Pregnancy

Fish Oil During Pregnancy

written by Vin Kutty

comments 339 comments

fish oil omega-3 pregnancy

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.

Omega-3 DHA and pregnancy
Taking DHA Omega-3 during pregnancy is critical if you are not eating wild caught seafood several times a week. DHA is critical for your baby’s brain and eye development. Your need for it increases through the course of your pregnancy.

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 they should take fish oil or eat fish.

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 ultra-concentrated 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 eating fish or taking fish oil.

Let’s be honest – no one eats enough fish. So your baby’s Omega-3 needs has to come from supplements.

Not consuming enough DHA Omega-3 can lead to poor development of your baby’s brain and eyes.*

Pregnancy is not the time for discount fish oil. Algae-DHA and Ultra-concentrated fish oil are 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 also make OmegaVia DHA 600.

What’s safe to eat during pregnancy? Sardine and wild pacific sockeye salmon are both excellent.

Fish oil does NOT contain high levels of mercury.

Even the cheap, low-quality fish oils have virtually no mercury. Why? Because of three reasons:

  1. 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.
  2. The molecular distillation process used to make fish oil ensures that virtually all the remaining mercury in the crude oil is permanently removed.
  3. 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 helps support:

  1. Baby’s Brain Development*
  2. Baby’s Vision Development*
  3. Child’s Hand-eye Coordination in later years*

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

DHA can only come from food or supplements. There is no other way to get DHA Omega-3.

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. Newborns’ brains grow at a rate of 1% per day for the first 90 days. That might not seem like a lot, but if adults’ brains were to grow at the same rate, our heads would balloon to the size of a water melon in 3 months.

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!

The issue with Folic Acid

While I’m ranting about low DHA levels in prenatal supplements, let me rant about Folic Acid for a second. Pregnant women need this B vitamin because most of us don’t eat enough green leafy vegetables. We think taking Folic Acid will fix that problem. It won’t.

Almost 90% of Folic Acid is not absorbed. Green leafy vegetables have Folate. Not Folic Acid. Folic Acid is synthetic and not absorbed. Well, just enough of it is absorbed to prevent spinal health issues with babies.

So if you want to really be good, eat green leafy veggies (a lot!) and supplement with FOLATE. Look for brands that use Metafolin or Quatrefolic. You won’t find Folate in any of the samples your doctor gave you or in the other prenatals.

Back to DHA Omega-3…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 gave my wife 1760 mg EPA that her body desperately needs.  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, K2, Vitamin D, Multi, Folic and Iron, I told him about her Omega-3 routine.

He said, “Not bad…but could be higher.”

OmegaVia now offers a DHA-only supplement OmegaVia DHA 600.

NEW! OmegaVia DHA 600 – – the only pill that provides enough DHA for the second half of your pregnancy

  • Contains 600 mg of DHA Omega-3 per pill
  • Enteric coated to reduce odor and burps
  • Purified to remove mercury.
  • Always third-party certified for your peace of mind

OmegaVia-DHA-600-intro-web

Other nutrient deficiencies to watch out for:

  1. Vitamin D3. Get plenty of mid-day sunshine. If you’re pregnant during the winter, please take a supplement. Have your OB check your levels.*
  2. Magnesium. Most Americans are deficient in this mineral. Even if you eat a very good diet, you are going to be low in this nutrient. Eat more veggies, nuts and seeds.*
  3. Vitamin K2. Eat more European style hard cheeses like Jarlsberg, Gouda and Emmental. If you can’t find these cheeses, eat any real cheese. K2 is important for your baby’s facial, jaw, head and teeth development. Your baby’s teeth, even their adult teeth are developed by week 11 of pregnancy. In other words, it is very hard to make good looking children without enough K2. I’d rather you get your K2 from cheese.*
  4. Iron. Half of all pregnant women are iron deficient.
  5. Choline. 90% of Americans do not get enough choline and it is crucial during pregnancy. I have no idea why DHA gets all the attention but choline does not.
  6. B-Vitamins. You already know you need Folate (Folic Acid). Folate is a type of B Vitamin. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, please consider taking a really good B-complex long before you get pregnant. If you’re considering becoming both a vegan and mother at the same time, stop. Don’t do it! Women don’t bother taking prenatal vitamins BEFORE pregnancy, but that’s when you need it most! Only 30% of women take prenatal vitamins BEFORE pregnancy.
  7. Iodine. Most pregnant women are marginally iodine deficient. Iodine is necessary for producing thyroid hormone, which is necessary for proper brain development. Shockingly, only half the prenatal vitamins (as of 2009) contained any iodine. And of the half that had iodine in the formula, less than half provided enough iodine. This is why I’m so disappointed with most prenatals. I suggest you get 500 mcg to 1000 mcg per day.*

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Your turn…

  • Are you taking a prenatal DHA? If so, how much?
  • Has you OB tested you for Vitamin D levels?
  • Did you take B-complex vitamins before pregnancy?
  • Do you take DHA in addition to what’s in your prenatal?

 


339 Comments

Join the conversation

  1. 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

    • 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

  2. 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

    • I don’t usually post on these kinds of places, but in this case I thought it was really important. A few people have been asking about ethyl ester DHA/fish oil and if it’s safe during pregnancy. PLEASE do your research and talk to your doctor. From what we understand, the ethyl esters break down into ethanol alcohol, which can harm babies and could potentially cause fetal alcohol syndrome.

      From what we understand, the safer DHA/fish oil is in the form of triglycerides.

      Please be careful with DHA/fish oil from ethyl ester, as it seems it may not be a good choice if pregnant.

      • Hi Adam – we sell triglyceride-form DHA, so this issue does not apply to OmegaVia products.

        Having said that, yes, the metabolism of DHA in its ethyl ester form produces a teeny tiny amount of ethanol. How much? If you consumed an entire bottle of ethyl ester DHA in one sitting, you may ingest as much alcohol as a third of can of light beer. I did the math on this a few years ago. There’s more alcohol in a liter of orange juice – yes, there is very small amount of alcohol in most juices. Fetal alcohol syndrome is hard to get from DHA or orange juice.

        Let’s put things in perspective.

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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.

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

      • When you say extremely high doses, how much fish oil do you mean?

        I’ve seen cod fish liver oil recommended is amounts 5ml – 10ml (1 – 2 tsp). This comes out to about 5 – 10 grams of fish oil (which comes to 5 – 10 of the large fish oil capsules).

        http://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/cod-liver-oil-basics
        And actually, Weston A. Price recommends 2 – 4 teaspoons of cod fish liver oil based on the vitamin content of the specific oil you have. That makes his recommendation max out at 20 ml (or 20 capsules) of fish oils a day.

        This is where I get concerned and would like your opinion of what you consider a bad amount of fish oils. What is too much? What is it that thins the blood, the fish oils in general, or is it specifically the EPA/DHA?

        My main concern is based on medical opinions that substances like Aspirin and ibuprofen are not safe during pregnancy. They can cause major birth defects. As they have blood thinning properties just like fish oils, wouldn’t we be concerned about fish oils causing the same birth defects?

        Thanks!

        • Hi Bob – big picture first: both Omega-3 and Omega-6 should be consumed in small quantities.

          If you’ve been reading Weston Price website, I will assume you know what a disaster we have with excess Omega-6 consumption. Excess Omega-3 consumption is very rare. Some Crossfit gyms still recommend 10,000 mg of Omega-3 or more per day. I think this is way too much on a daily basis.

          If your Omega-6 consumption is under control (virtually impossible without cooking all your meals at home with coconut oil and beef tallow and without avoiding nuts) you should be able to function quite well on about 1000 mg of Omega-3.

          Most people on Standard American Diet will need about 2,000 mg of Omega-3. If you have some issues with triglycerides, you may need 3,000 to 4,000 mg Omega-3 per day. That’s the US Govt cut off for safe daily levels. EU level is at 5,000 mg.

          My opinion is that if you are taking more than 4,000 mg of Omega-3 per day, the risk/benefit tilt is starting to go the wrong way. The risk I’m talking about is not blood thinning – that’s been debunked for the doses I’m talking about. The risk I’m talking about is oxidative stress and increased oxidized LDL. The vast majority of your oxidative stress probably comes from excess Omega-6…but why contribute to it by taking more Omega-3 than necessary?

          Note that I’m talking about Omega-3 and not fish oil or cod liver oil – when it comes to fish oil, I care about the Omega-3 in fish oil and the concentration of the oil determines how much Omega-3 is in it. Cod liver oil is usually very weak in Omega-3, but it has a good dose of Vitamin D and A, which most people are deficient in. I consider cod liver oil a great source of pre-formed Vitamin A than a great source of Omega-3. If you want to take cod liver oil, go for 1 teaspoon a day. A lot of people like Fermented Cod Liver Oil – it’s not my preference, but others like it.

          Birth defects from aspirin and/or ibuprofen are different issues. These are not essential nutrients for fetal development! Omega-3 is! Especially DHA. Do not conflate these issues because Omega-3 consumption of 12,000 mg per day in Greenlanders was associated with nose bleeds. I would not take aspirin or ibuprofen indiscriminately if I were a pregnant woman but then pregnant women should not be taking 12,000 mg of Omega-3 per day either.

          Hope this clears things up a bit.

  14. 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?

  15. Hi there!!

    Thank you for your article. Super informative. I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and I’ve been taking carlsons fish oil since I found out I was pregnant. But I see that you actually recommend takings two of the 1000 mg. I’m taking one is this okay or should I keep taking my prenatals and just one. I take vitafol one prenatal pills.

    • Hi Carolyn – congratulations! 🙂

      Yes, as you get closer to your third trimester, you need a lot more Omega-3. Two per day, even three, is not too much as your pregnancy progresses. If you’re not taking enough for both of you, the baby will preferentially get the Omega-3 stored in your body and that’s not good for your health. You may want to think about Carlsons DHA gems.

  16. Thank you so much. I’m currently taking carlson’s super DHA GEMS. I can start taking 2-3 of these right?

  17. I bumped into your article by chance and I have few questions that I hope you can help to answer. Im taking Wythe Materna Pretanal Vitamins and just bought 2 bottles of Blackmores Pretanal Vits. When I look at the ingredients of these 2 suplements, I was shocked by the difference in every ingredient amount. Like Materna with 3mg Vit B1, tvit A (beta carotene) 1500IU, Vit A (acetate) 1500 IU while Blackmores has no Vit A mentioned on d ingredient list and only 500ug Vit B1. Im so confused which one is good for me to take (Im 9 weeks pregnant).

    Im also taking 2 fish oil capsule 600mg/day, 400mg DHA

    • Hi Landy – assuming you are eating a good diet (mostly vegetables, meats, seafood, fruits, nuts and eggs) then it does not matter much if the prenatal formulas are a bit different. You cannot out-supplement a bad diet. If there is one time in your life when you should be eating a healthy diet, it is now. Reduce sugar and grain consumption as much as you can. Your Omega-3 consumption is fine for now. Double it during the third trimester.

  18. Hi,
    I am 10 weeks pregnant and have been taking Sundowns Natural fish oil even before my pregnancy. And today I read some articles about Sundown flunking some PCB test, although they specifically claim they eliminate PCB. Did I harm my baby? I am very worried 🙁

  19. Hi Vin,
    Congratulations on the twins. It is now three years on….can you please tell me how the fish oil dosage your wife took during pregnancy has benefited the twins during their growing up?
    I have 3 year old twin girls and was taking 600mg DHA of xtendlife omega 3/DHA fish oil daily in the last trimester which is nowhere near as much as your wife’s dosage. Now I’m 12 weeks pregnant with number three and researching fish oil again. My OB/GYN advised xtendlife was too high dosage for pregnancy and I fear taking 600mg DHA for only one baby. Have you come across this brand and do you have any views on it?
    Many thanks for your time & happy birthday to your twins!

    • Hi Jay – the twins are 3 and doing very well – thank you! They are bright, curious, intelligent, active, playful, naughty and thoroughly exhausting. We collapse at the end of the day after we put them to bed. You might relate. Was it the fish oil that made them clever? Probably not, but I’m sure it helped. My wife was under my nutritional care during pregnancy and the kids eat the best diet (meats, veggies, fruits, eggs) possible – no sugary drink, no wheat and nothing processed. I’ve also been particular about colonizing their little guts with healthy probiotic bacteria with a variety of fermented foods. Not wanting to be completely contrary to social norms, we gave them chocolate cake for the first time during their 1st birthday and again on their second…they both promptly spat it out in disgust at both times. I was so proud!

      Xtendlife is a perfectly good product. However, that’s not my concern. My concern is that your OB/GYN is fearful of 600 mg of DHA. Granted that’s way more than you need if you’re not pregnant and it’s more than you need during the first and second trimester, it’s somewhere between appropriate or less than optimal during the last couple of months of pregnancy, at least according to the latest evidence. If there is ever a time to be generous with DHA, it is during pregnancy or immediately following a stroke or brain trauma. Having said that, I’m not responsible for delivering a healthy baby – your OB is. So I’d listen to him/her. Still…I’m a bit disturbed because your OB is not basing this decision on published data.

  20. I’m currently trying to conceive, and I want to make sure I am getting enough of the right nutrients to maximize my chances at a healthy baby, but I am allergic to fish oil pills (I’ve tried 3 brands under my doctors supervision), but am okay taking algal oil pills. Unfortunately, I’m having issues finding a non-fish based pill with a significant amount of EPA. My current pills have only DHA listed on the label. Can you recommend a supplement for me to take?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Bridget – try Ovega3. It has both EPA and DHA. Take 3-4 a day. Also I highly recommend you look into Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code. Good luck and keep us posted if you have any good news.

  21. Thank you for this great information. I am 6 weeks pregnant and suffer from anxiety. I am also using crinone which has increased my anxiety from moderate to severe and causing depression. Determined to battle these symptoms I have been learning a lot about DHA/EPA. I just ordered Nordic Naturals DHA but I was wondering if I need to take additional fish oil like your wife did. Can you tell me what the benefits are of taking the extra fish oil? Also, do you think the increased EPA can help with the increasing symptoms I am experiencing from crinone?
    Thank you again for posting this valuable information!!

    • Hi Kristin – first, congratulations on the pregnancy! Most pregnant women under-dose Omega-3 during pregnancy. I’d suggest 1000 mg of Omega-3 for now and increasing to 2000 mg for second and third trimesters. EPA can help with anxiety and depression more than DHA can. So yes, I do think you need more of both, EPA and DHA. I have no idea what your diet or lifestyle is, but I’m going to guess that your diet is not good. You may want to read this: http://www.omegavia.com/supplements-for-depression-anxiety/ But since you’re pregnant, I would not experiment with all kinds of supplements. But I highly recommend that you get your Omegas, Vitamin D and Magnesium taken care of. They are all extremely safe – but just to be sure, run everything past your OB. No supplement can make up for a bad diet – you have to assume that your diet is inadequate and take steps to improve it. The good thing is that you are only 6 weeks into it and can make some changes quickly. Download Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code immediately. It is very, very helpful.

