Needed Intro | Overview | Effectiveness | Quality Cost | Customer Service
It’s no secret that pregnancy causes a number of changes within the body — growing another human is a demanding feat. During the prenatal period, it’s important that a pregnant mother is consuming enough nutrients for both themselves as well as their child.
Prenatal vitamins are important because they can help prevent neural tube defects, which can cause abnormalities in the child’s brain or spinal cord. Additionally, getting enough iron can support a healthy placenta and fetus. The thing is that most women don’t get enough of some of these nutrients through their diet alone.
Even then, most prenatal vitamins are missing the necessary nutrients. Needed is a supplement and vitamin brand that seeks to address this issue by providing pregnant mothers with great-tasting prenatal vitamins that are nourishing enough for a healthy mother and child.
But are Needed’s supplements truly needed? Or are these powders and capsules just another marketing scam for mothers-to-be? Read this review to find out whether or not their pregnancy nutrition is worth all the hype.
Who Is Needed?
Needed was founded by two women who used nutrient testing to find out that they were nutrient deficient in a number of key vitamins and minerals – despite taking prenatal vitamins and eating an extremely healthy diet.
Through further research, they found that a large percentage of pregnant mothers took prenatal vitamins yet were still receiving an insufficient amount of key nutrients.
The company is known for their prenatal powders and capsules that contain a high number of nutrients that pregnant mothers need. These include Vitamin B12 and B6, Vitamin C, Choline, Folate, Vitamin D3, Magnesium, and Calcium. Other minerals like Iron or Vitamin D are available as “add-ons.”
The powders are vanilla-flavored and cannot be taken on their own when stirred into water. Instead, they need to be incorporated into something more substantial like a smoothie, latte, or even nut butters and oats. They should also be taken with a meal.
You can buy them on their own, or you can enlist in a number of plans that include prenatal support in addition to some of the company’s other offerings, like collagen supplements or omega-3 powders.
Needed even offers men’s multivitamins aimed to nourish the father of the incoming child. These vitamins are meant to address nutrient deficiencies that might lead to loss of libido or compromised sperm health.
For the purpose of this review, we looked at the women’s prenatal powders and the capsules, with our team member’s pregnant wife being eager to volunteer — she was in her first trimester when she gave these a go, and is overall a healthy, active, full-time-employed 29-year-old. This review is based on her experience, so from here, you’ll be hearing a lot of input from the notes she took for us!
Needed Prenatal: An Overview
Pros
Needed’s prenatal powders and capsules come along with a ton of benefits that make them stand out from other similar vitamins. Here are some of the advantages.
- These are jam-packed with nutrients, and while it’s tough to tell how effective they really are during pregnancy itself, they made her feel more energetic and less lethargic.
- The prenatal powders tasted great in smoothies and nut butters.
- You can subscribe and save up to $10 on each shipment. Plus, it makes sure you don’t run out of your vitamins.
- Iron is optional, which is great since not all pregnant mothers actually need more of it.
- Friendly customer service.
Cons
While she really loved these powders and capsules in general, there are some drawbacks that are important to know.
- The prenatal powder was too sweet when used in certain ways. Specifically, adding to coffee (which is a recommended use) really doesn’t taste too great.
- There’s only one flavor of prenatal powder.
- The price is higher than most prenatal vitamins. With that said, you’re getting a lot more nutrients in comparison.
With all that in mind, let’s dive in and dissect each one of these with a little more detail so you can have a better understanding of whether or not these prenatal support vitamins are the right move.
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Effectiveness
Keep in mind that we can’t really give you a great idea as far as whether or not these vitamins worked as intended until their child is born, but with that in mind, there were some noticeable positive differences before and after taking these vitamins.
Her original prenatal vitamin capsules contained pretty much the same nutrients as what we found in both the prenatal powders and capsules. The main difference was that Needed’s products contained much more of each one of these vitamins and minerals.
What she noticed first was an immense improvement in daily energy. Before taking these supplements, she needed her afternoon nap (“lest she unleash the hormonal demons from within” — her words, not ours). Now, after using these supplements for over a month, she can do without that same nap on most days.
This has had the secondary effect of improving her positivity and general mood throughout the day. This has had the tertiary effect of making our team member (i.e. her partner) a lot happier, too.
The bottom line here is that it seems like these products are pretty legitimate as far as their effectiveness, and many users seem to report positive experiences even after childbirth. The vanilla powder currently sits at a 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon with 45 reviews, which are overwhelmingly positive.
Quality
Between the powder and the capsules, she definitely preferred the capsules. They’re small and easy to swallow, and she was able to cut out her Vitamin D and Calcium supplements since the prenatal pill had everything we already needed.
