conceive, but you and your partner can also take a prenatal vitamin daily if you aren’t actively trying to prevent pregnancy. This recommendation is rooted in the fact that close to half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended and many people might not know that they are pregnant for the first few weeks. Since the baby grows rapidly during the first trimester (brain, spine, heart and organs are among the first to develop!), it is best to ensure that you are getting enough of the essential vitamins and minerals to support and optimize fetal development with the healthiest eggs, sperm and bodies as possible.

Our medical and naturopathic doctors have done their research and ensured that our prenatal supplements are packed with everything required for preconception and pregnancy care—at the correct doses. A key element in all of our formulas is the bioavailability of our raw ingredients. The vitamins and minerals are in their most absorbable forms to ensure your body processes them efficiently and effectively.

Our comprehensive prenatal blend for Females includes easy-to-absorb Iron to help your blood transport oxygen, Vitamin D for calcium absorption and immune aid, and Iodine, Zinc and Selenium for thyroid support. This formula also includes a hybrid of Folic Acid and highly bioavailable Methylated Folate (5-MTHF), Vitamin B12 and Choline to support fetal brain, spine and nervous system development. Bonus: Our DHA comes from algae oil so there’s no fishy aftertaste!

The Prenatal Essentials for Males is formulated with equally bioavailable ingredients, ready for your body to use, at just the right doses recommended by our doctors. This prenatal supplement includes science-backed building blocks, like Vitamin A, C, D, E, Selenium, Zinc, and DHA, which protect the sperm from DNA damage and help boost swimmers.

The Prenatal Pack is a good match for people with sperm and eggs who are early in their fertility journey. These 30 daily packs (for each of you) give egg and sperm everything they need to perform optimally and support conception. The Prenatal Pack is designed specifically for people with eggs or sperm under 30 who have been thinking about trying, or have been actively trying for less than six months. These supplements are also safe for people who are already pregnant and want to maintain good reproductive health.

What’s different about The Power Prenatal Pack is that it gives your reproductive cells an extra dose of antioxidant lovin’ on top of the essentials found in The Prenatal Pack. The Power Prenatal Pack is designed for people with sperm and eggs who are over 30 and thinking about trying, or have been trying for more than 6 months, and support you if you are being treated at a fertility clinic, as well.

The Power Prenatal for Females will give you a boost of CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10), NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), Trans-Resveratrol and other antioxidants to provide your egg with the fuel it needs to perform optimally.

The Power Prenatal for Males will give you a boost of CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10), NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), Trans- Resveratrol and other antioxidants to protect your sperm cells from DNA damage and help them with count, quality and motility.

An embryo receives 50% of its DNA from the egg and 50% from the sperm, so it is critical to provide gametes (reproductive cells) with essential nutrients in order for them to reach optimal health. In this sense, both the egg and the sperm should be supported by prenatal supplements on the daily while trying to conceive - not just one or the other.

Though it is oftentimes overlooked, our doctors always recommend that people with sperm take prenatal supplements if they are trying to conceive at any age. Sperm are known to be fast swimmers, but they need essential nutrients to be able to make their way to the egg safely and fertilize it. The Prenatal Essentials for Males can help boost sperm count, enhance motility and morphology, and provide protection from DNA damage. Meanwhile, The Prenatal for Females prepares eggs and the body with 24 essential bioavailable nutrients that support fetal brain development, thyroid function, and more.

However you identify, our products are named for your biology, not your gender. The Prenatal Pack is inclusive of all individuals with eggs and/or a uterus, and sperm who are preparing or trying to conceive; or for those who are already pregnant.

If you have a specific question about our products, please send us a message at hello@birdandbe.com and we will be happy to help you find the right supplements for you and/or your partner.

Yes! The Prenatal Pack (The Prenatal Essentials for Females and Prenatal Essentials for Males) are both vegan.

You might’ve noticed that our formulas’ amount of Vitamin B12 is well above what’s typically recommended per day in a multivitamin. But there are good reasons for that!

First, for women and people with eggs, it’s important to understand how crucial B12 is in pregnancy. Along with its better-known counterpart Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 helps keep homocysteine from building up. That’s crucial because high levels of homocysteine have been linked to neural tube defects, pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, restricted fetal growth, preeclampsia and other cardiovascular complications.

And for men and people with sperm, Vitamin B12 plays a key role in sperm production and the male reproductive organs. Again, this has to do with its role in keeping homocysteine in check. High levels of homocysteine are known to contribute to poor sperm quality, low sperm count, reduced motility and higher DNA fragmentation. This can often result in longer times to conception and early pregnancy loss.

Unfortunately, it can be hard for your body to get enough B12 without a little help. In your diet, you can only get it from animal products, and your absorption can be affected by certain autoimmune conditions or even just taking antacids.

Because it’s so critical for pregnancy (and before, so that you can build up enough stores by the time the neural tube develops in early pregnancy!) and for sperm DNA replication, it’s important to cover your B12 bases with a great supplement. There’s no set upper limit for Vitamin B12 nor is there an established toxic level, but our naturopathic doctors suggest that optimal levels should be much higher than the recommended daily allowance in order to have a therapeutic effect. That’s why we pack 1 mg of a bioavailable form of Vitamin B12 called Methylcobalamin in The Prenatal Essentials for Females and 500 mcg in The Prenatal Essentials for Males. Learn more about Vitamin B12 on The Nest.