  22. Thank you very much for the reply . My diet is actually very good . I eat mostly organic fruits and vegetables, lean meats, yogurts and nuts . I have been in acupuncture and seeing a nutritionist for the last 3 years and have avoided sugar for many years . I have had anxiety for years but has been very mild until I was started on hormones . I have always been deficient in dha/ epa because I am not a big fish eater . I will definitely speak with my doctor before increasing my supplements. I found this information very helpful & will definitely download the healthy baby code as well . Thank you !

    • Hi Kristin – glad to hear that you are on a good dietary path. There is absolutely no supplement that can make up for a bad diet. So you’re OK in that regard. Although, ‘lean meats’ is a term that hints at fat-phobia. I suggest you read these two articles: http://www.businessinsider.com/13-nutrition-lies-that-made-the-world-sick-and-fat-2013-10?op=1 and also this: http://primaldocs.com/opinion/saturated-fat-enemy/

      I don’t see eggs in your list of things you consume. May be you eat them. I consider whole eggs from pastured chickens an unofficial food group – that’s how important they are. I suggest you eat at least 2 per day. I also highly recommend that you get Jigsaw Health magnesium. Most people are magnesium deficient and that can make you anxious. Magnesium is one of those minerals that even if you are eating a perfect diet, you will not get enough of because of soil depletion. Fruits and veggies just dont have as much as they used to. It also can help prevent preeclampsia during pregnancy.

  23. Hello,

    We are currently using OmegaVia Pharma-Grade Fish Oil. I wanted to know more about DHA supplementation during pregnancy. Which product(s) would you recommend? Are there high quality, third-party lab tested products out there as good as OmegaVia? Most Omega 3 products do not contain enough DHA and there are a lot of products out there. It’s difficult to find a trusted quality product.

    Thanks.

  24. I wrote you back when I was pregnant with my baby well I had a healthy beautiful boy. I’m currently taking carlson’s super DHA GEMS. I am breastfeeding now. Should I continue to take three or switch back to one?

    • Hi Carolyn – congratulations! Healthy and beautiful are wonderful things to be thankful for…

      Yes, if you are breastfeeding, then definitely stay on 3 or 4 per day. This is a really, really critical time in his brain development and his brain is a DHA sponge. Also, make sure you are eating a lot of eggs – tons of good brain-essential nutrients in eggs that you will pass on to your boy.

  25. please am taking omega 3 fish oil TEVA 500mg 3times a day.am 28 weeks now.but i discovered that is not indicated in pregnancy from the leaflet except if prescribed by the doctor.please help me because i dont know if i should continue or stop because this is the only product i can find in my area.I also read online that pregnant women should not take omega 3 that contains vit A because it is harmful for baby.please help me ,am confused.

    • Hi VictOry – the product you mention is not available in the US, so I am unfamiliar with it. It is always a good idea to check with your doctor on whether a supplement is OK. Ideally, you should be taking 500 mg to 1000 mg of DHA Omega-3. The last two months of pregnancy and the few months after pregnancy and during breast feeding is the most critical time to take DHA. Also make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D, as it is difficult to get from the sun in the winter.

      Vitamin A is essential. Without Vitamin A, humans will simply get sick and die. Get most of your Vitamin A from animal products – butter, cream, eggs, liver etc. Avoid these foods during pregnancy and you may be putting your child’s health at risk.
      I really don’t understand why people are afraid of Vitamin A.

  26. Hi Vin,

    I am an avid reader of your blog and from everything I’ve read not all supplements are created equal. I am having a hard time finding a single multivitamin supplement that meets the prenatal needs. As you know almost all of them contain folic acid and not folate. It would get outrageously expensive and time consuming to buy each individual vitamin and take 20 pills a day. Are there any good prenatal vitamins out there there that contain all the vitamins an expectant mother would need + the folate in a single dosage?

    Or are we okay just going with the folic acid and not bother with the folate in order to keep things simple?

    • Hi Aaron – you’re absolutely right. I can’t name a single prenatal multi that I think stand out as the best. Most prenatal multis still contain folic acid instead of folate. This is unfortunate.

      In the absence of folate, folic acid will suffice. But may be you won’t need 20 pills a day…are you OK with 5 or 6? May be you start with something like this: http://www.drbvitamins.com/products/best_multiple_90vc and on top of it, add Omega-3, magnesium, Vit D. That’s 5 or 6 pills a day.

      • Hello again,

        Thanks for the reply. As always you provide great feedback, excellent blogs too. Keep up the great work.

        It would seem the link you proved should suffice. I have never heard of this brand, is it reputable? I also noticed it doesn’t have any iron. Speaking of deficiencies do you know why most prescription prenatals lack vitamin A? Our OB/GYN gave us a few prescription prenatal samples and they all lack vitamin A. Since Dr’s Best has Vit A should I be worried? People seem to be scared of Vit A for some reason, I am wondering if there are toxic side affects on the fetus? Also, what are your thought about the excess B vitamins in Dr’s Best? Some of them go as high as 4000% of RDA. Normally I wouldn’t worry too much as they are waster soluble but am not sure how it would affect our unborn child?

        Thank again for all the great information.

        • Hi Aaron – thank you.

          Most prenatals lack Vitamin A because of unfounded fears that we already get plenty of it and that it’s easy to overdose. Both are false assumptions. Preformed Vitamin A is only found in animal fats. Vitamin A precursors are found in abundance in vegetables like carrots as carotenoids, but those are not readily converted to Vitamin A as easily as most people believe. So Vitamin A deficiency is more common than most people think. The best sources of Vitamin A – butter, egg yolks, liver etc have been unfairly demonized, so more people suffer from inadequate Vitamin A than it commonly believed. If you’re pregnant, start eating these three things.

          Having said that, yes, you can overdose on Vitamin A…but that only happens if you take too much Vitamin A supplements or eat liver three times a day. For the past few years, I’ve been eating 3 eggs a day, usually cooked in butter. And I eat liver a couple of times a week. I’m nowhere near overdosing! Excess Vitamin A has been associated with birth defects…but there are no clear definitions of what is ‘too much.’

          Yes, Doctors Best is a pretty reliable brand but check with your OB/GYN first. During pregnancy, this goes without saying!

          Remember that you are better off getting all nutrients, including Vitamin A and Omega-3 from food than supplements. If you don’t consume enough butter, dairy fats, eggs, seafood, liver etc., AND your prenatal does not have Vitamin A, then getting too much is not the problem, but too little.

          • Any new recommendations on a decent prenatal vitamin? The awareness concerning folic acid vs. folate has become more out there and I’ve seen a few prenatals with folate but am curious to hear your opinion.

            • Hi Chelsea – I still dislike prenatals. I’d be a lot more pissed about the situation if I wasn’t already a parent. I’ll change my tune when I see a prenatal with the proper amount and form of DHA, folate, choline, magnesium, and MK-4 form of Vitamin K2 to start. DHA and folate are fairly common. Choline and K2 are still far away from being on the radar.

  27. Hi again,

    What’s your opinion on the supplementation of Choline with DHA. I had read something that said Choline might help with the absorption of DHA. That led me down a path of of Choline research, and I found quite a few people who praise it’s benefits and results, seemingly more than DHA (though they still supplement fish oil).

    Thanks!

    • Hi Bob – choline is important! Get it from egg yolks, not supplements. Same goes for fish and Omega-3. In krill oil, DHA comes bound with phospholipids like choline. This makes krill oil slightly better absorbed and it also gives you some phospholipids. But taking DHA and choline separately won’t have the same benefit because the choline is not bonded to the DHA, even though both are independently good for you. I wouldn’t run out and buy krill oil because there is very little DHA in krill oil.

      I don’t supplement with choline, but I make it a point to eat at least half egg yolks every week. FYI – there is NOT A SINGLE STUDY that conclusively proves that eggs cause any harm – that’s bogus research from the 1970s. But there is a lot of science that proves eggs contains a LOT of nutrients. Eggs and liver are the closest things to multivitamins in nature. Get it from food!

  28. Hello Vin,
    Great article, so great that I’ve shared it with friends! Congratulations on your twins, they must be getting big! I’m 5 weeks pregnant and upon reading this have bought and started taking (1)OmegaVia as part of my daily routine, in addition to liquid cod liver oil and prenatal pack with 2 pills, one of which is a fish oil pill (Nestabs DHA- 230 mg and EPA 30 mg). I would like to get more DHA, and I looked into Carlson’s Super Gems DHA, but I’ve read reviews that claim that they’re not GMO free. So, my question is; do you know if they are or are not GMO Free and, if not is there another brand that you currently recommend?
    Thank you in advance for your time.
    Suzanne

    • Hi Suzanne – congratulations on your pregnancy! Yes, our twins are big – they’re in school. They grow up so fast.

      Go glad to see you taking charge. Look into Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code – very good stuff. What you eat now will affect your child’s health 20, 30 or 50 years from now. Yes, that’s true. So go easy on sodas, sugars, juices etc. And go crazy on veggies, meats, eggs, seafood and traditional fats like grass-fed butter. Do not avoid seafood due to mercury fears!

      I don’t think Carlsons is GMO-free based on my conversation with them during my wife’s pregnancy.

      You could always try Nordic Naturals: https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/514/?ProdID=1413 but I think you’re covered for DHA needs until your last trimester and during breast feeding.

      Take care.

  29. Hello Vin,
    Great article, so great that I’ve shared it with friends! Congratulations on your twins, they must be getting big! I’m 5 weeks pregnant and upon reading this have bought and started taking (1)OmegaVia as part of my daily routine, in addition to liquid cod liver oil and prenatal pack with 2 pills, one of which is a fish oil pill (Nestabs DHA- 230 mg and EPA 30 mg). I would like to get more DHA, and I looked into Carlson’s Super Gems DHA, but I’ve read reviews that claim that they’re not GMO free. So, my question is; do you know if they are or are not GMO Free and, if not is there another brand that you currently recommend?
    Thank you in advance for your time.
    Suzanne

    • Hi Suzanne – congratulations on your pregnancy! Yes, our twins are big – they’re in school. They grow up so fast.

      Go glad to see you taking charge. Look into Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code – very good stuff. What you eat now will affect your child’s health 20, 30 or 50 years from now. Yes, that’s true. So go easy on sodas, sugars, juices etc. And go crazy on veggies, meats, eggs, seafood and traditional fats like grass-fed butter. Do not avoid seafood due to mercury fears!

      I don’t think Carlsons is GMO-free based on my conversation with them during my wife’s pregnancy.

      You could always try Nordic Naturals: https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/Products/Product_Details/514/?ProdID=1413 but I think you’re covered for DHA needs until your last trimester and during breast feeding.

      Take care.

  30. Hi Vin,

    I am in Malaysia and my gynae recommended Neurogain (brand for pregnant ladies) which only has 90mg of DHA & 12mg of EPA; taken twice daily.

    However I have Kordel Omega3 brand of Fish Oil that contains 120mg of DHA & 180mg of EPA that I take daily now. My other pregnant friends do not recommend that I tried other brand (Kordel) but to take the Neurogain but I think it is too low.

    Have you heard of Kordel and is it safe to take for pregnant ladies (it is molecularly distilled & sources from small fish)?

    How much should I increase my intake (I cant find the brand that you recommended here). I am at week 22 now. The pharmacist told me to stop taking it at the last 2 months before delivery.

    Thanks and I will appreciate your advice!

    Sandy.

    • Hi Sandy – I am neither qualified nor authorized to overrule your OB/GYN. Having said that, getting only 90 mg of DHA per day is better than nothing but it is about 10% of what you should be taking during the last few months of pregnancy. DHA needs during the first and second trimesters are minor compared to how much the baby needs during the third trimester. So for your pharmacist to say that you should stop taking DHA 2 months prior to delivery is not just wrong but dangerous to your baby’s proper brain and eye development.

      I’ve not heard of either of the brands you mention, but check with your OB about increasing your DHA to at least 500 mg per day.

      • Thanks Vin for your prompt response. I think my gynae does not really believes in taking supplements; as she pointed out once that during ‘her times’, they don’t even take any multivitamin and the kids all turn out ‘okay’. I will increase the intake of the DHA during my 3rd trimester.Thanks again!

        • Hi Sandy – your doctor has a good point – nobody NEEDS supplements, given we’re eating a good diet. Most people don’t have a bad diet. A few people eat a good diet. Nobody I know eats a perfect diet. My suggestion is to fix your diet – then make up for some of the shortfalls with supplements. Unless you’re eating a lot of seafood and eggs, I doubt you’re getting enough DHA during your pregnancy.

  31. Hi Vin,
    I have been taking Carlsons liquid fish oil while pregnant, and feel kind of worried I might have hurt our baby. I am 7 weeks pregnant. I thought I was doing a good thing but realized the ratios are different in fish oil then in real fish. I saw something about it causing miscarriages and was just worried that I did something really bad to the developing baby. The ratio is 500 dha and 800 dha for one teaspoon.

    • Hi Elizabeth – what does your OB/GYN think about you taking this product? All fish have slightly different rations of EPA and DHA – that’s normal. The ratio of 500 mg DHA and 800 mg of EPA is perfectly fine – absolutely nothing wrong with that. You are absolutely doing a good thing by taking fish oil during pregnancy – I’d be worried if you DIDN’T take Omega-3 because your baby (and you!) desperately need it during this critical time. In the meantime, stay away from the internet! If you’re prone to worry and anxiety, this is a bad place.

    • Hi Kate – yes, if you’re taking a lower than recommended dose of Lovaza. If you’re at 4 capsules of Lovaza per day, you don’t need more Omega-3 from the drugstore.

  32. Hi Vin,
    Thank you much for your message. Unfortunately I miscarried this one, my first pregnancy, two days ago. For next time I will definitely take your advice as others have told me the same about staying off of certain places on the internet. Next pregnancy I will take the fish oil without concern. I had stopped for a week and got on the Carlson DHA gems and was taking one a day and was going to increase it to two for the second or third trimester. Thanks much for your help. It is much appreciated !

    • Hi Elizabeth – I am so sorry!

      I can’t imagine the thoughts and emotions you’re going through, but please try not to blame yourself or have ‘if only I…’ type thooughts. I know that’s easier said that done.

      When things calm down and if you decide to try again, please look into Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code.

  33. Also, My OB did tell me that fish oil is perfectly fine and perfectly safe to take during pregnancy and said better then eating fish because of the mercury, since fish oil is purified. I asked you about the fish oil first because they wouldnt see me until eight weeks.