The thing is, the vanilla prenatal powder seems to be Needed’s main selling point. It’s the first item listed on their product page, and it seems to be the preferred method for most pregnant mothers. And if you’re looking for a tasty supplement, this might not be the way to go.
She found the powder to be way too sweet — we had a few other team members taste-test it, too, and they all agreed. It was an overwhelming flavor that “tasted like fake, artificial confetti cake” when she mixed it into our coffee. While this might sound good to some, she says it was honestly hard to get down.
With that said, it seemed to be mostly unnoticeable when you put it into smoothies or mixed it with some nut butter on toast. But if you like to take your time and enjoy your food, you’ll start to really taste it.
We also find it strange that there is only one flavor. A lot of us were surprised there wasn’t a fruity option, or even a flavorless option, which would be much more accessible for many people. Having just the vanilla already reduces your options if you just don’t love that sweetness or that flavor.
Cost
Prenatal vitamins are rarely inexpensive, and Needed’s supplements are no exception. A one-time purchase of the vanilla powder is currently $69.99, and a bottle of capsules is $59.99. Both are 30 total servings.
However, Needed gives you the ability to subscribe and receive a new shipment on a monthly basis. By doing this, you are able to save $10 on each shipment, bringing the price of the powders and capsules to $59.99 and $49.99, respectively.
While the cost of these supplements is a hard pill to swallow, you’re paying for what you get. These are truly loaded with nutrients and vitamins that you’d need to spend much more on separate supplements to achieve. So while it might seem like an investment, in the long run, we don’t really think it’s too bad.
You can also save with their bundle subscriptions which combine the prenatal vitamins with some of their other products. For instance, the Starter Plan includes the prenatal capsules with the omega-3 capsules for $95. Buying each separately would run you $119, so this is a way to save if you’re considering some of their other products.
Customer Service
When it comes to companies that sell prenatal products, it’s expected that customers will have a ton of questions and concerns. Another positive benefit of Needed is that their customer support team was one of the friendliest and supportive we’ve ever come across.
We sent them an email and received a warm response within just an hour. They provided us with helpful links to their own blog to help answer some of our questions, and they also provided some personal insight from their own experiences to help us make a decision about which products might be right for us, which we thought was a really empathetic, unique touch.
The only downside is that you can only contact them by email, and their contact section is a little tough to find on their website. This can be frustrating if you need time-sensitive assistance in regards to your product.
Who Is Needed For?
So why exactly should pregnant mothers use Needed over a slew of other prenatal vitamins on the market? Needed is for women who are either noticing nutrient deficits through fatigue or other symptoms, or for mothers who have undergone testing by a physician and know that they are lacking a number of important vitamins.
These are also a great choice if you don’t love swallowing pills in order to get your nutrients. The powders can be easily used in smoothies or alongside foods, even if it’s a little bit too sweet for us personally.
Also, Needed is great if you’re looking to start taking a number of different supplements at once because of their subscription bundles. These allow you to get a number of high-quality supplements for a lower price as opposed to paying for each one separately. Plus, if you use these vitamins regularly, you can subscribe to save some money.
Needed Prenatal: In Review
Needed is a supplement and vitamin brand aimed at providing pregnant mothers with the necessary nutrients for healthy childbirth. With the choice of prenatal capsules or powders, mothers have some new options for gaining a high amount of minerals that they may otherwise be without.
These supplements are truly packed with nutrients, and our lovely volunteer noticed a difference within just a few weeks. While there isn’t a lot of variety in flavors for the powder and she didn’t love the taste, the capsules were a great way for her to get our necessary vitamins, and she continued to praise the energy and mood boosts she seemed to be getting.
Overall, Needed’s prenatal vitamins are top-tier and surprisingly effective at delivering important nutrients to pregnant mothers and fetuses. With that said, the capsules are a much better alternative to their leading prenatal powder, which was too sweet (at least for our team) and lacks variety in flavor options.
References and Sources:
Prenatal vitamins: Why they matter, how to choose | The Mayo Clinic
Loss of libido (reduced sex drive) | NHS
Bridget Reed is a Tampa-based content development manager, writer, and editor at GR0; specializing in content related to varying fields including medicine, health, and small businesses. Bridget went to St. Petersburg College and majored in Management and Organizational Leadership.
Camille is an Editorial Content Manager within the Content Department at GR0. In addition to reviewing content to ensure it meets FDA regulatory compliance guidelines, Camille works to manage content pipelines along with optimizing articles for maximum ranking and outreach potential, working with one of the top digital marketing teams in the world to deliver tangible online presence. Aside from that, Camille has always been rooted in medicine and clinical research throughout her entire academic career, with her most recent academic achievement having graduated Summa Cum Laude at the M.S. Pharmacology program at The Ohio State University.
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