My wife is pregnant. With twins!
We get excited and nervous when it’s time for our monthly doctor’s visit. We do absolutely everything we can to make sure our little bundles of joy are growing and healthy.
You probably know the feeling.
As a nutritionist who has been studying fish oil and Omega-3 for over 20 years, it’s time to practice what I’ve been preaching for so long.
I used to have a very hard time convincing pregnant women that fish oil and pregnancy should go hand in hand.
It was a tough sell.
Women had been scared to death about the dangers of mercury in fish.
In the 80′s, we started avoiding the sun.
And in the 90′s, we started avoiding seafood.
Thank you, TV.
But things are changing.
So is it safe?
Yes. Absolutely!
My pregnant wife takes 4 pharmaceutical grade fish oil pills every day. (See her dosage details below)
After working in the fish oil industry for almost 20 years, I know the risks. The risk is not fish oil. The risk comes from NOT taking fish oil. Not taking fish oil leads to poor development of your baby’s brain and eyes.
Pregnancy is not the time for discount fish oil. Pharmaceutical grade fish oil is definitely cleaner and purer than regular drug store fish oils. And the peace of mind is worth the added cost.
The Truth About Mercury and Fish Oil during Pregnancy
The truth is, fish meat has mercury. Fish oil does not. I’ll explain why in a second.
First, here are the fish to avoid: tilefish, shark, swordfish and king mackerel. These fish are large predatory fish that live for many years, which gives them a chance to accumulate mercury in their bodies. Canned tuna and Halibut can also be high in mercury.
Fish Oil During Pregnancy:
OmegaVia is NOT a prenatal supplement. OmegaVia is perfect for you, mommy. But for baby, we recommend that you take a high-DHA supplement. We like is Carlson Super DHA Gems.
What’s safe to eat during pregnancy? Sardine and wild pacific sockeye salmon are both excellent.
Fish oil does NOT contain mercury.
Even the cheap, low-quality fish oils have virtually no mercury. Why? Because of three reasons:
- Methyl mercury, the form of mercury found in fish is not soluble in oil. The mercury is separated from the fish when the oil is extracted.
- The molecular distillation process used to make fish oil ensures that any remaining mercury in the crude oil is permanently removed.
- Good quality fish oils are made from small fish that are low on the food chain. These fish don’t have toxic levels of mercury to begin with.
So even the cheap fish oils sold in Walmart do not have mercury in them.
ConsumerLab.com tested 57 brands of fish oil and found no mercury in any of them. A few brands flunked other quality tests but that was because they had low-quality, rancid oil.
Fish Oil During Pregnancy – Why is it Important?
Omega-3 in fish oil is very important in the development of your baby’s brain and eyes. More than half of your baby’s brain and eyes are made of DHA Omega-3.
Fish oil during pregnancy reduces risk of: |
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Fish oil during pregnancy improves: |
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DHA can only come from food or supplements. There is no other way to get it.
Everyone needs DHA but the most important time to take fish oil is during pregnancy and during the first couple of years of your child’s life.
But pregnant women were scared and avoiding anything fishy!
The American Psychiatric Association, worried that we were going to have a generation of unhealthy kids, sanctioned a full review of the risks and benefits. They gathered the top doctors in the field to issue a recommendation.
And their recommendation was: Omega-3 EPA and DHA is not only safe but it’s also necessary to take fish oil during pregnancy.
How much fish oil during pregnancy?
Ten years ago, scientists said 300 mg of DHA should be the minimum. This is why the DHA pills your OB/GYN office gave you contain 200 to 300 mg DHA.
But what scientists know about fish oil and pregnancy has changed in the last 10 years. Now, the latest consensus calls for a MINIMUM of 900 mg DHA per day. And that just covers the basic, bare-minimum needs for your baby and your body.
900 mg DHA is the new minimum.
Turns out 90% of pregnant women were not even getting 300 mg a day.
Then why does your prescription prenatal have only 300 mg DHA? Well, their dosage is based on old science. Drug companies and the FDA are very slow to react to new science.
Here’s what some of the popular prenatal supplements contain:
- Expecta: 200 mg DHA per pill
- Prenate: 300 mg DHA per pill
- Prenexa: 300 mg DHA per pill
- CitraNatal: 300 mg DHA per pill
- Duet DHA EC: 295 mg DHA per pill
- NatureMade Folic Acid with DHA: 50 mg DHA per pill
Not enough! Not even close!
