Best Supplements for Women to Support Every Stage of Life

As a woman, your nutritional needs will change throughout your life. If you’re eating a well-rounded diet, you may be getting all the nutrients your body needs to support optimal health. However, many women may benefit from supplements, particularly at stages of life when nutrient demands are higher. 

Nutritional supplements have long been used to help fill in nutritional gaps that women may face throughout early adulthood, pregnancy and lactation, and during their senior years. Let’s take a closer look into each stage of life along with the best supplements for women to help support their health and wellbeing for years to come.

Best Supplements for Women Ages 19 to 50  

Ideally, we would be able to get all the nutrients we need through a well-balanced diet; however, many women are simply unable to meet the increasing demands of certain vitamins and minerals through diet alone. 

In fact, one 2017 study found that nutrient deficiency risk, including deficiencies in vitamin D and vitamin B6, was most common among women ages 19 to 50. 

While vitamin D plays many important roles in your body, it is best known for promoting calcium and phosphorus absorption to support bone health. 

Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, so getting adequate amounts through diet alone can be tricky. Check out our Vitamin Code vitamin D3 5000 iu, packed with whole food nutrition, which contains 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 and 23 powdered organically grown fruits and vegetables. 

Vitamin B6 supports a healthy metabolism, immune functioning, and hemoglobin (the protein in your red blood cells) production.† If you’re falling short of the B6 recommendations, you may consider adding our Vitamin Code Raw B-Complex to your daily routine. The unique formula is a whole food nutritional supplement, which provides blended fruits and vegetables that add supporting antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrient cofactors.

Women ages 19 to 50 are particularly vulnerable to iron deficiency because of the blood loss experienced through menstruation. Premenopausal women need 18 mg of iron per day which is 10 mg more than the recommended amounts for men the same age. 

Garden of Life’s easy-to-digest and stomach-friendly Vitamin Code Raw Iron is specifically formulated with 22mg of gentle, whole food iron with added vitamins C, B12, and folate to help promote iron absorption.†

Best Supplements for Women Who Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding 

Nutrients during pregnancy and breastfeeding are in high demand and research indicates that many women are unable to meet these demands through diet alone. 

This is especially true for nutrients like iron, folic acid, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, choline, and the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), all of which are important in supporting baby’s healthy development.† 

It is recommended that women begin to take a prenatal vitamin supplement starting at least 2 to 3 months before conception. Additionally, women who are pregnant should take their prenatal vitamins throughout their pregnancy and continue until breastfeeding ends, or at least 4 to 6 weeks after delivery.  

Mykind Organics Prenatal Multi is made from real whole food, designed to support the nutritional needs for moms and babies from before, during and after pregnancy.†  

Best Supplements for Senior Women 

Age may also play a factor in which vitamin and mineral supplements women may benefit from taking. Due to changes in the ability to absorb certain nutrients, women over the age of 50 may be at greater risk for specific nutrient deficiencies. Older women may also take medications that interfere with nutrient absorption, increasing their risk of developing deficiencies as they age. 

As a result, The National Institute on Aging recommends that women over 50 talk with their healthcare provider about the possible benefits of supplementing the following nutrients: 

• Calcium 

• Vitamin D 

• Vitamin B6 

• Vitamin B12 

Vitamin Code 50 & Wiser Women is a whole food multi-nutrient formula, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of women over 50. The unique formula also provides over 20 powdered organically grown fruits and vegetables, which add supporting antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrient cofactors.†

The Bottom Line 

Your nutritional needs are constantly evolving and it’s important to support those needs through supplementation when your diet falls short of the current recommendations. 

The best supplements for women help maintain their health and help support the growth and development of their babies.†

References: 

1. Bird JK, Murphy RA, Ciappio ED, McBurney MI. Risk of Deficiency in Multiple Concurrent Micronutrients in Children and Adults in the United States. Nutrients. 2017 Jun 24;9(7):655. doi: 10.3390/nu9070655. PMID: 28672791; PMCID: PMC5537775.  

2. Office of dietary supplements: Vitamin B6. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/  (Accessed: January 17, 2023).  

3. Stevens, G. A., Paciorek, C. J., Flores-Urrutia, M. C., Borghi, E., Namaste, S., Wirth, J. P., Suchdev, P. S., Ezzati, M., Rohner, F., Flaxman, S. R., & Rogers, L. M. (2022). National, regional, and global estimates of anaemia by severity in women and children for 2000–19: a pooled analysis of population-representative data. Lancet Global Health, 10(5), e627–e639.  

4. Office of dietary supplements: Iron. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Iron%20is%20a%20mineral%20that,to%20the%20tissues%20%5B1%5D  (Accessed: January 17, 2023).  

5. Adams, J.B., Kirby, J.K., Sorensen, J.C. et al. Evidence based recommendations for an optimal prenatal supplement for women in the US: vitamins and related nutrients. matern health, neonatol and perinatol 8, 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40748-022-00139-9.  

6. Marshall NE, Abrams B, Barbour LA, Catalano P, Christian P, Friedman JE, Hay WW Jr, Hernandez TL, Krebs NF, Oken E, Purnell JQ, Roberts JM, Soltani H, Wallace J, Thornburg KL. The importance of nutrition in pregnancy and lactation: lifelong consequences. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022 May;226(5):607-632. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.12.035. Epub 2021 Dec 27. PMID: 34968458; PMCID: PMC9182711.