In news that should come as a surprise to no one, the preconception health of both moms and dads to be is a pretty big deal, playing a role in everything from a successful conception to the health of future generations.
That’s why Beli, the prenatal company behind Beli Vitality for Men and Beli for Women, is working so hard to spread the word about the value of his-and-her prenatal vitamins.
Here’s what to know about Beli’s approach to prenatal care for men and women, the science behind its formulations, and what sets it apart in the undeniably crowded prenatal vitamin market.
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So… how important are prenatal vitamins, anyway?
In a word – nonnegotiable.
For moms-to-be, the role of the prenatal vitamin basically can’t be overstated. It’s a daily source of key vitamins and minerals that fills nutritional gaps in a woman’s diet, with cascading effects.
First, the right nutrients can improve the odds of conception by supporting the very processes of reproduction.
Second, it boosts a woman’s nutrient stores while she does the insanely hard work of growing an entire tiny person.
And third, it ensures that a growing baby has all the building blocks needed for proper development, including choline, vitamin D, folate, magnesium, and iodine, among others. After pregnancy, a prenatal vitamin continues to nourish a woman during the postpartum stage, and that’s true whether she’s breastfeeding or not.
In short: experts, like the Mayo Clinic, agree that a high-quality prenatal vitamin is critical during pregnancy. What’s more, many fertility dietitians go so far as to encourage women to take a prenatal vitamin during their reproductive years if they plan on eventually having a baby, just to ensure that they’re getting the right nutrients for optimized fertility health.
The trick is finding a prenatal vitamin that’s delivering the right nutrients in the right dosages. Since prenatal vitamins fall into the realm of supplements, they aren’t regulated by the Food & Drug Administration in the same way as, say, medications. Instead, you have to trust that a brand is doing things the right way. And that means a little digging is in order. (Glad you’re here!)
Then what’s the deal with prenatal vitamins for men?
The concept of prenatal vitamins for men isn’t nearly as mainstream as it is for women, which kinda makes sense. But here’s the thing – the conversation isn’t just about supporting a growing baby in real-time – it’s about fertility.
And just as women benefit from a steady stream of specific nutrients to nourish their fertility, so do men. That’s because research shows direct benefits to all parameters of sperm health, which include:
- Sperm quantity describes both the count and concentration of sperm in semen. A low sperm count is anything under 39 million sperm in a male’s ejaculate.
- Sperm motility describes how well sperm move. To be considered fertile, 40% of a man’s sperm must be motile.
- Sperm morphology describes the shape and size of the sperm. Poorly-formed sperm are associated with lower fertility rates, and they’re often linked to poor lifestyle habits.
It’s pretty simple, really. Better quality sperm means a better chance of a successful conception, a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby. And here’s the good news – men planning to become fathers can improve their sperm health with many of the steps they’d take to improve their health as a whole. Things like eating a healthy diet, exercising consistently, managing stress, cutting back on habits like smoking, drinking, or recreational drug use, and prioritizing sleep goes hand-in-hand with a daily prenatal vitamin for healthier sperm.
Meet Beli.
In 2019, Beli was one of the first companies to offer a men’s prenatal vitamin in recognition of the role sperm health plays in successful pregnancy outcomes. Beli pretty much launched this men’s prenatal vitamin movement and it’s still leading the pack today. Beli Vitality for Men is formulated entirely with research-based nutrients and includes exactly what a man needs for healthy sperm and improved virility. That includes antioxidants like CoQ10, vitamins C, E, B6, B12, L-Carnitine, methylated folate, selenium, key amino acids, and a powerful Ayurvedic adaptogen known as shilajit, which has been clinically shown to improve sperm count, motility, and serum testosterone in men diagnosed with infertility. In other words, this ain’t your grandad’s multivitamin.
After a successful launch with the men’s line, the company doubled down with Beli for Women. During her own pregnancies, Beli founder Joni Hanson Davis questioned why prenatal vitamins hadn’t kept pace with innovations in nutritional science and she decided to take matters into her own hands. Her vision was a prenatal vitamin based on the latest scientific research that current recommendations for the right nutrients in the right forms and quantities and fully supported mom and baby through all stages of pregnancy. Spoiler – that vision is now a reality.
Beli vs everyone else
These days, Beli isn’t the only company with prenatal vitamins designed for both partners. Still, it manages to stand out in the prenatal vitamin landscape for a few reasons:
- Beli for Women is one of just a handful of prenatal vitamins on the market meeting the current serving recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association for choline, folate, vitamin D, iodine, and magnesium.
- It’s one of the only prenatal vitamins with 400mg of choline, a nutrient that is critical to proper spinal cord and brain development. It’s also surprisingly – and worryingly – absent from many of the most popular prenatal vitamins.