NatureMade Folic Acid with DHA contains ONLY 50 mg! That’s crazy! There could be pregnant women taking this product and thinking that their DHA needs are covered. Not even close! Don’t be that woman!
And here’s what my lovely wife took during her pregnancy:
- Two OmegaVia pills = 2210 mg Omega-3 (520 mg DHA)
- Two Carlsons Super DHA Gems = 1000 mg DHA
For a total of 1520 mg DHA per day. Mostly for the twins.
The above dosage also gives her 1760 mg EPA that her body desperately needs. Without it, the risk of postpartum depression increases a lot. So it’s not just your baby who needs fish oil during pregnancy!
A good friend of mine, Dr. John Olson, practices medicine in Indianapolis. He asked me what my wife was taking for DHA. Besides the Calcium, Vitamin D, Multi, Folic and Iron, I told him about her Omega-3 routine.
He said, “Not bad…but could be higher.”
Still think you’re getting enough fish oil during pregnancy?
About the Author: Vin Kutty is OmegaVia’s Scientific Advisor and Chief Blogger. He is a nutritionist, author, and Omega-3 expert with over 20 years of experience. When coffee’d up and fully inspired, he shares Omega-3 info-nuggets on Facebook and Twitter. Email him.
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Could you give more information as to why the only DHA Suppliment you like is Carlson Super DHA Gems? I don’t see them on the IFOS Consumer Report but I assume they meet the 60% concentration requirement?
Hi Rusti – at the time that blog was written (a few years ago), Carlsons Super DHA Gems was one of the few products out there that contained enough DHA per pill. I was thinking about the needs of my wife who was pregnant with twins. Now, I am sure there are several other manufacturers who have high-DHA formulas, including Nordic Naturals. Yes, the Carlsons products is about 60% pure. I still recommend 2 of those pills a day for all pregnant women.
- Vin Kutty
I was taking 900mg of brainstrong share and switched to carlson 500mg a day. Is that enough?
Hi Fran – I assume you were taking Brainstrong Prenatal. It comes in a 2-pill pack. The DHA pill has 350 mg of DHA. That’s better than most, but you’ll need to add at least another 500 mg of DHA in your third trimester. If you’re not in your third trimester, you’re still fine, but once you’re in your 7-9 month, you’ll want to target 1000 mg DHA per day. I have no idea why none of the prenatals come close to this. Talk to your doctor about this and also taking an extra Vitamin D. The 800 IU in the brainstrong pill in no where near enough.
- Vin Kutty
I’ve suffered on and off throughout my life with depression (I’m 29). I was on Zoloft for about 6 years and earlier in the year was able to finally get off (under doc’s supervision). Now I’m in my first trimester and really fighting with depression again. I DON’T want to go back on a prescription for depression, especially through the pregnancy. Would increasing my Omega3′s help? The prenatal I take has 200mg of DHA and 14mg of EPA. What would you recommend? I’m always afraid of taking “too much”…
Hi Leslie – yes, increasing your Omega-3 intake will help both you and your baby. However, the bigger issue may be your diet. I don’t know what you eat, but may I suggest you eliminate sugar, soda, wheat, processed or packaged foods and refined vegetable oils? Replace with a whole foods diet full of fresh, organic vegetables, fruits, pasture eggs, seafood (yes, seafood!), grass-fed meats and nuts. Be generous with olive oil, pasture butter and coconut oil. Look into ‘Paleo’ diet. It is very healthy and it’s how my wife during her pregnancy (still does.) It’s not too late – you have two more trimesters to go. Look into Healthy Baby Code by Chris Kresser http://healthybabycode.com/signup
The prenatal is not enough. You need 500 mg of DHA per day. Once you’re in your third trimester, aim for 1000 mg DHA. Anyone with mood related health concerns should get at least 1000 mg of EPA. Get Nordic Natural DHA or Carlsons DHA gems. See this blog as well: http://www.omegavia.com/supplements-for-depression-anxiety/
- Vin Kutty
Thank you for the helpful information. I stumbled across this article because I was trying to do research to determine if I could somehow prevent or even lessen the symptoms of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. (I had it with my first and second child…not a fun experience)
I completely understand where you are coming from in terms of pregnant women needing to take more DHA during pregnancy. However, I am slightly confused on the dosages of EPA in conjunction with DHA. Everything I read pinpoints DHA when referencing dosages. So I guess my question is, how many mg of EPA should I be taking for every “x” mg of DHA? I get confused trying to find a good high potency supplement because some have more DHA than EPA and some have more EPA than DHA. I am not sure what pregnant women should be focusing more on. I hope you understand my confusion.
