Prenatal Vitamins & Minerals (Multiple Micronutrient Supplements, MMS)
Vitamin Angels is working to reduce newborn and maternal mortality rates by scaling up access to MMS globally.
Every woman has a right to a healthy pregnancy.
Vitamin Angels and its partners continue to leverage their strengths and expertise to advance MMS acceptance, uptake, and adherence among pregnant women worldwide.
Nutritional Needs During Pregnancy
Women have increased micronutrient needs during pregnancy — due to their babies’ rapid growth and development — which often cannot be met through diet alone. Pregnancy can increase the required daily intake of several key vitamins and minerals by as much as 50%. This heightened demand is especially problematic in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where many women in underserved communities are already deficient in several micronutrients even before pregnancy.
Malnutrition During Pregnancy
Poor maternal nutrition can cause babies to be born too small, resulting in more than 800,000 newborn deaths annually. Additionally, undernourished women are more likely to develop serious complications during pregnancy and childbirth. For example, anemia — caused by iron deficiency — affects 36% of pregnant women and is believed to increase the risk of death due to postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal mortality. Women in LMICs are at a higher risk of anemia because their diets are more likely to be iron deficient. The consequences of poor maternal nutrition carry into childhood and beyond. Children born to undernourished women are more likely to experience physical and cognitive setbacks that can keep them from reaching their full potential as adults.
Formulating the Multiple Micronutrients in Vitamin Angels Nutritional Supplement
The MMS formulation provided by Vitamin Angels is consistent with the United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation (UNIMMAP) MMS formula and is manufactured to international quality standards. The UNIMMAP MMS formulation contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid, in recommended doses that have been proven to be effective in multiple regions. UNIMMAP MMS is on the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List.
Vitamin Angels is Working to Advance Access to MMS
Wherever they live, mothers share a common focus: making a better life for their children. Vitamin Angels is working to support moms everywhere by connecting pregnant women with MMS so they can have healthier pregnancies, and their babies get the best start in life. In addition to direct supply, Vitamin Angels is focused on creating demand for MMS, ensuring a global supply, and influencing policy in LMICs to support MMS.
Learn about how Barriers to Access can prevent women from having a healthy pregnancy.
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