  34. hello I live in uk and ive got a question about Nordic naturals. ive been on medications for anxiety since 2006. Gonna come off my medictions prior to pregnancy and want to increase my epa intake. is it ok to take “epa extra” with 1060mg of epa and 274mg of dha and “prenatal dha” with 400IU of vit D and 450mg of dha? My main concern is “epa extra” because of the vitamin E (30IU). Thank you

    • Hi Magda – my answer is yes, you can definitely take the EPA extra and the prenatal DHA together. There is no known risk associated with 30 IU of Vitamin E. Remember that Vitamin E is an important and needed nutrient for survival. It is an essential nutrient and unless you’re eating a near perfect diet, you may not be getting enough Vit E. But…since you’re thinking of pregnancy, please check with your doctor on all matters.

  35. Hi Vin,

    I am in the ‘trying to conceive’ phase. I read you article and learnt that Nature Made Folic Acid has very low content of DHA.. But is it ok to take that in the TTC phase and increase once I conceive?
    Also would appreciate if you can tell me the ideal dosage of DHA / Fatty Acids to be taken during pregnancy.
    My first pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage (at 6 month) for which reason was unknown. I wasnt taking any Omega 3 in my first pregnancy so second time want to make sure i take all essentials nutrients required.
    Thanks in advance..

    • Hi Rach – skip the NatureMade product. You need FOLATE, not Folic Acid. There is a difference. Buy one of these: http://www.iherb.com/5-MTHF-Folate-5-Methyl-Tetrahydrofolate

      Aim for 500 mg of DHA now. Double it once you get pregnant. Download Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code. Work on your diet. Cut out sugar. Reduce grains. Eat more seafood. Eat leafy green veggies. Did I mention ‘Work on your diet’?

  36. I followed your advice and took carlsons fish oil throughout my entire pregnancy. My Nicolas was born in October. He’s a Healthy baby boy, sleeps well and is amazing. Thank you!!! Since you helped me the first time i wanted to know if you know of any supplement or even taking fish oil for de quarvains syndrome tendinitis? I got it one month after giving birth. I’ve tried everything (cortisone, therapy, ice, not using my hand, splint) and it won’t go away. I’m still taking first oil two pills and I’ve added glucosamine. Would you know. My last resort is surgery and I don’t want surgery.

    • Hi Carolyn – congratulations! Glad to hear about your baby boy, but sorry about your wrists! I imagine it takes some of the joy out of being a new mother. I don’t know if more fish oil will help since the condition is not related to inflammation. It sounds like you’re doing everything you can…

  37. Hi Vin!
    I’m so glad to have stumbled upon your blog. I’ve learned so much! I’m 7 months pregnant with my 2nd child and have been researching fish oil. I’ve held off on taking any, as I’m on Lovenox, a blood thinner. I took fish oil at the beginning of my 1st pregnancy and stopped once on the blood thinner due to the warning label and my OB’s advice. I’ve since got the go ahead to take the fish oil from my hematologist and from what I’ve read it doesn’t seem like an issue. I’m going to check with my OB this week as well.

    I was wondering if you were familiar with EuroMedica’s EurOmega-3? Two tablets contain 584mg of Omega-3 phospholipid peptide complex, but it does not break down the EPA and DHA (only states a balanced ratio). To me it doesn’t sound like enough unless I take around 6 of them, but I didn’t know if these were more potent as they are supposed to be more easily absorbed.

    Should I just stick with 2-3 of the Carlson’s DHA super gems? There is also Now Foods DHA 500 which has 250 EPA, a bit higher than the EPA in the Carlson’s. Not sure if this is a good brand though. Ideally, I’d like to get more EPA, but I don’t want to buy separate pills. I’ve considered getting a liquid fish oil so I can have the best of both, either Nordic Naturals or Carlson’s but I plan on taking a bunch of short trips this summer and portability of the liquid fish oil would be an issue. Sorry for being so long winded. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you!

    • Hi Melanie – I am shocked that your OB let you go this long without making you take fish oil or DHA. You’re over-thinking this. When it comes to pregnancy, don’t worry about phospholipid or peptide or ratios. Just get a lot of DHA. And please…DO IT NOW! This is the stage when the baby’s brains and eyes are growing leaps and bounds and need DHA the most. I suggest you take 1000 mg of DHA per day. Carlsons is fine.

      Please read this and talk to your doctor about your blood thinner: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.in/2009/11/malocclusion-disease-of-civilization.html

  38. Thanks for your info! I am 47, and 13 weeks pregnant with a donor egg ivf. for the first time (single, not twins). I have been taking 2 OmegaVia pills a day, a prenatal, a calcium/vit. d supplement, and a baby aspirin. Am going to stop the aspirin, start taking magnesium (I have v. bad insomnia) and take nordic naturals dha., and am considering adding in Omega epa. My question is why continue with Omega Via if I am getting my DHA and EPA elsewhere? Also concerned about calcium/ magnesium ratios. Thanks!

    • Hi Daphne – during pregnancy, as long as you’re getting enough DHA and EPA, and you’re happy with the quality, it does not matter a whole lot which brand you are getting it from. OmegaVia comes in handy when you need high doses of Omega-3. If you’re getting about 600 mg of Calcium and 400 to 600 mg of Magnesium (in any form other than oxide) you should be OK. Assume you’re getting some Vitamin K2 or eating lots of cheese. Get Chris Kresser’s healthy baby code.

  39. Hi Vin!
    I’m so glad I’ve come accross you blog…I had no idea how important dha is during pregnancy! I’m finally pregnant after trying IVF for a long time. I’m now 9 weeks pregnant with twins. Being taking vitamin d, folate and krill oil. I just ordered carlson super dha gems…will take your recommended dose. The question I have is should I stop the krill oil when taking carlson super dha? Or can I take both together?
    During my IVF cycle, I also took Co-Enzyme Q10 which I also have continued. Should I stop taking that as well when taking dha?
    Many thanks.

    • Hi Tina – congratulations! As a parent of twins, you’re in for bouncy ride! Buckle up!

      Yes, DHA is very critical during pregnancy. Please look into Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code – it is worth every penny. Talk to your doctor about taking magnesium as well. It’s important during pregnancy and most people are deficient. You don’t need to stop taking the krill oil – it has some healthy phospholipids and astaxanthin. The phospholipids are great for babies’ brain development. No harm in taking CoQ10 but you dont need to take it now.

  40. Hello. Is that ok to take EPA elite nordic naturals (1660 mg of EPA) with Separate Dha 500mg (nordic naturals as well) during pregnancy ? It’s 4 capsules a day. Been suffering from depression for last few years so I know more EPA is very important. Just a bit worried about not taking too much. I want to as well increase my dha up to 900mg in my third trimester. Should I also increase EPA and stay on 1660mg a day?! Thank you. Great blog.

    • Hi Agatha – yes you can take both products together without any issues. Since you are/may be pregnant, please check with your doctor first. I would go with two pills of each product if your doctor says it is OK.

    • Hi Autumn – yes. If you’re pregnant, make sure you get about 900 to 1000 mg DHA…ESPECIALLY during the third trimester. Of course, you need EPA too. The baby’s not the only one with Omega-3 needs.

  41. Hi Vin,

    I am now at week 15 in my first pregnancy. In the UK the best prenatal vitamin advertised in the market is (Pregnacare plus) which I am currently taking in addition to Omega 3 capsules providing (DHA 300mg , EPA 60) per capsule.
    The nutritional information is found here: http://www.vitabiotics.com/pregnacare/plus/

    In addition to Prenatal vitamin and the Omega3 capsules that I take daily I am taking calcium with D3 twice daily – each dose provides (600mg calcium-but my knowledge is the body absorbs 500mg at a time – and 10 micrograms vit D3 or 400IU)
    I also started taking in the second trimester Floradix Iron supplement after reading lots of good reviews about it. 10ml twice daily which provides 15mg of elemental iron.

    After I was lucky to find your blog and read everything I noticed that what I am already taking is very low considering that I have a very poor diet. I will summarise my current intakes of vitamins and minerals and what I am considering to buy after I read your blogs. Please let me know if the ratios are fine.

    Current levels:

    Iron : Iron from Prenatal (17mg) + Floradix (15mg) = 32 mg

    Vitamin D3: D3 from Prenatal (400IU) + Vitamin D3 that comes with calcium supplement (800IU)= 1200 IU

    Calcium: Calcium from Prenatal (0) + Calcium supplement (1000mg) = 1000mg

    Omega3 from Prenatal 1 capsule daily: (DHA 300mg + EPA 60)

    Magnesium from Prenatal (150mg)

    Looking at the above I notice that the levels of my Vitamin D3, Omega3 and Magnesium may need to be increased.

    Is it OK to take Vitamin D3 supplements (5000IU) in addition to the Vitamin D3 in both of calcium supplement and prenatal vitamin (1200IU)? That will be a total of 6200 IU daily

    Regarding Omega 3 I am inclined to buy Nordic Naturals DHA 1000 . As this is what you have recommended. If I need to increase my EPA because of depression do I need to buy a seperate product or is there one product providing high DHA and high EPA for depression. Will the high DHA cancel the benefits of high EPA if taken together. In the instance where the unopposed EPA is small. Will the high DHA supplement need to be taken at a different time from the EPA supplement for them to work.??? I am a bit confused here.

    Regarding Magnesium in prenatal 150mg is very low. Do I need to increase to 400mg. You also recommend I buy Natural Calm? Jigsaw is not available in the UK.

    Do you think the new ratios of Vitamin D3 to Calcium to Magnesium are fine (6200IU , 1000mg, 400mg) I also read that these vitamins/minerals all work together with K2 vitamin that I should be taking from food mainly cheeses as it is not recommended for pregnant women to supplement on it.

    Finally, is 32mg of iron enough? or you think increasing the level will benefit me?

    Thanks for taking the time to read my queries and answer them.

    • Hi Mona – the only thing I remember from your long comment is ‘I have a very poor diet.’ This disturbs the hell out of me. Sorry.

      There is NO WAY you can outrun a bad diet with supplements. Especially when you’re pregnant. What you eat when you’re pregnant can affect your GRAND CHILDREN’S health and genetics. There are multi-generational effects to what you eat (and do) during your pregnancy. That is how important your diet is right now. Start eating eggs, seafood, grass-fed butter, cheese, liver, lots and lots of green and leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, and plenty of roots and tubers. Please talk to a dietitian. As far as your supplements, iron could be lower. D should not be 6200 IU. Magnesium and Omegas could be higher. Don’t worry about EPA or DHA. Just take more of both.

  42. Hi sir I’m so confused with epa dha ratio in pregnant and lactation… What is the best recommended EPA DHA content should I take? Is it safe to take EPA 330mg and DHA 220mg or should I get more? What about the bleeding issue in EPA? I’m in my 2nd trimester… Any clinical study to prove.. I would love to hear from you.. Thank you in advance I love reading your blogs

    • Hi Meg – you are over-thinking this. Get 900 to 1000 mg of DHA, especially by the time you’re in your third trimester. In your first and second trimesters, you can make do with a little less. Don’t worry about ratios. As they say, just do it!

      Of course, if you happen to take more EPA in addition to the 1000 mg of DHA, that’s great. There is no proven risk of bleeding with EPA, let alone at doses you’re talking about. Still, talk to your OB about what you’re taking. More here: http://www.omegavia.com/fish-oil-bleeding-risk/

  43. Hi Vin,
    I’m 4 weeks pregnant. I found the prenatal called healthy mama be well rounded. The DHA is 450 mg in there. Do you think this is a good prenatal? Should I take more omega-3 now or I need to consult my OB first before I take any supplement? Because I heard that you have to tell your doctor any supplement you take besides prenatal.
    Thank you for your time.

    • Hi Lammy – this product has 450 mg of Omega-3. It’s NOT 450 mg of DHA. It could be regular ol fish oil that’s being passed off as a prenatal product. They do not say how much DHA is in there. To me, this is totally unacceptable in a prenatal formula. There are two things I expect to easily see in a prenatal Omega-3: 1) does it have DHA? and 2) how much DHA does it have?

      Pregnant women need to know how much DHA they are taking.

      Should you take more Omega-3? Yes. Talk to your OB and get 900 – 1000 mg DHA during your third trimester. A little less is fine for the first two trimesters.

  44. Hi, is it necessary to take dha, and omega 3 capsules from two different sources, please explain why?

    Like the omega via fish oil
    And the Nordic naturals dha

    • Hi Dima – no, you don’t need two sources at all. If you’re pregnant, just make sure you’re getting a lot of DHA and some EPA.

  45. From what I remember it think you mentioned that your wife took both during her pregnancy with the twins? No
    Yes I’m 5 weeks pregnant
    I wanted to get myself started with the right prenatal vitamins and dha supplements.

    • Hi Dima – yes, she did. She got plenty of DHA, but I wanted her to get EPA as well to reduce inflammation and serve other functions.

  46. Hi, could it be possible that eating DHA makes fetus’s BPD bigger than normal, which causes difficulty during delivery? Thanks!

    • Hi Jasmine – no. Your baby’s head size will NOT swell to unusual proportions if you take DHA during pregnancy.

  47. hello,
    Just stumbled upon. Your website and found it extremely informative! My daughter is 4 weeks pregnant with PCOS. She is suffering from extreme anxiety right now. She has been taking a prenatal for a year now and calcium +D3 (Wallgreens brand). She read online that there was lead associated with the Wallgreens brand and is having an extreme anxiety attack! Can you tell me if you think this is true and if it would have caused any damage to the baby already? She does not eat Dairy (she was a Vegan) but has added chicken, fish and eggs into her diet.
    Thanks so much!

    • Hi Sue – get a copy of Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code. Read it thoroughly. Quickly. Make some big dietary changes quickly. Talk to a professional dietitian – google ‘Paleo dietitian’ and talk to one of the certified ones. There are quite a few nutrients that I’d rank higher than calcium in terms of importance during pregnancy…mostly because calcium is not difficult to get if you eat a good diet planned by a dietitian. SO GLAD to hear that she’s added chicken, fish and eggs into her diet. She is likely deficient in a few nutrients and needs to get them addressed quickly. Pregnancy is not the time to go on a vegan diet. Others disagree, but I feel very strongly about this. You should also know that anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications during pregnancy can add a lot of risk to the baby’s health. I would tackle this from a diet and lifestyle perspective first. Mention to the dietitian that she has PCOS. I am not a fan of any of the prenatals, but this one is somewhat better than most: http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Prenatal-Multivitamin-Capsules/dp/B005JAT3TU/ it is still very low in magnesium and she may need to supplement with Natural Calm (magnesium supplement.)

      Toss the Walgreens crap. Talk to a dietitian. Get Healthy Baby Code. Fix her diet NOW!! Get Natural Calm. More veggies. More eggs yolk. More seafood. More Omega-3. Chicken liver if she’ll handle it. Grass-fed butter. Cut out sugar, soy, packaged and process foods. Cut out most things that come in packages, cans, or food products that have a UPC code. ONLY eat stuff that was alive a few days ago.

