Maternal and child health

Free vitamins for all pregnant women

We are offering free vitamins to all pregnant women in Scotland, throughout their pregnancy, as part of our commitment to giving children the best start in life.

The vitamins are the same as those offered through the UK-wide Healthy Start scheme, which is managed by the Department of Health and only open to recipients of certain means-tested Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits or tax credits.

We decided to provide universal access to the vitamins in Scotland because there is strong evidence that taking vitamins during pregnancy improves both the mother and baby's health. The current Healthy Start vitamins contain:

• 70 milligrams of vitamin C
• 10 micrograms of vitamin D
• 400 micrograms of folic acid

NHS Health Boards have the option of distributing Healthy Start vitamins to pregnant women directly through their midwifery services and health visitors, as well as some community pharmacies and dispensing practices.