Ill Effects of Women's Vitamins

Vitamins may have some unexpected side effects.vitamins image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com

In reality, there is no such thing as a vitamin that is meant exclusively for women. Just like men, women have a daily recommended dosage of a mixture of vitamins. The best way for a woman to ingest all of these vitamins at once is by taking a multivitamin. These multivitamins do come specifically manufactured for women. But what the manufacturers don't tell you is the side effects that some of these vitamins may have on you -- and they're not pretty.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A can be used to treat a number of conditions and diseases in a woman's body, including severe PMS symptoms, vaginal yeast infections, and breast cancer prevention. It also decreases complications resulting from such diseases as malaria and measles.

Having said that, vitamin A has some skeletons in its closet. A woman who consumes too much vitamin A (more than 10,000 units a day over a lengthy period of time) may suffer from several side effects, including irritability, nausea, vomiting, increased risk of osteoporosis, and even anorexia. In pregnant women, overuse of vitamin A may result in birth defects.

Vitamin D is used by the body to strengthen and develop bones. A person who is deficient in vitamin D may suffer from an increased risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D can also be used as part of a treatment regime for a number of common conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and rheumatoid arthritis, among others.

Despite all of its positive effects on the human body, however, vitamin D may have several negative side effects if too much is ingested over a period of time. A woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding may severely injure her baby by consuming too much vitamin D. It may also worsen preexisting conditions such as atherosclerosis and increase hardened arteries in patients suffering from kidney disease.

Folic acid is used by the body to treat such conditions as ulcerative colitis, anemia, heart disease, stroke and alcoholism. Women in particular often start taking folic acid prior to pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of miscarriage and birth defects. If too much folic acid is ingested, however, you may experience a number of unpleasant side effects. These include a number of symptoms related to the digestive system, such as vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. You may also suffer from irritability and sleep disorders.