  48. hello,
    Just stumbled upon. Your website and found it extremely informative! My daughter is 4 weeks pregnant with PCOS. She is suffering from extreme anxiety right now. She has been taking a prenatal for a year now and calcium +D3 (Wallgreens brand). She read online that there was lead associated with the Wallgreens brand and is having an extreme anxiety attack! Can you tell me if you think this is true and if it would have caused any damage to the baby already? She does not eat Dairy (she was a Vegan) but has added chicken, fish and eggs into her diet.
    Thanks so much!

    • Hi Sue – get a copy of Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code. Read it thoroughly. Quickly. Make some big dietary changes quickly. Talk to a professional dietitian – google ‘Paleo dietitian’ and talk to one of the certified ones. There are quite a few nutrients that I’d rank higher than calcium in terms of importance during pregnancy…mostly because calcium is not difficult to get if you eat a good diet planned by a dietitian. SO GLAD to hear that she’s added chicken, fish and eggs into her diet. She is likely deficient in a few nutrients and needs to get them addressed quickly. Pregnancy is not the time to go on a vegan diet. Others disagree, but I feel very strongly about this. You should also know that anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications during pregnancy can add a lot of risk to the baby’s health. I would tackle this from a diet and lifestyle perspective first. Mention to the dietitian that she has PCOS. I am not a fan of any of the prenatals, but this one is somewhat better than most: http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Prenatal-Multivitamin-Capsules/dp/B005JAT3TU/ it is still very low in magnesium and she may need to supplement with Natural Calm (magnesium supplement.)

      Toss the Walgreens crap. Talk to a dietitian. Get Healthy Baby Code. Fix her diet NOW!! Get Natural Calm. More veggies. More eggs yolk. More seafood. More Omega-3. Chicken liver if she’ll handle it. Grass-fed butter. Cut out sugar, soy, packaged and process foods. Cut out most things that come in packages, cans, or food products that have a UPC code. ONLY eat stuff that was alive a few days ago.

  49. Hi Vin,

    I’m so happy I found your blog.
    My wife is 7 weeks pregnant now and she’s taking a supplement manufactured by Nature’s Way with the following content:
    Fish Oil (Sardines, Tuna) – 1,000mg
    Omega-3 Fatty Acids – 700mg
    DHA – 500mg
    EPA – 200mg
    Vitamin E (as d- alpha tocopherol) 10IU
    She’s taking 1 softgel a day.

    A Doctor of the Distributing Company here in the Philippines said that this supplement should only be taken until 37th week of pregnancy because of the blood thinning effect of the supplement.
    Some also said to stop taking this when 6th month pregnant because this will make the baby large and will cause difficulty in delivery.

    Please enlighten me up about this. It’s our first baby and I want to make sure my wife and baby will get the needed nutrients.

    Thank you so much.. and hope to hear from you.

    • Hi Marky – your wife’s Omega routine is fine. Even though there is no clear evidence of Omega-3 producing blood thinning effects at these levels, I would go with your doctor’s advice.

      It is a VERY BAD idea to stop taking Omega-3 at 6 months because the last three months are when the baby needs Omega-3 the most. There is ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF that taking Omega-3 will make the baby too large. If that were the case, our twins should have been born with watermelon-sized heads. This is a myth and is utter nonsense. Do not stop taking Omega-3 at 6 months! I usually tell people to double their Omega-3 intake after 6 months.

  50. I am 14 weeks pregnant now, my age as on 20th Sept’ 2014 is 38 years. I have multiple Fibroid one measuring 51×41 mm and a new one that is developed towards the Anterior Wall measuring 46×35 mm noted during my recent scan. What should be my Omega 3 content intake either from Tablets/Capsules and various forms of food that would boost Omega 3 Fatty acids? also I request you to please provide me a healthy diet chart for reducing my Fibroid.
    Regards
    Vaishali

    • Hi Vaishali – I suggest you work with your doctor and his/her dietitian on addressing the fibroid issue. For your pregnancy, I suggest you get about 500 mg Omega-3 DHA now and as you get to the third trimester, aim for at least 900 or 1000 mg of DHA. If the fish oil products you find have both DHA and EPA, that’s fine. Focus on the amount of DHA, which is what your developing baby needs for proper growth. Also, eat a lot of egg yolks (at least 2 per day) – there are many essential nutrients in yolks that you and your developing baby need.

  51. Hi Vin… I had 2 miscarriage earlier due to which during 3rd pregnancy doctor gave Ecosprin a blood thinner to consume daily along with Deltheparin injection daily till end of pregnancy. I finally have a baby boy now. Now that I am in 11th week of pregnancy , doctor having looked at my history told me to continue with Ecosprin till end of pregnancy. Since I was now thinking to have fish oil supplement , I am worried that Ecosprin n fish oil both vl act as double dose for blood thinning. So how ideal would it be to consume fish oil daily as my diet habit is not good due to vomiting.

    • Hi sumana – regardless of blood thinning drugs, vomiting etc., you still need a lot of DHA during the pregnancy. DO NOT AVOID DHA during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about making sure you have adequate levels of DHA in your prenatal. I think not taking DHA would be a bigger risk than taking it, particularly for your babies brain and eye development. But do this with careful medical supervision. More here: http://www.omegavia.com/fish-oil-bleeding-risk/

  52. Hello Is taking 800mg of Epa and 500 of dha (carlson very finest fish oil) during pregnancy enough for someone suffering from anxiety and depression? Or should I increase Epa intake? Thank you

    • Hi Kate – your dosage is fine, but you could double it once you approach your third trimester. Make sure your magnesium intake is adequate. Of course, talk to your doctor about this. This would be a VERY bad time to begin taking anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medications. Do whatever you can with diet and lifestyle changes to address the mood issues.

  53. Hi, I’m expecting triplets and I was reading this blog about fish oil.. I’m 17 weeks pregnant and I’ve been only taking 1 dose of 1000mg of fish oil soft capsule. I have a question, if your wife was taking this dose for her twins, should I be taking 3 OmegaVia Pills and 3 Carlsons Super DHA?
    Two OmegaVia pills = 2210 mg Omega-3 (520 mg DHA)
    Two Carlsons Super DHA Gems = 1000 mg DHA
    Thanks for your great blog!

    • Hi Maria – first, congratulations!!! You should be taking more of everything, not just Omega-3. Please work with a dietitian and get your diet fixed. In the meantime, I suggest eating 2-3 eggs per day and lots of vegetables. Reduce sugar and grains. Substitute root vegetables for grains. You dont have to take OmegaVia or Carlsons – just aim for 2000 to 3000 mg of Omega-3 with a large portion of it being DHA. Read the bottom part of the blog with suggestions for other nutrients often missing from diets.

  54. Great article Vin! I’m currently 14 weeks pregnant and i’ve been taking 1 Omegavia, 1 Carlson gem, vitamin D and my prenatal vitamin since 4 weeks (I’m also taking a baby aspirin because of my history of loss…I have a 4 year old son and then 3 early losses). Everything is going great with this pregnancy but when I asked my dr about how much fish oil to take he kind of laughed and said “don’t go crazy on me!” And said I should be taking 200mg a day…this is so frustrating because I feel like he doesn’t take this seriously and now I feel like I’m over dosing!! Are there any published articles I can show him to prove his advice is out of date??

    • Hi Caroline – I can understand your frustration. Unless you’re eating wild salmon three or four times a week, you need to supplement with fish oil during pregnancy. If your doctor thinks you’re ‘crazy’ for taking Omega-3 during pregnancy, then I’m afraid your doctor is stuck in a long-gone era. By ‘doctor,’ I assume you’re talking about your OB/GYN. To think that an OB thinks this is crazy, is, well, crazy! Besides all the health benefits for the baby, Omega-3 helps with preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) and may help with post-partum depression.

      Your baby’s brain alone will accumulate 67 mg of DHA every single day during the third trimester. This doesn’t account for the rest of the baby’s developing body or yours. Reference: Clandinin MT, Chappell JE, Heim T, Swyer PR, Chance GW. Fatty acid utilization in perinatal de novo synthesis of tissues. Early Hum Dev. 1981;5(4):355–66.

      More than 80% of women do not get this amount of Omega-3 during pregnancy. Women are limiting seafood consumption due to overblown and exaggerated warnings about mercury exposure. So supplementation or eating wild seafood is a must. Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12540410

      Download Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code.

      Caroline – it is neither your battle nor mine to educate uninformed doctors. You are informed enough to realize that your doctor does not know much about nutrition or the impact nutrition has on your health. He may be brilliant at diagnosis and treatment. He may have fantastic bedside manner. He may truly care about you and your family. But is he good at prevention? My guess is a hard NO. He is also ignorant about nutrition and that, to me, is a deal breaker.

      Here is a quote by Dr Terry Wahls, MD…a doctor who gets it:


      “For those who wonder why the mainstream doctors have not embraced diet as a treatment strategies – Read THE TIPPING POINT – How little things can make a big difference.

      New ideas spread gradually. You can be an early adopter or a later adopter. It took 200 years for the navies of the world to give vitamin C rich foods to prevent Scurvy which decimated the sailors for centuries.

      It took 30 years for the idea of Helicobacter pylori infections as the primary cause for stomach ulcers.

      Medicine usually takes 30 to 50 years for clinical ideas to spread. I am giving the public the chance to skip the 30 to 50 years while we do the science.

      You can be an early adopter and start making dietary changes now to improve your health and reverse chronic disease problems — or you can wait the 30 to 50 years and be a late adopter.

      Both are valid choices. It will depend on which makes the most sense to you. Are you an innovator, early adopter, late adopter, or a resistor?”

      – Terry Wahls MD

  55. I am 4 weeks pregnant..I am taking prenate mini with dha 350 mg..I need more magnesium for my anxiety and stress.. I don’t know which brand to try..I will visit my dr next week….can I try floradix liquid magnesium , Mother Earth liqiud magnesium( angstrom)..both say safe in pregnancy.. I don’t want tablet type..citrate magnesium should not be use in first trimester…I am low in vitamin D too .so to absorb vitamin d need more magnesium..

    • Hi Vimala – Floradix does not contain enough magnesium. Other than that, it is fine. You need at least 400 mg per day. With Floradix, you’d get 250 mg with 4 teaspoons. Not worth it. Mother Earth seems OK but I could not find how much Mag is present in that product. I do not know where the myth of mag citrate and first trimester came about. Nonsense, if you ask me. Check with your doctor about this. There are dozens of good magnesium products you could take. Dont limit yourself to these weak liquids.

      • Hello vin,
        I just saw in Mother Earth website..it 2000ppm and one tsp is 10 mg..since its is angstrom ( magnesium chloride) safe in pregnancy i was about to take..what about Remag and Relyte. dr Carolyn dean magnesium brand ..I saw in her article it is perfectly safe..it is pico ionic magnesium ..

        • Vimala – 2000 ppm is nothing. Slightly stronger than tap water in Florida. ReMag is fine, although I suspect you will need more than half teaspoon. You could take ReLyte in addition to ReMag to get the other minerals. Although I am not a fan of getting non-magnesium minerals in liquid form.

    • Hi Carolyn – will DHA help you GET pregnant? I don’t know for sure, because there aren’t enough studies to say with certainty. But…the body knows these things. There are a lot more nutrients you body needs to be primed for pregnancy. And it’s not just you – it’s your partner too! HE NEEDS to take DHA too. Sperm takes 90 days to mature – and sperm contains a lot of DHA. So if you want healthy, motile sperm, he will need to take DHA as well. He’ll need antioxidants too. Also, you need Folate 3 months BEFORE pregnancy. Most OB/GYNs give out Folic acid supplements after pregnancy – this is kinda silly because you need it more BEFORE and after pregnancy. There are lots of nutrients – stuff you will get only if you eat a lot of eggs, liver (yes, liver), veggies, seafood, fruits and nuts. I’d get a copy of Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code and read the whole thing.

    • Hi Carolyn – will DHA help you GET pregnant? I don’t know for sure, because there aren’t enough studies to say with certainty. But…the body knows these things. There are a lot more nutrients you body needs to be primed for pregnancy. And it’s not just you – it’s your partner too! HE NEEDS to take DHA too. Sperm takes 90 days to mature – and sperm contains a lot of DHA. So if you want healthy, motile sperm, he will need to take DHA as well. He’ll need antioxidants too. Also, you need Folate 3 months BEFORE pregnancy. Most OB/GYNs give out Folic acid supplements after pregnancy – this is kinda silly because you need it more BEFORE and after pregnancy. There are lots of nutrients – stuff you will get only if you eat a lot of eggs, liver (yes, liver), veggies, seafood, fruits and nuts. I’d get a copy of Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code and read the whole thing.

  56. Hi Vin,

    thank you SO much for the amazing information. I am currently 18 months pregnant and have been trying to follow your advice regarding which supplements to take. would you mind telling me if I am missing any supplements or whether I should add/adjust any? This is what I take daily:

    Garden of Life Prenatal Vitamin (3 capsules daily)

    Nordic Naturals Pretanatal DHA – 3 capsules daily (that gives me 135 mg EPA and 675 mg DHA)

    Garden of Life B Complex (2 capsules daily)

    Garden of Life Calcium (4 capsules daily)

    I take those along with a healthy, balanced diet. My questions are, am I missing any supplements? With respect to the Nordic Naturals, should I take 4 capsules instead of 3? (the suggested dose is 2 capsules, but I know that’s too low). Next, do I also need to incorporate in some fish oil? If so, how is that different than DHA? Lastly, are there any other supplements I am missing?

    I can’t thank you enough. I am very very appreciative for your help.

    • Hi Sheila – I think every pregnant woman should focus on diet more than supplements. It’s just hard to outrun a so-so diet with a bunch of pills. Diets have consequences and this is not a time to slack on diet quality. Of course, I have no idea what your diet it, but this is generally good advice for every pregnant woman. Having said that, even if you have a great diet, it is difficult to get enough magnesium, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 and Vitamin D. You might want to look into a good magnesium supplement. We’ll be introducing one in a month or two, but get some quickly. Aim for 400 to 500 mg of Magnesium. Your prenatal has some Vitamin K2, but you’d do better with about twice that much. Aim for 100 mcg. You could add a good pharmaceutical grade fish oil on top of your DHA routine, after all, you need Omega-3 too. I assume you OB has measured your Vitamin D status. Since it is winter time, you will probably need more D than what’s in the prenatal. Until it is warm enough to get a full body tan, take 5000 IU of D3.

      • Thanks Vin! Can you explain how fish oils (omega 3’s) are different than the nordic naturals DHA that I am already taking? I am alittle confused. They sound like the same thing to me.

        • Hi Sheila – prenatal DHA supplements are mostly DHA with very little EPA. Fish oils usually contain both EPA and DHA. EPA can have a big influence on mood and inflammation, so it is worth taking both.

            • Hi Sheila – I’m obviously biased towards OmegaVia. But there are other good pharmaceutical grade fish oils – you can see for yourself at IFOS Reports and at Labdoor.

