Is it safe to take Omega 3 during pregnancy?
Healthy fatty acids like Omega 3 are the powerhouse for every cell in your body and your baby’s. As over 60% of the brain is made up of fat, it's an essential for brain development, but also key for building stores when breastfeeding and navigating postpartum recovery.
Despite common concerns, supplementing with Omega 3 during pregnancy is safe as long as you bear in mind the quality, form and dosage. It is a common go-to support, especially for mums-to-be who are struggling to stomach fish during pregnancy.
So, what do you need to look out for? Here are three key considerations for quality Omega 3 intake:
1. What part of the fish has the fish oil come from?
Fish oil and cod liver oil are often confused but the two are not equal. The giveaway is in the name - cod liver oil is obtained from the liver of the fish, and is not advised during pregnancy due to its Vitamin A content. Therefore, you want an Omega 3 fish oil that's extracted from the body of the fish, not the liver.
Our Pure Strength Omega 3 and Pregnancy + New Mother Omega 3 fish oils are safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding because they contain no vitamin A and the oil is extracted from the body of the fish.
2. How 'clean' is the fish oil?
Some fish oils contain heavy metals such as mercury or other chemical contaminants. Women are advised not to eat certain large fish during pregnancy or eat fish in excess for this reason. By choosing a very clean fish oil you can be assured that you and your baby are not ingesting any contaminants. We advise seeking out the oil's TOTOX score which is a solid indication of its purity, you can find ours on our omega product pages.
3. What's the weekly fish intake to aim for?
NHS guidelines recommend eating two portions of fish a week when pregnant or breastfeeding, one of which should be oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout or herring. However, you should avoid having more than two portions of oily fish a week owing to the pollutants and toxins flagged earlier. If you're pregnant or planning to conceive, you should also avoid shark, swordfish and marlin.
This is where topping up Omega 3 levels with a supplement is a great additional support, especially during the third trimester of pregnancy when the baby draws upon the mother’s own Omega 3 stores most for their brain, eye and nervous system development.
For more resources on nutritional health in pregnancy, you can turn to our Founder & Formulator, Henrietta's 'Your Pregnancy Nutrition Guide' or visit our pregnancy hub.
