Best Multivitamin for Women: Iron, Folate & What Actually Differs
Ages 19 to 50: our pick is Nature Made Multi Complete with Iron: 18 mg of iron, the full daily amount, for $0.11 a day. The real difference between women’s multivitamins is iron. 51 or older: choose one with no iron, such as Centrum Silver Adults 50+ (on NSF/ANSI 173), unless a doctor tells you to take iron.
By Erin Rose Updated October 25, 2026 How we score
Our picks for women
Our pick for women 19 to 50
Nature Made Multi Complete with Iron
10.0/10 Our score
Top score of the 6 multivitamins we priced (10.0/10)
Good
- On the USP Verified list (checked September 22, 2026)
- Full RDA of D, B12, folate; under every limit
- The lowest cost per dose of its kind that we score
Watch for
Nothing flagged on our five marks.
- Iron
- Full RDAfor women 19 to 50
- Testing list
- USP Verified
- A day
- 1 tablet$0.11 at list price
- Bottle
- 130-tablet bottle, $13.99Nature Made’s own store; Amazon may sell another size
Our take
One tablet gives all the iron women 19 to 50 need, for $0.11 a day. It has the top score of the 6 multivitamins we priced, and it is the cheapest of them.
What it gives up: after 50, you need only 8 mg.
Testing record
- USP Verified: contents and purity Checked September 22, 2026.
Not found on: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, Informed Choice, NSF/ANSI 173.
Our pick has iron. FDA requires this warning on iron products: “WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.”
Other picks for women
| If you want | Iron | A day | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half the ironNATURELO One Daily Multivitamin for WomenNSF/ANSI 173 | 9 mg | $0.40 | Check price |
NATURELO One Daily Multivitamin for Women costs about 3.7 times as much as our pick. Choose it only if you get some of your iron from food and want less from the pill. All 6 scores are in the best multivitamins guide.
Iron, by age
NIH sets iron by age. Women 19 to 50: 18 mg a day. Women 51 and older and all men: 8 mg. In pregnancy it rises to 27 mg. These amounts count food and pills together (NIH). That is why 50+ formulas have little or no iron. Here is the iron in one day’s serving of each women’s or all-adult multivitamin we can link:
| Multivitamin | Made for | Iron | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centrum Adults Under 50 | adults | 18 mg | Check price |
| Nature Made Multi Complete with Iron | adults | 18 mg | Check price |
| NATURELO One Daily Multivitamin for Women | women | 9 mg | Check price |
| Ritual Essential for Women 18+ Multivitamin | women | 8 mg | Check price |
| Centrum Silver Adults 50+ | adults 50+ | none | Check price |
| Nature Made Multi for Her 50+ No Iron | women 50+ | none | Check price |
| Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day | adults | none | Check price |
Taking iron on its own? See iron supplements.
Folate
Most multivitamins list folate as folic acid. Some brands, including NATURELO and Ritual, use methylfolate instead (what methylfolate is). It is a different form from folic acid, the form most studies tested. The chart shows how much each label gives.
If you could become pregnant: the US Preventive Services Task Force advises 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid a day (USPSTF 2023). The trials behind that advice used folic acid; NATURELO and Ritual use methylfolate instead. A regular multivitamin is not a prenatal, and iron needs rise to 27 mg a day in pregnancy (NIH). Ask your doctor which to take.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Ritual Essential for Women 18+ Multivitamin | 1,000 mcg |
| Centrum Adults Under 50 | 680 mcg |
| Centrum Silver Adults 50+ | 667 mcg |
| Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day | 667 mcg |
| Nature Made Multi for Her 50+ No Iron | 665 mcg |
| Nature Made Multi Complete with Iron | 655 mcg |
| NATURELO One Daily Multivitamin for Women | 400 mcg |
Vitamin A
Keep vitamin A as retinol under 10,000 IU (3,000 mcg) a day, from food and pills together. That is NIH’s upper limit for all adults. Vitamin A listed as beta-carotene doesn’t count toward that limit. Our pick has 2,500 IU of vitamin A in all, well under it.
Which one is for you
Match the iron to your stage of life, and skip the pill if you don’t need one.
- You are 19 to 50: Nature Made Multi Complete with Iron.
- You are 51 or older: one with no iron, unless a doctor tells you otherwise. More iron-free picks for women. Centrum Silver Adults 50+ is made for adults over 50, has no iron and is on NSF/ANSI 173. It is the brand used in the big multivitamin trials. We don’t score it: Centrum’s site has no store, so there is no list price to compare.
- You eat a varied diet and none of these fit: most healthy adults who eat a varied diet don’t need one. See who needs a multivitamin.
Beyond iron and folate, women’s and men’s formulas are mostly the same. The calcium in a multivitamin is small, so check the label if you count on it (NIH). If you take warfarin or another blood thinner, ask your doctor before any multivitamin with vitamin K. How many to take.
Where we disagree with the big guides
We read Women’s Health’s guide, a top editorial result for “best multivitamin for women”, on September 30, 2026. We agree on testing. We differ on price and on iron.
- Women’s Health picks Ritual’s “Essential for Women Multivitamin 18+” (check price). It is on USP’s Verified list. But it costs $1.25 a day, about 11.6 times ours, and has 8 mg of iron, less than half of what women 19 to 50 need.
Questions
What makes a women's multivitamin different?
Mostly iron. Women 19 to 50 need 18 mg a day; after 50 the need drops to 8 mg, the same as men (NIH). Beyond iron and folate, women’s and men’s formulas are mostly the same. Our pick for ages 19 to 50, Nature Made Multi Complete with Iron, has 18 mg.
Do women need iron in a multi?
From 19 to 50, often yes: that is when women need the most, 18 mg a day from food and pills together. After 50, most women need only 8 mg and get it from food, so choose one with no iron unless a doctor tells you otherwise. If you have hemochromatosis, avoid iron.
Why does folate matter?
Folate is a B vitamin; the adult RDA is 400 mcg DFE (NIH). If you could become pregnant, the USPSTF advises 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid a day (USPSTF 2023). A regular multivitamin is not a prenatal, so ask your doctor what to take.
Do women need a multivitamin at all?
Most healthy women who eat a varied diet don’t. In the big trials a multivitamin did not prevent heart disease or early death. It can fill a gap, such as iron before 50 or B12 after 50. Who needs one.
More multivitamin guides: Best overall · For men · How many to take · Tested · Thorne vs Ritual · What each one costs a day · Do you need one?
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Iron fact sheet for consumers (recommended amounts, including 27 mg in pregnancy) and Folate fact sheet, read September 29, 2026. Iron warning: FDA, 21 CFR 101.17(e).
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects. JAMA. 2023. PubMed 37526713
- Labels: NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Testing: five programs’ own lists; prices: each brand’s own store.
- Guides compared, read September 30, 2026: Women’s Health, A Dietitian’s Guide to the Best Supplements for Women.