  57. Hi Vin,

    thank you SO much for the amazing information. I am currently 18 months pregnant and have been trying to follow your advice regarding which supplements to take. would you mind telling me if I am missing any supplements or whether I should add/adjust any? This is what I take daily:

    Garden of Life Prenatal Vitamin (3 capsules daily)

    Nordic Naturals Pretanatal DHA – 3 capsules daily (that gives me 135 mg EPA and 675 mg DHA)

    Garden of Life B Complex (2 capsules daily)

    Garden of Life Calcium (4 capsules daily)

    I take those along with a healthy, balanced diet. My questions are, am I missing any supplements? With respect to the Nordic Naturals, should I take 4 capsules instead of 3? (the suggested dose is 2 capsules, but I know that’s too low). Next, do I also need to incorporate in some fish oil? If so, how is that different than DHA? Lastly, are there any other supplements I am missing?

    I can’t thank you enough. I am very very appreciative for your help.

  58. Great article! My questions are short; i take “Nature Made” Fish Oil which contains
    -EPA & DHA of 500 mg
    -Total Omega 3 Fatty Acids of 600 mg
    I see Magnesium In here, Ive had Migraines since i was a teenager, My Midwife gave me Magnesium pills to take every day during my pregnancy to help reduce headaches. I am a little freaked out by taking my Prenatal, Magnesium & Fish Oil everyday. What is your opinion on this?

    • Hi Nabille – why are you freaked out about taking a prenatal, magnesium and fish oil? If you are concerned, talk to your doctor. These are important nutrients and extremely safe and the risk of not taking them might be far higher than any perceived risk of taking them.

  59. Hello vin,
    I am 5 weeks pregnant had urine test with trace of protein and trace leukocytes..I am much worried about protein..I have high blood pressure when I am anxious..I am worried about preeclampsia.. Magnesium helps to lower blood pressure and preeclampia it seems ..I already taking omegavia..can I try remag..I am so stressed.. Please help… What are precaution from my side…

    • Hi Vimala – I can’t counsel you on the protein and leukocytes – that’s something you need to discuss with your OB/GYN. Life (and pregnancy) will give you lots of things to worry about. And then being a parent means always having to sleep with one eye open. That’s just life. But how you deal with things and your state of mind DURING pregnancy affects the physical biology of your unborn child. So this should be an incentive to get your health in order. If I’ve not already mentioned it to you, download Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code. I’ve given you all the magnesium advice I can in our previous discussions – I think at this point, you need to get unfrozen and increase your magnesium content…may be start with leafy green vegetables, pumpkin seed and other kinds of seeds.

      • My doctor told me everything fine..she told me to start with magnesium after 3 months..planning to take Mother Earth magnesium since it is absorbed at cellular level with no laxative effect..

  60. I am 8 weeks pregnant..I was taking prenate mini. But last three days due to vomiting can’t take any prenatal .. Started taking bellybar chewable prenatal .. But it has no dha .. Can I take carlson liquid fish oil( omega3 +dha+EPA) I can’t swallow any tablet now I am vomiting most of the time…please help..

  61. Hi I love your article, it is the most informative article I’ve ever read about omega 3. My question is, my daughter is 3 years old and my son is 1 I would like to start them on fish oil as well..how can I do that and how much should I give them? Also how early can children be started on a fish oil supplements? TIA.

  62. Hello vin,
    I am 10 weeks pregnant ..till 8 weeks I was taking quatrafolic (600mcg) in prenatal … Due to vommiting I am taking bellybar chewable prenatal vitamins..it has 800 mcg folic acid ..is it safe to take synthetic folic acid till 12 weeks..and for dha I am taking carlson kids chewable dha (2 ).. Shall I continue these prenatal …

    • Hi Prem – the quatrafolic is a much better and safer form of Folate than Folic. The time to take Folate is a couple of months BEFORE pregnancy and for a few weeks after…which you’ve done. You should discuss any other concerns with your OB. The kids’ chewable DHA is fine. You may need more than 2.

  63. Hello Vin,
    Your article is very good. I am pregnant with twins and 19 week now. I was taking 1 prenatal vitamin (pregvit) per day however I think this amount is for single baby. Should I start taking 2 since I have twins?

    • Hi Hazel – congratulations! You should talk to your doctor about this. I find most nutrient levels in prenatal vitamins to be incorrect and inadequate, so you will need to discuss with you OB and nutritionist.

  64. Hi Vin, I’m currently 13weeks pregnant and have been taking Pregnacare prenatal tablet. I live in UK and would like to know if this brand is safe enough for the fish oil tablet also. This brand contains Omega 3 fisl oil – 600mg
    DHA – 300mg
    EPA – 60 mg
    Please let me know how many tablets should i be taking in each trimister. Also could you recommend any other trusted UK brand. Thank you very much.

    • Hi G3 – the last time I was in the UK (about 2 years ago), there were quite a few good Omega-3 products. I think doubling your dosage to get 600 mg DHA is a better idea for the second trimester and possibly triple it for the third. Be sure to discuss this with your doctor.

  65. So thankful to come across this site
    My daughter just found out week ago she is expecting, can’t really tolerate prenatal pills
    Bought nature source plus prenatal liquid but as was reading ingredients has folic but no dha, I been on omega xl and coromega at times was wondering if OK to add

  66. Pregnancy and Mood/ Affective Disorder

    Suppose you are taking fish oil for mood and have made sure that the EPA to DHA ratio is around 2 to 1, so EPA is 60% or more of (EPA+DHA). I’ve read that the EPA in excess of DHA seems to be what helps with mood and anxiety.

    As a woman increases her DHA, pefore pregnancy, during pregnancy and while nursing, should she also increase her EPA to keep the mood benefits?

    • Hi EastCoaster – good question. The short answer is yes. But if you’re having mood issues (outside of pregnancy), it is a sign that you should look into an anti-inflammatory, real food diet. Eat stuff that was alive a few days ago. Fix the chronic, cellular inflammation.

      • Oh, thanks. I do try to eat a healthy diet. This is in the context of using omega-3s as an add-on adjunctive therapy in the context of regular psychiatric and psychological care for bipolar 2. (Long family history of mental illness on both sides of my family; mother has schizophrenia, paternal grandmother was hospitalized for depression and got ECT.)

        I work on my diet, but I try to do everything I can to optimize it. (I do eat plenty of vegetables, a hard-boiled organic egg every day with breakfast and some kefir or greek yogurt. I haven’t developed the taste for many other fermented foods yet. My guess is that the sauerkraut that I like isn’t full of good probiotics. I didn’t care for the fancy kind.

        • Hi EastCoaster – not much you can do about genetics, but we live in very interesting times. We now know that genes do not have to be destiny. The expression of those inherited genes is controlled by what you eat…how much you move…how much you socialize/minimize stress…how much sunshine you’re exposed to. And, of course, what state your gut microbiome is in. You have plenty of control over those things. If I were to pull a number out of thin air, I’d say genetics control about 20% of your health. All these factors TOGETHER can potentially outweigh the genetic hand you were dealt. Or at least minimize the emotional and physical suffering.

          PS: veggies + eggs = awesome!

  67. Hi, My doctor advised me to have prenatal vitamin with dha 200mg and told me to stop folic acid but not vitamin d 5000iu. Now the problem is when we search in stores they are selling natures made prenatal multivitamin +dha 200mg. So please suggest me what to buy n which brand.. Thank you

    • Hi Aditi – you are under your doctor’s care, so we’ll assume they know what they’re talking about when it comes to nutrition. Most doctors have little or no training in this area – they focus on more important acute life-saving stuff. You need Folate in higher than usual doses for a few months BEFORE conception and for about 3-4 months after. After that, regular doses of folate is fine. Taking large doses of folate just prior to delivery isn’t going to help much. Also, look into difference between folate vs folic. You need FOLATE. Most supplements sadly have folic. For now, your doctor’s advise to take prenatal + DHA + Vitamin D3 is solid. You’re better off with this prenatal: http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Vitamin-Prenatal-Capsules/dp/B005JAT3TU/ but you will need more DHA than 200 mg. We’ll be introducing a 600 mg DHA (per pill) product in a few months that you may want to consider, but in the meantime, take at least twice as much as you’re taking. I suggest you re-read the article above and all the other Q&A above as well.

  68. Hi I suffered extreme post partum depression and anxiety with my first and now with my second I feel the symptoms creeping in slowly I started taking omega during pregnancy but I occasionally missed taking them. I now take B complex, magnesium, omega 900 mg and vit D 1000 iu is it too late will taking extra doses help prevent full blown anxiety? Thanks

    • Hi Mimi – you may need a lot more than 900 mg Omega-3. I doubt it is too late, but even late is better than never. Talk to your doctor about taking a higher dose of Omega-3 every day – may be 2000 or 3000 mg per day. I strongly suggest you look up a whole foods or paleo dietitian in your area who specializes in prenatal nutrition and who knows how to put you on a customized anti-inflammatory diet. Anti-depressants are not a good idea during pregnancy, but talk to your doctor about it after delivery or after you stop breast feeding.

  69. hi, i am now almost 3mos pregnant and i am drinking fish oil even before i got pregnant…i just want to make sure if i am drinking the right dosage of epa and dha…i am taking barlean’s ideal omega 3 with 750mg epa and 250mg dha…i am taking it once a day together with my folic acid…is my dosage correct and safe? thanks!

    • Hi Bernice – this is fine. Talk to your doctor about taking a full prenatal multivitamin. Once you reach the last 3 months of pregnancy, take two to three times as much Omega-3.

  70. Hi!

    I’ve heard that taking omega3s can inhibit the cervix from ripening (they act as prostiglandin inhibitors?) so it may be a good idea to stop taking omega 3s after around 38wks pregnant. I’m currently taking 1200mg EPA and 600mg DHA daily (2capsules of webber naturals omega 3s), but was thinking of reducing to 1capsule around 38 weeks. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.

    • Hi Jessica – you’re so close to being due, so I’d check with your doctor about ANYTHING you change. This is the point when the baby’s brain and eyes need very high doses of DHA. There is an unbelievable number of neurons being formed in the brain and each neuron needs DHA. If you don’t supplement with DHA, no worries – the baby will simply take from your body. Sometimes, OBs want fewer things added to the mix just prior to delivery. So some doctors have their patients stop everything just before delivery. This is part of the reason why I suggest you get 900 to 100 mg of DHA during months 7 and 8. If you stop taking Omegas now, make sure you start taking at least this dose when you begin breastfeeding.

  71. Hi
    My wife is in her 3rd Trimester in the sense she is completing 8th month Pregnancy, as per your advice in the past she has been taking OMEGA -3. Is it good to continue the same even after the delivery? if so how much of EPA & DHA Content should it have..?

    • Hi Chandrakanth – yes, absolutely. The baby needs a lot of Omega-3 right after birth, thru year 3 to develop their brains and eyes. If your wife is planning on breast feeding, then definitely, continue the same Omega-3 dosage. Get at least 500 mg of DHA per day. 900 to 1000 would be better.

    • Hi Danita – Lovaza is indicated for use in triglyceride lowering. Of course, it has DHA and that’s something I suggest you talk to your doctor about.

  72. Hi Vin,
    I am 22 weeks pregnant..I am taking select ob + dha prenatal vitamin..it has 450 mg algae oil proving 250 mg dha..is it OK..or I have to take only from fish oil source.. I haven’t put any weight gain my doctor put me on ensure drink which has lot of sugar..may I know whether your wife used any protein powder brand drinks with twins…

    • Hi Uthra – the source of DHA is irrelevant. As long as you get about 600 mg DHA during the first two trimesters and about 900 mg during the third, you and baby will have enough. Yes, Ensure is full not sugar. It is not a real food – it is a product. Always eat real food – veggies, fruits, seafood, meats, eggs, nuts, and seeds. An occasional whey protein drink is OK if you’re not eating enough meat, seafood, and eggs.

  73. Hi Vin,

    Thanks for your article. I found it very interesting. I am 30 yrs old and I have be trying to get pregnant for year and half now. I have been taking Pregvit5 proscribed by my doctor. And last month, I was diagnosed with multiple and bulky fibroids size 3.1 cm to 9.1cm, the largest one at the the fundus of uterus. A friend of mine suggested me to ask my doctor if I can take add to Pregvet 5 the Cod liver oil softgel.
    I don’t know what to do. I really want to have children. Please what do you think?
    Thanks

    • Hi Bernada – you will improve your chances of pregnancy greatly if BOTH you and your partner improve your diet – a whole-foods, anti-inflammatory, real-food type diet. Of course, you’ll have to deal with the fibroids first. I am not a fan of prenatal vitamins at all – not because they are not important, but because they are almost always very poorly formulated with the wrong type and amount of ingredients. But it is better than nothing. Cod liver oil is OK at best. You’re better off with a high quality Omega-3. Your partner will also need this because sperm motility is strongly influenced by DHA Omega-3 levels.

  74. Hello
    My daughter is 21 weeks
    I bought her the super Carlson fish oil and her prenatal has 200 of DHA
    Just seeing you recommend the omegevia as well I take omegaXL would this be something similar and what would be the total max amount of all this could take
    She really don’t like the large pills of the Carlson and looks likes the omegavia is pretty large as well thank you

    • Hi Denise – the Carlson super DHA gems are a good option. Pass on the OmegaXL. If she does not like the Carlsons because of the pill size, she will not like the regular OmegaVia. We will be introducing a smaller DHA pill in a couple of months. But in the meantime, Carlsons is the best bet.

  75. Hello!

    Thank you very much for your article. You have
    written about omega 3 during pregnancy and lactating, can you also write about vitamins during lactating? I don’t really want to use the supplements with all kinds of vitamins in them, like Pregnacare or Elevit. Thank you in advance!

  76. Hello!

    Thank you very much for your article. You have
    written about omega 3 during pregnancy and lactating, can you also write about vitamins during lactating? I don’t really want to use the supplements with all kinds of vitamins in them, like Pregnacare or Elevit. Thank you in advance!

  77. Hello im suffering from clinical anxiety and depression. Im currently taking good quality fish oil supplement of total omega-3 2400mg (1600EPA & 400DHA). Im getting extra 500mg of omega-3 from hemp protein powder that im taking daily. My diet is whole food, mostly organic with lots of nuts too. I know recommendation for omega-3 is between 2-3 g. My question is if you can take 3g from supplements plus get a bit extra from other food sources or you shouldnt exceed 3g in total(supplements+food). Im always worried about taking too much. Are those doses safe in pregnancy? With my first pregnancy i suffered from bad anxiety and depression and my pregnancy ended in miscarriage (the end of second trimester). I didnt take any onega-3 supplements at the time tho. Im trying to support my body now prior to getting pregnant again. Thank you.