Also, I am only 8 weeks pregnant as of today. Did your wife take the same dosage during her entire pregnancy? Or did she adjust it according to her trimester?
Lastly, I have spoken to my OB about it and tried to have her better clarify this for me. She wasn’t much help and just told me to take 2 Expecta a day.
Thanks so much and congrats on your twins!
Hi Nhikki – I understand your confusion. Everyone focuses on DHA during pregnancy. And they should! But that does not mean that you, mom, don’t need EPA! If you are not predisposed to depression, then equal parts EPA and DHA are fine – take 500 mg of each now and increase to 1000 mg of each during third trimester. But if you think you may be prone to postpartum depression, then get some excess EPA above and beyond the DHA – same DHA requirements but aim for 2000 mg of EPA during third trimester.
My wife was taking 2000 mg total Omega-3 per day during the first couple of months. Then she doubled it, of which about half was DHA. She also doubled Vitamin D to 5000 IU and Magnesium too. Even that, I suspect, may have been enough during the third trimester. Look into magnesium and preeclampsia and talk to your OB about it.
- Vin Kutty
Hi I’m 37 weks pregnant and I take I teaspoonful of Carlson fish oil omega 3′s dha and EPA. Omega-3 fatty acids 1600 mg. EPA 800 mg . Dha 500 mg and other -3 fatty Acids 3oo mg. I need to see if this product is good for me because before I got pregnant I had depression. I take prenatal neevo with dha and I want to breast feed. Gracias por su respuesta.
Hola Cristina – ¡felicidades! Sí, el producto que está tomando es bueno. Me alegra saber que usted está tomando Omega-3. Entre hoy y el nacimiento de su bebé, tomar dos cucharaditas al día y continuará siempre y cuando su periodo de lactancia.
Congratulations! Yes, the product you are taking is good. I am glad to hear that you are taking Omega-3. Between now and your baby’s birth, take two teaspoons per day and continue as long as your are breast feeding.
- Vin Kutty
Hi. I’m 21 weeks pregnant. I started taking Blackmores omega daily concentrated fish oil one a day dose at the beginning of my second trimester. It says it contains concentrated omega-3 triglycerides-fish 1.034g containing omega-3 marine triglycerides 600mg as: EPA 351.7mg and DHA 248.3mg
After reading your blog I started taking 3 of these capsules a day. Is this enough or too much of this brand and is blackmores good? I live in Australia and blackmores products are ready available in most supermarkets.
Hi Sarah – I’m familiar with Blackmores. They are fine. Keep taking it.
- Vin Kutty
Hi again. I just went an bought Ethical Nutrients Hi Strength liquid fish oil with concentrated omega-3 triglycerides 4.6g EPA 1.9g DHA 927mg Plus it says it undergoes molecular distillation. Is this better than the Blackmores I was taking?
Hi again, Sarah – keep taking the Blackmores. No need to change. You’ve got Omega-3 covered. Now talk to a local nutritionist about how to improve other aspects of your diet.
- Vin Kutty
Thanks. Just wondering now that I have the stronger liquid would it be ok to switch to that when I finish the blackmores? Or is it too strong?
Hi Sarah – the liquid is not too strong. You’re fine taking it. Don’t over think this – you’re doing the right thing.
– Vin Kutty
Hello-
I started taking Vital Health Omega 3 since the moment I discovered I was pregnant. I ran out a little over a month ago. I am now 28 weeks pregnant and recently purchased Artic Pure Omega 3 fish oil.
It has:
Fish oil concentrate- 1.375 g
EPA- 687 mg
DHA- 275 mg
Other omega 3 fatty acids- 163 mg
Is this good? Too little?
**I am pregnant with a singleton and predisposed to severe depression.
I was diagnosed when I was 10 years old.