- It’s one of the only prenatal vitamins meeting the American Pregnancy Association’s recommendation of 4,000 IU of vitamin D. In fact, it’s the APA’s opinion that most women taking prenatal vitamins aren’t getting enough vitamin D.
- It’s designed for all five stages, from preconception to postnatal.
- Beli Vitality for Men was the first prenatal vitamin formulated for men, with ingredients proven to help support male fertility and sperm health.
- Both the men’s and women’s prenatal vitamins are made to exceptionally high standards. They use the most absorbable forms of vitamins and minerals, including methylated folate and vitamin D3. They’re free of gluten, allergen, and GMOs. They’re vegan-friendly and manufactured in an FDA-registered facility that meets cGMP.
Are Beli vitamins for men and women worth the money?
While Beli’s prenatal vitamins aren’t available in stores, the company offers a pretty convenient subscription service through its website. Both the men’s and women’s blends are $50 per month apiece, but a quick look online shows that discounts are available. Subscribers can modify, pause, or cancel their orders at any time. The company also offers a happiness guarantee and return within the first 30 days of purchase.
Beli prioritizes transparency and education in its marketing efforts, and the company does a good job of sharing information that could really benefit hopeful parents-to-be. Plus, their formulas are based on the latest scientific research and recommendations for efficacy. The emphasis is on quality, purity, and safety, and those are key considerations for any prenatal company. The fact that Beli’s products are non-GMO, vegan, allergen and gluten-free, and manufactured in FDA-registered, cGMP-compliant facilities is a big plus.
Another point in Beli’s favor – that 400 mg of choline in the women’s formula. “It’s shocking that most prenatal formulas don’t contain choline, or have it in such low amounts, considering how critical it is for baby’s brain development. Ninety-two percent of pregnant women don’t get the recommended amount of choline in their diets that helps build the baby’s brain, protect placenta function, and support normal fetal neural pathway growth,” said Dr. Taylor Wallace, America’s favorite food scientist and expert on choline research. “Beli’s new modern prenatal is one of the first to include 400mg of a highly absorbable form of choline that gives women the nutrients they need to support a growing baby in pregnancy and post-pregnancy.”
Important note – the company also uses VitaCholine, the only USP verified form of choline. We like this kinda thing.
Only you can decide whether the value is there, but we will say this – if you want a top-notch, science-backed prenatal vitamin to support your fertility – and your partner’s – then yes, it’s worth the price tag.
Beli reviews: What do customers across the internet think?
Beli has over 22,000 followers on social media. There are reviews featured on the Beli website, but they don’t have much feedback on third-party platforms like TrustPilot. Considering the personal nature of prenatal vitamins and the pregnancy journey in general, it’s not a big surprise.
Still, Beli’s products and mission have been covered on blogs and websites, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Babe Hatch, May & Pas, Honest Brand Reviews, Rescripted, Muscle and Brawn, CoFertility, and more.
Here are a few highlights:
“The bottom line is that the ingredients in our prenatal vitamins should be evidence-based and fill in common nutrient gaps in our diet.
In my professional opinion, Beli’s prenatal vitamin for women checks all of these boxes and more. Beli’s women’s prenatal multivitamin includes evidence-based doses of all of the nutrients needed to support a woman’s needs during preconception and pregnancy, including optimal levels of methyl folate for healthy fetal development, B vitamins to support energy, as well as the recommended levels of choline to aid in healthy neural tube development–things that are often overlooked in other prenatal vitamins. You can rest assured that Beli provides complete nutrition from conception to pregnancy and beyond.” – Brooke Boskovich, MS, RD, LDN, ‘How to Shop for Prenatal Vitamins: A Nutritionist’s Cheat Sheet’ Rescripted
“Sperm quality is just as important as egg quality so men taking a prenatal to improve sperm health will positively impact the health of the baby. Beli Men’s prenatal provides nutrients to help with important aspects of sperm health such as count, motility and morphology.” – Victoria Giardina, ‘Meet Beli, the brand offering fertility vitamins for both men and women’, NY Post
“Overall, this Beli supplements review readily recommends the brand to couples who are trying to conceive, have conceived, or have just had their baby.” — Honest Brand Reviews
The bottom line — should you both take Beli prenatals?
If the goal is a baby, a lot is simply out of our control. But there are ways to improve your chances through healthy lifestyle choices. High-quality prenatal vitamins like Beli Vitality for Men and Beli for Women can be an important part of that.
Beli takes a science-based approach to improve sperm and egg quality, prioritizes safety, quality, and efficacy, and works to raise awareness about the role the health of both parents plays in a healthy conception, pregnancy, and baby. That helps make Beli a company you can trust.