    • Hi Anna – your Omega-3 dose is fine. You may want to back off on the nuts and hemp stuff – they are both high in Omega-6, which increases your need for Omega-3 and drives inflammation, which can feed your anxiety and depression. I suggest you work with a dietitian to help you nail down a whole-foods, anti-inflammatory, paleo type diet. Chances are that you will need to work on healing your gut – find a dietitian or integrative medicine practitioner who can help you with both. In the meantime, focus on eating green leafy veggies, root veggies, eggs, seafood, grass-fed meats, fruits, and yes, a few nuts. Basically stuff that was alive a few days ago.

  78. Hello im suffering from clinical anxiety and depression. Im currently taking good quality fish oil supplement of total omega-3 2400mg (1600EPA & 400DHA). Im getting extra 500mg of omega-3 from hemp protein powder that im taking daily. My diet is whole food, mostly organic with lots of nuts too. I know recommendation for omega-3 is between 2-3 g. My question is if you can take 3g from supplements plus get a bit extra from other food sources or you shouldnt exceed 3g in total(supplements+food). Im always worried about taking too much. Are those doses safe in pregnancy? With my first pregnancy i suffered from bad anxiety and depression and my pregnancy ended in miscarriage (the end of second trimester). I didnt take any onega-3 supplements at the time tho. Im trying to support my body now prior to getting pregnant again. Thank you.

    • Hi Anna – your Omega-3 dose is fine. You may want to back off on the nuts and hemp stuff – they are both high in Omega-6, which increases your need for Omega-3 and drives inflammation, which can feed your anxiety and depression. I suggest you work with a dietitian to help you nail down a whole-foods, anti-inflammatory, paleo type diet. Chances are that you will need to work on healing your gut – find a dietitian or integrative medicine practitioner who can help you with both. In the meantime, focus on eating green leafy veggies, root veggies, eggs, seafood, grass-fed meats, fruits, and yes, a few nuts. Basically stuff that was alive a few days ago.

  79. Hello Vin,
    In my first pregnancy I did not have any diabetics at 24- 28 week blood test..In this pregnancy I developed gd..I am very upset..I am avoiding white rice and moved to strict diet..will Carlson super dha control my sugar level..I heared d omega 3 will increase fasting glucose level…
    Some research says dha will lowers blood sugar..I am confused .I bought Nordic prenatal dha with 450 mg dha and epa 90 mg.
    .already my prenatal has 30iu of vitamin E and Nordic it has 15 iu( vitamin E)..am I overdosing vitamin E?please help me
    ..I am afraid of GD ..this pregnancy has been very tough. My prenatal has algae based dha with 250mg…

    • Hi uthra – you are right to be concerned about blood glucose and gestational diabetes…but your concerns are a bit misplaced. I would not worry about Omega-3s contributing to this. As long as you are taking suggested dosages, there isn’t anything to worry about. Grains, juices, soft drinks contribute to blood sugar spikes. Lack of activity also does not help. Focus on these lifestyle/diet issues.

      No, you’re not overdosing on Vitamin E.

  80. Hello Vin,
    In my first pregnancy I did not have any diabetics at 24- 28 week blood test..In this pregnancy I developed gd..I am very upset..I am avoiding white rice and moved to strict diet..will Carlson super dha control my sugar level..I heared d omega 3 will increase fasting glucose level…
    Some research says dha will lowers blood sugar..I am confused .I bought Nordic prenatal dha with 450 mg dha and epa 90 mg.
    .already my prenatal has 30iu of vitamin E and Nordic it has 15 iu( vitamin E)..am I overdosing vitamin E?please help me
    ..I am afraid of GD ..this pregnancy has been very tough. My prenatal has algae based dha with 250mg…

    • Hi uthra – you are right to be concerned about blood glucose and gestational diabetes…but your concerns are a bit misplaced. I would not worry about Omega-3s contributing to this. As long as you are taking suggested dosages, there isn’t anything to worry about. Grains, juices, soft drinks contribute to blood sugar spikes. Lack of activity also does not help. Focus on these lifestyle/diet issues.

      No, you’re not overdosing on Vitamin E.

  81. Hi Vin,
    After so many questions and discussions would you mind to summarize how much pills would you recommend to take for the following supplements before, during and after pregnancy? To help others would be nice summarize how much supplements facts will be getting from each pill bellow:
    – Folate (Quatrefolic 400 mg from Doctor’s Best)
    – OmegaVia Fish Oil (just got from your website)
    – Nuture Me (www.premiumomega.com) only until you lunch the OmegaVia DHA 😉
    Thanks!

    • Hi Christian – here are my suggestions:

      1. Instead of the Dr. Best Folate, take 1 Jarrow B-Right per day: http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-B-right-Complex-Veggie/dp/B0016003Z0/
      2. OmegaVia – 2 per day
      3. DHA – Nurture Me – 2 per day or one OmegaVia DHA 600 per day. The OmegaVia DHA will become available on Amazon.com in July/August 2015 and on this website in Aug/Sep 2015.

      Please re-read the section of this article (at the bottom) about common deficiencies during pregnancy. Choline, Magnesium, and Vitamin K2 are often missing. Test for Vit D3 levels. Take a broad spectrum probiotic.

  82. Hi Vin,
    After so many questions and discussions would you mind to summarize how much pills would you recommend to take for the following supplements before, during and after pregnancy? To help others would be nice summarize how much supplements facts will be getting from each pill bellow:
    – Folate (Quatrefolic 400 mg from Doctor’s Best)
    – OmegaVia Fish Oil (just got from your website)
    – Nuture Me (www.premiumomega.com) only until you lunch the OmegaVia DHA 😉
    Thanks!

    • Hi Christian – here are my suggestions:

      1. Instead of the Dr. Best Folate, take 1 Jarrow B-Right per day: http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-B-right-Complex-Veggie/dp/B0016003Z0/
      2. OmegaVia – 2 per day
      3. DHA – Nurture Me – 2 per day or one OmegaVia DHA 600 per day. The OmegaVia DHA will become available on Amazon.com in July/August 2015 and on this website in Aug/Sep 2015.

      Please re-read the section of this article (at the bottom) about common deficiencies during pregnancy. Choline, Magnesium, and Vitamin K2 are often missing. Test for Vit D3 levels. Take a broad spectrum probiotic.

  83. Hi Vin,
    As you mentioned above half egg yolk a week – not a day – is enough to get the recommended dosage of Choline for a pregnant woman? Thnaks.

    • Hi Christian – half an egg yolk a week? No, that’s not anywhere near enough. You’ll need one or two egg yolks a day.

  84. Hi Vin,
    As you mentioned above half egg yolk a week – not a day – is enough to get the recommended dosage of Choline for a pregnant woman? Thnaks.

    • Hi Christian – half an egg yolk a week? No, that’s not anywhere near enough. You’ll need one or two egg yolks a day.

  85. Hi Vin,

    Is Innovix K2 generally safe to take for normal pregnancy?
    http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-InnovixLabs-essential-Soy-free-Capsules/dp/B00T8NROWM

    Or better to stick to natto and hard cheese?

    Is it safe to take half dosage (1 tablet a day) of below for pregnancy?
    http://www.amazon.com/Life-Extension-Two-Per-Day-Tablets-Count/dp/B00EYD3XPI
    A bit concern with the 37.5mg of B6 a day especially when we also take alot of greens.

    Is it necessary to take iron supplement if there is daily consumption of 1 egg, milk (from milk powder) and some meat?

    As always thanks for sharing!

    • Hi Chris – K2 is generally recognized as extremely safe, even at doses higher than what’s found in the product. If you are pregnant, it is always best to run the idea past your OB/GYN. I think you should still try to go for some Natto or hard cheeses in addition to the supplement because hard cheeses have MK-9 version of K2 which is not found in supplement form.

      You cannot take half dosage because the product is a softgel and cannot be broken into two. You could always take it every other day.

      I would contact life extension to see what their technical people have to say about taking the multi while pregnant.

      Generally, if you eat red meat along with some Vitamin C containing fruits and vegetables, you will rarely be iron deficient. But needs change during pregnancy – your doctor should be able to do a quick iron level test, so you won’t have to guess.

  86. Hi Vin,

    Is Innovix K2 generally safe to take for normal pregnancy?
    http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-InnovixLabs-essential-Soy-free-Capsules/dp/B00T8NROWM

    Or better to stick to natto and hard cheese?

    Is it safe to take half dosage (1 tablet a day) of below for pregnancy?
    http://www.amazon.com/Life-Extension-Two-Per-Day-Tablets-Count/dp/B00EYD3XPI
    A bit concern with the 37.5mg of B6 a day especially when we also take alot of greens.

    Is it necessary to take iron supplement if there is daily consumption of 1 egg, milk (from milk powder) and some meat?

    As always thanks for sharing!

    • Hi Chris – K2 is generally recognized as extremely safe, even at doses higher than what’s found in the product. If you are pregnant, it is always best to run the idea past your OB/GYN. I think you should still try to go for some Natto or hard cheeses in addition to the supplement because hard cheeses have MK-9 version of K2 which is not found in supplement form.

      You cannot take half dosage because the product is a softgel and cannot be broken into two. You could always take it every other day.

      I would contact life extension to see what their technical people have to say about taking the multi while pregnant.

      Generally, if you eat red meat along with some Vitamin C containing fruits and vegetables, you will rarely be iron deficient. But needs change during pregnancy – your doctor should be able to do a quick iron level test, so you won’t have to guess.

      • Hi Vin,
        Besides regular diet of meat, greens, fruits and occasionally Gouda cheese and natto, I’m supplementing with the following daily (making best of what is available at where I live):
        – As a base for vitamins and minerals: multivitamin – Garden of Life, Vitamin Code, Raw Prenatal, http://www.gardenoflife.com/Products-for-Life/Vitamin-Code/Multivitamin-Formulas/RAW-Prenatal.aspx
        (I take 2 capsules instead of 3 as I’m also taking 1 glass of milk from Prenatal milk powder)
        – For K2: 1 drop (1 mg) Thorne Research’s MK-4
        – For Choline (and Vit D?): 1 egg and 2 shisamo (Japanese pregnant smelt)
        – For Folate: 400mcg Dr. Best’s Quatrefolic. Vitamin Code (multi vitamin) has some folate as well.
        – For Magnesium: 200mg Dr. Best’s Magnesium glycinate/lysinate
        – For Omega 3: 2.4g EPA, 1.3g DHA from 2 teaspoon of Carlson fish oil & 1 capsule of OmegaVia
        – For Calcium: 400mg Now Food Calcium Citrate powder and probably another 300mg from the Prenatal milk powder

        I’m planning to take these throughout the entire pregnancy.

        Also planning to take some probiotics on my last trimester to reduce baby allergies, with MegaFlora for Baby & Me, https://megafood.com/store/en/digestive/megaflora-baby-me/
        Plan to go for half dosage (1 capsule a day).

        Could I have your opinion if I’m on the right path or if I might be overzealous in certain areas? Especially on Omega 3. My initial reasoning was to have 1g of DHA (for baby) and 2g of EPA (to have 1g of unopposed EPA to minimize Postpartum depression). I just read your comment in other part of the blog that more than 4g of Omega 3 might be going the wrong way. If including other forms of Omega 3 I’m now taking about 4.3g, though its only 3.7g on DHA and EPA.

        As always thanks for sharing your perspective!

        • Hi Chris – wow. I wouldn’t call this plan ‘overzealous’ as you put it. Perhaps eager, thorough, anxious, excited, Type A? Am I close? 🙂

          You cannot outrun a bad diet with supplements. And from what you’ve shared, it sounds like you’re are doing OK with diet. If you simply switch out grains for vegetables, you’re more than half way there. Lots of veggies. Some seafood, meats, eggs, nuts, and fermented stuff like cheese. And a little of whatever odd cravings you may have. After all that, and you’re still not sure that you’re getting everything? Then tap into supplements.

          I’m not sure about that prenatal milk powder thing you’re taking…

          • Spot on! Definitely type A 🙂 Wanted the baby to be as healthy as possible since it could affect 2 generations. The rest is up to him. Yes, its a boy 🙂

            Have also been taking yogurt and seafood twice a week. Frontier science suggested 900mg choline. Not able to get that from 1 to 2 eggs a day but not taking the risk at the moment though I’m standing by choline bitartrate supplement should I need a break from eggs once a while.

            Loved Innovix Probiotics formulation (loved many Innovix products!). Many good bacterias including Lactobacillus reuteri. It’s my first choice for probiotics. Unfortunately Amazon doesn’t ship supplements international (at least not to where I live) and local distributor only carries original Omegavia and Innovix Triple Strength. Hence most of my supplements are from iHerb.

            Appreciate all your sharing and perspective. It was difficult to find good source of objective information that is backed by reputable sources, till I stumbled on your blog.

  87. Hi Vin,

    I have been taking 2 omegavia soft gels a day for quite some time and after reading this article I’ll be purchasing the DHA Gems your wife took. I plan to get my diet in order before I try to conceive in 6 months or more. So, what would your recommendation on omega 3 be for the prepping stages before pregnancy?

    Also, I’m trying to somewhat follow this book by Sally Fallon, which I believe is Weston Price based. (The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care) Obviously I’m taking your stance with fish oil and not going with cod liver oil. My concern and question for you deal with vitamin A. I currently eat lots of grass-fed butter, milk and eggs and will soon incorporate liver a couple of times a week. This book recommends regularly eating those foods I just mentioned, but also the cod liver oil for Vitamin A. If I eat those foods do you think I should be concerned with supplementing to get more vitamin A? I would like to get off my prenatal vitamins if possible because I’m scared of getting too much if I eat a good diet? I live in Alaska and don’t get too much sun, so I probably need to stick with D3 supplements.

    I plan on talking to my midwifenaturopath, but I respect your opinion. So any info or recommended books/reading would be appreciated. I try to scour your website for your posts. I hope you and your family are doing well:)
    Sincerely
    Staci

    • Hi Staci – I’ve wanted to say this for 5 years!

      Here it is: WE HAVE OUR OWN DHA PRODUCT! We made this because we weren’t thrilled with what’s out there – either too little DHA, or it was in the wrong form, or it was rancid, or etc. We’ll have a lot more information available soon. It will be available for purchase here too. But for now, you can buy it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/OmegaVia-Ultra-Pure-Omega-3-Triglyceride-form-Capsules/dp/B00YO0PHZK/

      It has 600 mg of DHA per pill and it is enteric coated like all other OmegaVia products. I still like the Nordic Naturals and Carlsons DHA Gems.

      For you, I think one of these is plenty for now. The sperm donor needs to take it too for viability and motility. I keep up with Sally Fallon’s work and I agree with 95% of it…her blind faith in fermented cod liver oil without peeling its onion layers is bothersome. If you even come close to an ancestral/Weston Price type diet, you will be perfectly fine with pregnancy. You may not even need supplements if you follow it strictly. If you eat liver and grass-fed butter you won’t be deficient in Vitamin A, but it depends on how much you eat. If you know what you’re doing (and if you don’t, talk to a dietitian who’s informed on Weston price approach) you can eat the right foods to get off prenatals. You may still have issues with magnesium, may be K2. And since you live in Alaska, definitely D3 during 9 months of the year. Get as much mid-day sun as you can before September.