Thank you!
Shanaz – I’d recommend that you go up to 2 pills per day. Or better yet, 3 per day. Given your history, it may not address the depression, but you can rule out EPA deficiency.
- Vin Kutty
Hi,
Many thanks for this, I found this page and your posts very informative.
My son started taking fish oils when he was 3 1/2 for Apraxia and he had a really big speech surge straight after, so I have seen the wonders of fish oils!
I will be taking your advice on dosages, but I was wondering about the Vitamin D and Magnesium that you suggested – are they needed, and what dosage? I’m Type 1 diabetic as well.
I was also wandering if you gave your twins fish oil after they were born?
Many thanks!
Hi Wendy – is the Vitamin D + Magnesium for you or for your son? Adults do best with 2000 to 4000 IU of D3 per day and about 400 mg of Magnesium. I strongly urge that you look into a paleo-style diet for the both of you. No sugar, grains or vegetable oils. Lots of olive oils, butter, vegetables, meats, fruits and nuts. Eggs if not allergic.
Thanks for asking about the twins – they are almost 3. We tried giving them some Nordic Naturals liquid fish oil when they were newborns. Ugh! Stunk up the house and they refused milk. Fortunately, I was able to find an alternative – powdered and encapsulated Omega-3 product (not yet on the market everywhere) and the kids were fine with it. So that’s what they’ve been eating for the last 3 years. I add liquid Vitamin D, Omega-3 and a probiotic called Prescript-Assist onto their pureed foods. Supplementing is getting harder because they are feeding themselves solid foods.
- Vin Kutty
Many thanks.
I have just had IVF and it has been successful, so the mag and Vit D are for me.
We are on Dr Bernsteins diet for Type 1′s which is very similar to the Paleo diet. As you say, no sugar, wheat etc. We are big users of coconut oil!
I think I will look into a liquid vitamin d for my 5yr old son. We add the Nordic Naturals lemon flavour to my sons chocolate yogurt every day, don’t ask me why but he loves it!
Thank you so much for replying to me,
Wendy
That’s great news, Wendy! Congratulations! Happy to hear that you’re already on a Paleo-like diet. It will solve most (but not all) health issues. If your son likes the Nordic Natural oil, then don’t change a thing!
- Vin Kutty
Hi Vin,
I am taking 2000mg fish oil a day (2 capsules a day) during my pregnancy. With my daughter I took 3 capsules. My Dr. said to take DHA 300mg instead, but I’m still taking the fish oil since it was fine with my first pregnancy and it’s great for mommy and baby!
Thanks,
Saima
Hi Saima – take the 2 fish oil capsules AND take the DHA 300 mg in addition. You can stop the DHA after you’re done with breast feeding.
- Vin Kutty
hello! I was wondering if the 1520, 1760 dosage you listed was what your wife took at the beginning of her pregnancy? I am in my first trimester and I have anxiety issues, would that does be okay for me to take this early on? could too much be harmful? thank you!
Hi Olive – my wife took two OmegaVia and two Carlsons Super DHA gems per day. That provided 1520 mg of DHA per day and 1760 mg of EPA as well. You may not need that much in the first trimester. But I don’t think it would be harmful. I would not make any drastic changes to your regimen without talking to your OB. But you may want to read this: http://www.omegavia.com/supplements-for-depression-anxiety/
- Vin Kutty
I also heard fish oil could act as a blood thinner, could it be dangerous in high doses around time of delivery? thank you so much for this article! very informative
Hi Olive – fish oil can act as a blood thinner at extremely high doses. So you should talk to your doctor and see what’s right for you. If you are concerned, you can always back off to a lower dose a few weeks before delivery, but this is not the best for the baby because their brain is developing extremely rapidly at this stage and backing off on DHA is not a good idea. Again – check with your OB.
- Vin Kutty
hi i’m in the middle of my second trimester and i’ve been taking 1 capsule of the SUNDOWN NATURALS FISH OIL 1000mg(naturally contains 300mg omega-3 is this brand good? and is tat enough?
Hi Petrah – no harm done, but I suggest you switch to Carlsons Super DHA gems: http://www.carlsonlabs.com/p-214-super-dha-gems.aspx and start taking two of those per day.
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