Vitamin B12
The verdict
Deficiency is very common in India and is linked to infertility and pregnancy loss in observational studies; correcting a real deficiency is reasonable and currently underserved by standard public health guidance here.
An essential vitamin; deficiency is unusually common in India specifically.
What the evidence shows
Deficiency prevalence in Indian pregnant women is reported at 40-70% (50-70% in Western/Southern India specifically) — driven by widespread vegetarian diets, since B12 is near-absent in plant foods.
Observational studies link low B12 (and the resulting high homocysteine) to infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and other pregnancy complications.
Despite the evidence and high deficiency rate, current Indian public-health policy supplements only iron and folic acid, not B12 — a real policy gap worth naming on the card.
Evidence tier
Standard care🟢 Recommended regardless of any fertility-boosting claim — a baseline, not a supplement bet.
Sources
Take this further
Last reviewed .