      I gotta say, if you’re reading Weston Price stuff 6 months before pregnancy, you’re one in a million and WAY ahead of the herd. You may also want to read the Jaminets’ Perfect Health Diet. Still the best book I’ve read on diet/health. May be download Chris Kresser’s Health baby code…but you may know a lot of that already.

      And thank you for asking – yes, the family doing well. Twins are 5, smart, cute, and naughty. They were c-section babies living in clean suburbia. So we’re having some allergy and food intolerance issues with lowered gut flora diversity.

      PS: and if you buy our DHA thru Amazon and you like it (or not), please leave us a review! If there is something about the formula that you don’t like, please share.

      • Hi Vin,
        I really love the DHA600 formulation. Unfortunately Amazon doesn’t ship to where I’m. There is a local distributor for some of Innovix products however the range carried is very limited. K2 and DHA600 are not offered. Would you consider making omegavia and innovix brand available via iHerb?

        Thanks
        Chris

        • Hi Chris – glad you like the DHA 600 formulation. We’ve talked to iHerb about carrying our products but so far, we’ve been unable to find a pricing solution that works for all parties.

  88. Hi Vin,

    I have been taking 2 omegavia soft gels a day for quite some time and after reading this article I’ll be purchasing the DHA Gems your wife took. I plan to get my diet in order before I try to conceive in 6 months or more. So, what would your recommendation on omega 3 be for the prepping stages before pregnancy?

    Also, I’m trying to somewhat follow this book by Sally Fallon, which I believe is Weston Price based. (The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care) Obviously I’m taking your stance with fish oil and not going with cod liver oil. My concern and question for you deal with vitamin A. I currently eat lots of grass-fed butter, milk and eggs and will soon incorporate liver a couple of times a week. This book recommends regularly eating those foods I just mentioned, but also the cod liver oil for Vitamin A. If I eat those foods do you think I should be concerned with supplementing to get more vitamin A? I would like to get off my prenatal vitamins if possible because I’m scared of getting too much if I eat a good diet? I live in Alaska and don’t get too much sun, so I probably need to stick with D3 supplements.

    I plan on talking to my midwifenaturopath, but I respect your opinion. So any info or recommended books/reading would be appreciated. I try to scour your website for your posts. I hope you and your family are doing well:)
    Sincerely
    Staci

    • Hi Staci – I’ve wanted to say this for 5 years!

      Here it is: WE HAVE OUR OWN DHA PRODUCT! We made this because we weren’t thrilled with what’s out there – either too little DHA, or it was in the wrong form, or it was rancid, or etc. We’ll have a lot more information available soon. It will be available for purchase here too. But for now, you can buy it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/OmegaVia-Ultra-Pure-Omega-3-Triglyceride-form-Capsules/dp/B00YO0PHZK/

      It has 600 mg of DHA per pill and it is enteric coated like all other OmegaVia products. I still like the Nordic Naturals and Carlsons DHA Gems.

      For you, I think one of these is plenty for now. The sperm donor needs to take it too for viability and motility. I keep up with Sally Fallon’s work and I agree with 95% of it…her blind faith in fermented cod liver oil without peeling its onion layers is bothersome. If you even come close to an ancestral/Weston Price type diet, you will be perfectly fine with pregnancy. You may not even need supplements if you follow it strictly. If you eat liver and grass-fed butter you won’t be deficient in Vitamin A, but it depends on how much you eat. If you know what you’re doing (and if you don’t, talk to a dietitian who’s informed on Weston price approach) you can eat the right foods to get off prenatals. You may still have issues with magnesium, may be K2. And since you live in Alaska, definitely D3 during 9 months of the year. Get as much mid-day sun as you can before September.

      I gotta say, if you’re reading Weston Price stuff 6 months before pregnancy, you’re one in a million and WAY ahead of the herd. You may also want to read the Jaminets’ Perfect Health Diet. Still the best book I’ve read on diet/health. May be download Chris Kresser’s Health baby code…but you may know a lot of that already.

      And thank you for asking – yes, the family doing well. Twins are 5, smart, cute, and naughty. They were c-section babies living in clean suburbia. So we’re having some allergy and food intolerance issues with lowered gut flora diversity.

      PS: and if you buy our DHA thru Amazon and you like it (or not), please leave us a review! If there is something about the formula that you don’t like, please share.

      • Hi Vin,
        I really love the DHA600 formulation. Unfortunately Amazon doesn’t ship to where I’m. There is a local distributor for some of Innovix products however the range carried is very limited. K2 and DHA600 are not offered. Would you consider making omegavia and innovix brand available via iHerb?

        Thanks
        Chris

        • Hi Chris – glad you like the DHA 600 formulation. We’ve talked to iHerb about carrying our products but so far, we’ve been unable to find a pricing solution that works for all parties.

  89. Hi Vin.

    Thank you for your time to read my post. I’m 18 weeks pregnant. I recently switched gynae hence there were changes in the supplements supply. My new gynae prescribed me a single pill instead of multiple pills. According to him its much easier to consume just 1 single pill that provides all the different type of vitamins. He gave me Ganilia multi vits. There’s 150mg DHA, 30mg EPA & many other type of vits. I don’t see any Fish OIl Omega 3 found in the ingredient. I read that there are always DHA & EPA in fish oil (correct me when I’m wrong) and the importance of fish oil esp during pregnancy. I have been taking Sunpab Baby Smart Fish oil with other different supplements before switching to Ganilia. Sunpab contains 720mg of Omega 3 Concentrated natural, 432mg containing omega 3 triglycerides, 360mg dha & 72mg epa. My question is… It is safe for me to still consume Ganilia multivits & Sunpab Baby Smart fish oil together?

    • Hi fanfan – I am not familiar with the brands you mention. But the DHA and EPA in your prenatal comes from fish oil. the levels are a bit low, but it’s better than nothing.

  90. Hi Vin,
    Thank you for providing this useful info that I referenced during my pregnancy. Now I have the babies but they have eating problems due to reflux. I am thinking giving them vitamin supplement and omega3 supplement since they are lacking due to poor eating. What omega3 supplement you can recommend for 3 month old?
    Thank you,
    Hazel

    • Hi Hazel – congrats on your babies. Check with your doctor about the right Omega-3s for them. First, if you are breast feeding, then you can take Omega-3 pills and it will get transferred thru breast milk. Less preferable options are to give Omega-3 milk or formula or to give DHA drops from Nordic Naturals. I have not had a positive experience with Nordic’s DHA drops – it was always rancid…but that was years ago. It may be better now.

  91. Hi Vin
    I was considering Nordic one but you haven’t got good experience. Which one did you like for your twins?
    Thank you,
    Hazel

    • Hi Hazel – I had a special powdered Omega-3 created by our research facility that I added to their milk and other foods. This product is not available for purchase. If you are not breastfeeding, then Omega-3 milk is your best option for now.

  92. I m trying to conceive from last 1 year and had a miscarriage 5 months back. After that was taking fish oil with omega 3. Can it help me to conceive. I m really worried.

    • Hi pallavi – sorry to hear about the miscarriage. Omega-3 is probably a very small part in what happened. Both you and your partner need to take DHA 4-6 months BEFORE conception. My suggestion is to revisit your diet from top to bottom for BOTH you and your partner. Read all the 200+ comments above – lots of advice there.

    • Hi Christian – no, it is not too much. Current opinion among Omega-3 experts is that you need at least 900 mg by the third trimester. The baby’s brain expands at an unbelievable rate at this period. This high level will be necessary during breastfeeding as well. This is one of the many risks with preemies – you cant easily give them all the DHA that they need if they arrive too early. And getting the right amount of Omega-3 has been shown to help get the pregnancy to full term. Omega-3 alone won’t get you to full term, but it helps a lot.

      • Hi Vin,
        2 OmegaVia for the first two semesters and 2 OmegaVia + 1 OmegaVia DHA 600 for the third is a good way to go? Or would be better have more DHA before that time? Thanks for your attention as always.

  93. Hi Vin, my baby is 4 months old and I have purchased “baby DHA” to put in his bottle. Is it safe to give him more than the recommended dose? Also, is there a better brand of fish oil to give to baby? Thanks!

    • Hi Sheila – one dose a day will be fine. See how he tolerates it the first time. If you are still breast feeding, YOU can take a lot of DHA and it will easily get transferred to him thru milk.

  94. Hi Vin,
    Thank you for the information! I am wondering about a few other nutrients/supplements that I was taking before I was pregnant. I was wondering, with your background, if you had any opinion on them.
    Would taking the following be helpful or hurtful to the baby: ALA (alpha-lipoic-acid), carnitine, or ALC(Acetyl-L-Carnitine)?

    • Hi Crystal – I don’t think either of those are necessary during pregnancy. Focus on B-vitamins, Omegas, magnesium, iron, Vitamin K2, iodine, and phospholipids. Probiotics help too. These are the things that people are often deficient in. Your situation may vary depending on your diet. If there is ever a time to consult with a dietitian, it would be now. But choose the right one – if the dietitian suggests eating mostly whole grains, fire them and/or switch every grain recommendation with vegetables.

  95. Hi Vin,

    My wife is in the week 19th pregnancy, can she take more Bill seal oil product while is taking omegavia fish oil ? The pregnant taking seal oil is fine ?

    Thanks Vin

    • Hi Bao – DO NOT take seal oil. They should not be selling that stuff – too many contaminant issues, along with environmental and ethical ones.

  96. Hi Vin ive noticed my anxiety has worsen through third trimester of my pregnancy it was good before. Should I be upping my fish oil intake ? im only getting 500 Dha and 500 Epa right now
    Thanks!

    • Hi Calli – you always need more Omega-3s during the third trimester. I would double the DHA for the baby. You may or may not get some relief from more EPA. A lot of things can increase anxiety, but the biggest and most obvious one is, well, the arrival of the baby! If there are other causes for the anxiety, you may need to work thru it with diet and lifestyle. This is not the best time for adding pharma drugs to help with mood.

  97. Hi Vin,
    May I have your opinion on taking Norwegian kelp powder as a source of Iodine? Is it safe during pregnancy or is there better options out there? I plan to sprinkle only a little as the Iodine content is very high. My main concern though is the contaminants as they are not molecularly distilled compared to fish oils.

    Thanks!

    • Hi Melissa – check with your OB/GYN about kelp. Generally, kelp is very safe and the Japanese consume it in very large quantities without any issues. Japanese eat so much kelp that many of them have a unique probiotic bacteria in their gut that digests some of the fibers in kelp. It’s basically the seaweed that’s in your sushi. It’s a good source of iodine. If you don’t want to use the kelp powder, you can always find one of the many seaweed snacks – it’s hard to OD on iodine with seaweed snacks.

  98. Hi Vin,

    Glad to find this article by google, and thanks for your advise.

    Vin, my wife is pregnant, 7 weeks, she took the Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA before pregnant, now one friend from Norway recommend us to take the Norwegian brand “Lifeline Care” Prenatal Fish Oil, is a Norwegian local brand is good enough for us?

    Thank you in advance.
    Ming

  99. Hi Vin,
    I just found this blog & it’s really informative.
    I am preparing my for pregnancy.i just bought bio-life fish oil contains 1000mg fish oil,epa 330mg,dha 220mg & natural vit E 2iu. Is it enough 2 capcule per day. I eat fish on off so i worried how much fish oil needed for my body especially now trying to conceive…

  100. Many thanks Vin for responded to my question earlier. I recently found some brand i.e Pristin Fish Oil has mentioned ethyl ester on the bottle.What does it means? It is safe to take? Other brands like Biolife mentioned molecularly distilled. If you have to choose, which one you prefer?
    Thanks in advance.
    Rayyan.

    • Hi Rayyan – ethyl ester is just the form of the oil. Concentrated oils are in ethyl ester form, usually. It is safe to take. Molecular distillation is a purification technology. Virtually all ethyl ester fish oils are also purified by molecular distillation. Nothing wrong with either. Don’t get stuck with these technical terms. The key is to get an effective dose. If you take placebo doses or forget to take the product, your benefits will reflect that.

    • Hi Tuba – yes, 2 or 3 pills a day at this point in your pregnancy is fine – just make sure to check with your OB/GYN.

  101. Hi Vin, this is my first time of reading this article and I find it really educating and interesting. But am kinda confused and I need ur help. I am 28weeks pregnant and I am currently taking nature’s pride omega-3 fish oil (1000mg) and it says it has omega-3 fish oil concentrate (from anchovy) 1000mg, omega-3 fatty acid 300mg,EPA 180mg and DHA 120mg. Now I take I pill in 3days cause I read somewhere that one needs 450mg a day or so. So please help me out here. What dosage should I take per day. Thanks in anticipation for your response.

    • Hi Funke – I’m not sure I follow your dosing or the logic behind it. However, you should be taking at least one pill per day. Two would be better. Once you are in your third trimester aim for 2 to 3 pills per day.

  102. I’m thinking of letting my 6.5 years old son to take fish oil as supplement and so got the chance to visit your website. Just wonder if it’s good to let him take Lifeline Care Child? Many thanks!

  103. Hi Vin,

    Thanks for sharing valuable information. I’m four weeks pregnant with hypothyroidism. Couple of days back my dose got changed to 112 and when i asked doctor if I can take fish oil during pregnancy she suggested me to take folic acid instead of fish oil. But after reading through your blog i came to know the importance of omega3 and now I’m confused. Because I’m vegetarian and I don’t have any other source of omega 3 . Please suggest me if I can take fish oil or not . Thank you.

    • Hi Div – if your doctor does not know the difference between folic acid and fish oil, I’m not sure what to say. May be find a new doctor? There are several vegetarian Omega-3 sources online.

  104. I love this site. It’s so great to see someone so dedicated to helping people in this way. I have previously done a lot of research into diet and supplements and have a good diet high in animal fats, veg and have been taking all of those supplements apart from the omega 3. I have a 13 month old and I am now 18 weeks pregnant with my second, this pregnancy was not intentional as I wanted to make sure my diet was optimal before becoming pregnant again. I’m also still breast feeding. I have been taking about 1000mg of DHA and EPA combined for only about 2 weeks in that time I’ve noticed my gums have stopped bleeding. My concern is I was probably very deficient in early pregnancy. Can this have done any harm with regards to brain and eye development? During my last pregnancy I developed high blood pressure at about 28 weeks and came across a study about Co enzyme q 10 reducing pre-eclampsia by 45% taken after 20 weeks. Which I started doing and my blood pressure went down to normal. I believe I took a calculated risk and things turned out fine but it was a risk as I did not mentioned it to my midwife. I have been taking small amount throughout this pregnancy about 30mg. Do you know of any dangers of this? I appreciate any advice. Many Thanks

    • Hi Caroline – congrats on the pregnancy! You/your baby don’t need very high levels of DHA during the first month or two. Whatever the baby needs will come from stored DHA from your body. It’s during the second and particularly the third trimester when DHA needs skyrocket. So it’s unlikely that early deficiency caused much issues. If you have/had bleeding gums, there may be other nutritional/dental care issues besides Omega-3 as well. I’m on the fence about taking CoQ10 to manage blood pressure during pregnancy – it’s a very safe substance, but share with your health care providers if you choose to do that again. You may be better off controlling risk of pre-eclampsia with a high veggie diet that’s rich in magnesium and potassium.

