Fish Oil During Pregnancy – Important Criteria When Choosing a Supplement

In the past, women have sometimes been cautioned not to take fish oil during pregnancy. Today, most healthcare practitioners recommend a good omega-3 supplement, as long as it is carefully selected. Here, you can learn about the selection criteria that anyone should use and the benefits of supplementation.

There are four main things that should be considered when choosing a supplement. Those are:

Purity

Freshness

Source

Omega-3/DHA content

Let’s look at each of those things in a little detail.

In order to judge the purity of a supplement before you buy it, there are a couple of different things that you can look for. Manufacturers that adhere to the International Fish Oil Standards are relatively pure, but some companies have even higher standards. The best way to judge purity is to look for the manufacturer’s COA or certificate of analysis.

The analysis is conducted by an independent laboratory and will list:

Common contaminants and whether or not they were detected

Oxidation levels, which indicates freshness

Omega-3/DHA content

So, three out of the four criteria relevant to taking fish oil during pregnancy can be determined simply by viewing a manufacturer’s COA. Now, why are those things important?

Mercury and PCB contamination is common in our oceans, the fish and their oils. Exposure to mercury or PCBs during pregnancy can cause birth defects. The COA should indicate that the contaminants were not detected in the oils.

High oxidation levels indicate that the fish were allowed to rot on the deck or dock, before the oils were extracted and encapsulated. Spoiled oils cause fishy tasting burps and nausea, things that no pregnant woman needs.

Fish Oil During Pregnancy – 5 Reasons to Take Fish Oils While You’re Pregnant

Are you wondering if you should be taking a fish oil during pregnancy? Here are 5 BIG reasons why you should- not only for your baby‘s health, but your own as well.

REASON #1. Taking fish oil during pregnancy helps in the formation of your baby’s brain.

A human brain consists of 60% fats, half a which are DHA omega-3 fatty acids. By taking a supplement that’s high in DHA omega-3s, you can help assure that your baby’s brain is fully developed in a natural and healthy way.

REASON #2. During the third trimester of pregnancy, your baby uses whatever amounts of omega-3s you have to develop 70% of the brains systems.

Yes, that’s how important DHA omega-3s are to your baby‘s health and development. Common sense says that if you take a quality omega-3 supplement during this time, more omega-3s will be available to your baby. As a result, it will have a much better chance of developing a healthy and active brain.

REASON #3. Taking an omega-3 fish oil during pregnancy also helps in the development of the nervous system.

Omega-3s are used to help develop the nervous system, and studies have shown that they improve communication between nerves and synapses. If a fetus cannot get enough omega-3s from it’s mother, then there’s an increased chance that the baby’s nervous system will not fully develop.

REASON #4. Consuming an omega-3 fish oil during pregnancy help in your own health and well-being.

By maintaining an adequate amount of omega-3s in your body, it reduces the chances of developing pre-clampsia and postpartum depression. It will also minimize the chances for preterm labor and delivering a baby with a low birth weight.