  105. Thank you that’s very reassuring. This site is very informative and helpful. The coenzyme q 10 was after a lot of consideration and research and I was eating a very healthy diet. I had also been taking magnesium glycinate for about a year before and during. My blood pressure had got very high and my cousin had pre-eclampsia around the same time with emergency cesarean at 34 weeks so it was a risk I was willing to take. Thanks for the fast response. It’s great that you are taking time to reply to these people in need.

  106. Hi Vin!!!

    I just had my 3rd child one month ago. My third c-section. Do u know if taking fish oil helps with post pregnancy? I’ve been feeling so tired and having joint pains. I read that this may be hormone related…..I started taking carlsons DHA Gems. Do u know how much dosage I should be taking.

    • Hi Carolyn – yes, certainly, you should take DHA even if you are not breastfeeding. And especially if you are breastfeeding. Aim for 900 to 1000 mg DHA per day for another 3-4 months. If you continue to breast feed, stay at that dose until you stop.

      • Awesome!!! Thanks. Do u give your kids fish oil. I heard this would be excellent for my kiddies especially since both are super hyper. Can u recommend fish oil with DHA for them? Can I also give the baby DHA. I’m no longer breastfeeding so I wanted to know. Thank you.

        • Hi Carolyn – yes, I give my kids fish oil capsules (OmegaVia) that they pop in their mouths. Then again, they are my kids and I don’t expect most kids to do that. Here is an article on Omega-3 for kids: https://omegavia.com/omega-3-kids/

          Yes, you can and should give DHA to babies.

  107. Hi, just came across this website and it’s so good! As previously mentioned in one of the comments it’s noted that a number (if not most) websites place a high importance on DHA. I’m currently taking a standard pre natal vitamin and wanted to add Omega 3 to it. Serving suggestion states take 2 capsules: 660mg epa 440mg DHA. Since you place an emphasis on taking a high dose of each- I was thinking of taking 8 capsules (4 servings). This would give a total of: over 2400mg EPA and over 1600mg DHA, is this too little too much? Thank you 🙂 x

    • Hi Shane – it is not too much, especially in the third trimester. However, if you have to take 8 capsules to get 2400 mg EPA and 1600 mg DHA, you are using a low concentration oil. You should be able to get that much Omega-3 in 4 pills, may be 5.

      As stated in the piece above, you’ll need 600-900 mg DHA per day during the third trimester. 1600 mg DHA per day is not necessary and is about twice what you need, but I see no harm in it, as long as you run it by your OB/GYN.

  108. My sister is a Naturopath Doctor and she prescribed me some MorPha Minami Dha Prenatal formula for my pregnancy and this week for my last two months she gave me a bottle of Super Efa Liquid Plus D From Genestra Brands ! It has a lot of DHA & EPA, fish oil and Vitamin D!

    Did you hear about this product?

    • Thank you, EC. We have discussed prenatal vitamins during our product development meetings. So, yes, it is on our radar. But it’s at the back of the line.

      Thank you, again, for your vote of confidence and your faith in us. We take it seriously.

  109. Hi, thank you so much for this article! I am just starting my third trimester and I have been taking Wiley’s Finest prenatal dha throughout my pregnancy. I took the recommended 2 pills until about three weeks ago when I started taking 3. Two pills has 120mg EPA and 600mg DHA. So with the 3 pills I am getting 900mg of DHA. I am wondering if I should up to 4 pills now that I am in the third trimester…so I would be getting 1200mg of DHA and 240mg of EPA. Or would that be too much? Is there any harm in getting too much? Thank you so much!

    • Hi Summer – Wiley’s is a good product. I know the Wiley family – they are good people. You should be fine with 3 of those. Four is not too much, but not necessary. Make sure you are getting choline, magnesium, K2, lots of probiotics and prebiotic fiber, Vitamin D3. Virtually all of us are K2 and choline deficient. Same for magnesium too. How much K2 you get during pregnancy determines your child’s dental health – believe it or not, their adult teeth start forming (behind the cute little baby teeth) around Week 12. Without K2, jaws become small and teeth crowded. More on that here: https://omegavia.com/how-to-choose-the-right-vitamin-k2-supplement/ Choline is critical for brain and nerve health too. Of course, check with your OB before you start taking anything new (even though the prenatals they hand out at doctor’s offices are gawdawful.)

      • Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply, I appreciate it so much! I will definitely look into how much of each of those my prenatal has, thank you! I have been taking a great probiotic and it has made a big difference in how I have been feeling. I will be sure to look at the link as well, thank you so much for your help!

  110. Hi there,

    Congratulations on twins!!! That is super exciting. I just found out I am pregnant after 5 months of trying. Success! I have my first appointment tomorrow and of course have all sorts of questions and do not know where to start. Since April of 2017 I switch my diet and became and Ova-Pescatarian, started on Rainbow Light Prenatals along with Wild Yam, Maca Root, Zinc, Vit B complex, Vit B 12, Vit C, Vit E, Calcium, Vit D. About 1 month ago I went for a preconception check up and my Doctor asked me to stop taking my B vitamins, D Vitamin (she checked my levels prior to stopping), Wild Yam and Maca Root (the moment I get a pos. pregnancy test) and continue the following Prenatal, Calcium, Zinc, Vit C, Vit E. She did not advise me to start taking any fish oil, DHA, or EPA. I could anywhere from 4-9 weeks and am concerned that not have taken any omegas may have impacted the health of my pregnancy.

    Therefore I have been researching the heck out of additional supplements and mandatory nutritional requirements for a healthy pregnancy (for myself and baby). I want to say thank you for this post. It has been extremely helpful. I just have some questions. I will give you a quick background on myself first. I do have a history of depression and anxiety (depression, and insomnia worries me during and after pregnancy), and a miscarriage 2 years ago that wasn’t viable past 8-10 weeks if I remember correctly so I hope you see my concern here. I exercise 5-7 days a week. I mostly eat pretty well balanced meals daily. I do not consume any red meat and are a strict Ova-Pescatarian. I would like to stick to a Vegetarian DHA but how would I know which brand is pure and meeting the needs for me and my pregnancy………also does vegetarian DHA not contain EPA? I am just a bit lost on dosage for DHA/EPA and also if I should do vegetarian DHA or Fish Oil. Do I also need to be concerned about IRON intake since I do not consume red meat? ……and last but not least I do suffer from insomnia and take Melatonin 3-6mg everynight. Could I continue that throughout my pregnancy? Thank you so much!

    • Hi Maria – congratulations! It’s been a while since someone congratulated ME on the twins – they are 7 now. Ovo-pescatarian diet is healthy, as long as you are eating a LOT of vegetables instead of grains. Unless you are avoiding poultry and red meat for ethical reasons, I don’t see a nutritional reason to avoid it. I’d go easy on herbal supplement during pregnancy. You should start taking Omega-3, magnesium, choline, and Vitamin K2. Our sister company, InnovixLabs makes a lot of these products: https://innovixlabs.com

      I would not limit myself to vegetarian DHA – go with fish. Almost all vegetarian DHA do not have EPA and the amount of DHA is low. Then again, if you are eating wild salmon 3X a week, you should be Ok on Omegas for now.

      You need to discuss iron and Melatonin use with your OB. It is best to let your body’s circadian rhythm produce the right amount of Melatonin. Do that by keeping a strict sleep/wake cycle. Expose yourself to sunlight early every day, even if it is for 10 minutes. Then expose yourself to bright sun and activity outside in the sun WITHOUT shades. Walk a lot in the mid-day sun. Eat only during daylight hours. Minimize or eliminate screen time after dark. If you MUST watch TV after dark, wear blue-blocking glassing (they are geeky orange glasses). Blue light from screen (phones!) stop melatonin production. Doing all of the above regularly every day for two weeks will get your melatonin production back in sync.

  111. I see that you say to avoid mackerel but the omegavia contains mackerel in the listed ingredients. Can you clarify this please.

    • Hi Pamela – the type of mackerel to avoid is KING MACKEREL. That’s a big, huge fish. Big, predatory fish are higher up on the food chain and tend to have more environmental toxins. However, there are many types of mackerel and the Mackerel we use is a tiny species that only gets a few inches long and eats mostly algae. So, the mackerel we use is very low on the food chain, it is short-lived and therefore not able to accumulate toxins from the environment.

  112. Hi,

    I am 4 months pregnant with my baby boy and I have been taking practitioner grade Metagenics ‘MetaPure EPA DHA’ through my pregnancy so far.

    I took what was recommended on the back on the bottle which was 4 capsules daily which equates to 2000mg EPA and 800mg DHA per day.

    I didn’t realise this was a high dose supplement and now worried, do you think this was a safe level for first trimester? I was not eating fish alongside taking supplement. Should I continue taking this dose? I would really appreciate your advice.

    Thanks,
    Emma

    • Hi Emma – yes, what you took is a good dose. This is roughly what my wife took during her pregnancy. She took a little more as she got into the third trimester, but check with your OB if you decide to do that. Pregnant women soak up DHA like a sponge. The baby will take what he needs and when the pregnancy is done, you better have some for your own body’s needs. Everyone’s attention will shift to the baby. They’ll assume you’re fine. You may not be if you’re short on Omegas. So, I’m glad you’ve been taking a solid dose.

  113. Hi Vin,

    Thanks for your thorough coverage of the topic thus far. My wife and I are going to start trying to conceive our first child in the next few months and I had some questions/concerns about the fish oil she (and I) currently take. We both take Nature Made Fish Oil, One Per Day, Burp-Less. Each capsule contains 720mg of Omega-3 (including 360mg of EPA and 300mg of DHA) and we both take two capsules a day for a total 720mg of EPA and 600mg of DHA.

    My concerns are several-fold: should I move her (and myself too) over to a different supplement with higher concentrations? (We’ve been taking this brand, at this dose, for years). Should I keep her on this current supplement but add something like OmegaVia DHA 600 or just have her take 3 of the Nature Made pills per day? And the largest concern is that the Nature Made supplement is Omega-3 via ethyl esters–should I be concerned about the ethanol metabolites and/or should a pregnant/nursing woman take any fish oil with ethyl esters?

    Thanks!
    Alex

    • Hi Alex – if you want to stay with the NatureMade One per Day fish oil, that is fine, I’d increase dose to three pills per day. If you are trying to conceive, it is YOU (the male partner) who needs more DHA now. It takes about 90 days for sperm cells to turn over. In other words, the potential increased sperm motility from taking more DHA will become obvious 90 days from when you start or increase DHA consumption. Same goes for other sperm health contributors like Pycnogenol, Vitamin C, CoQ10, Zinc, Selenium, Carnitine etc. You need to take it for 3 months and THEN, after 90 days or so, you will notice the benefits. Today’s sperm started off 90 days ago – keep that in mind. This is also the right time to clean up diet.

      It may be easier to move to a product with higher Omega-3 content, so you are not taking more pills. Once she’s pregnant, it matters less for you, but it’d be a good idea to move her to OmegaVia DHA 600 after that. I wouldn’t worry too much about ethyl ester nonsense – most of it is cooked up marketing talk.

  114. I have been reading so much and maybe that is why I am confused on the recommended dose for a pregnant woman during her first trimester. I am taking a pharmaceutical grade fish oil called Omacor 1000mg which has EPA 460 & DHA 380 mg. I take two pills a day. I don’t know much about the brand but bought it since it was the only one that I could find where I live that is above 300 DHA I don’t live in the US, but would like to know your recommendations? I have read in the comments and article, you would recommend taking 2 pills of Carlson Super DHA Gems, 500 mg DHA? I just checked and I think I can get it ship from Amazon Germany. Would that be enough for the first trimester? Would I need to increase in my second and third trimester? Would taking 2 Omega Via + Omega Via DHA 600 be about the same? Could you please give me advice? I have made myself confused. 🙂 I am about 5 weeks pregnant. Also, do you recommend taking one at lunchtime and the second pill at dinner time or can you take both pills at the same time? Thank you in advance for your time and help.

    • Hi Amy – two Omacor (prescription Omega-3 for reducing triglycerides) is more than enough to meet your DHA needs for first trimester. Take with any large meal, doesn’t matter which one. You don’t need any other products. For your third trimester, you may want to increase to three per day, but talk to your doctor first.

      • Thank you for your replying to my message and your advice. I really appreciate it. The reason I am going to change Omacor brand is that it has a warning for pregnancy and even states use is not recommended when breastfeeding. I saw on a previous comment that you state pharmaceutical drugs have extensive legal disclaimers. So maybe I am overthinking this but when I called InnovixLabs that man on the phone was so helpful and nice that I decided to go ahead and place an international order for OmegaVia DHA 600 and OmegaVia Fish Oil. In the meantime, I will continue to take Omacor until it arrives.

        Besides eating a balanced diet with lots of veggies/fruits, I am plan to add 2 eggs a day to my diet…thanks to you. Your writing is really informative and helpful. I know you have a lot of other things to do, but if you have time could you look at my plan and give me your opinion? I asked my doctor this morning and he told me supplements make a marginal difference and I really don’t need to take anything besides a prenatal.

        I am currently taking:
        Garden of Life Organic Prenatal Multivitamin Supplement with Folate
        Magnesium citrate tablets 243 mg x2 a day (looking into buying Calm since I have taken that product before and really like it).
        Vit. D 3 1500 *I am looking to find a 5,000 but have been to four different pharmacies and have had no luck. In the meantime I am taking two 1500 and I have an appointment to get my vit. D level checked next week.
        Omacor 1000mg (EPA 460 & DHA 380 mg) x 2 (but will switch to OmegaVia Fish Oil and OmegaVia DHA 600 once it arrives. Once I am in the 2nd trimester I will start to take two DHA 600 in addition to my Omega Via Fish oil).
        Nature’s Bounty B-12 2500 mcg but from what I read it is the Cyanocobalamin kind and I should take is methylcobalamin. I want to stop taking it and I would like to add:
        1 Jarrow B-Right per day: http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-B-right-Complex-Veggie/dp/B0016003Z0/
        And I am adding InnovixLabs Full Spectrum Vitamin K2 and also their multi-strain probiotic.

        Thank you for your help. I greatly appreciate it and I hope you have a good weekend.

        • Hi Amy – you are doing a lot of things right. The addition of two eggs per day will give you most of the choline you need, a nutrient that is often overlooked during pregnancy. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/sites/lpi.oregonstate.edu/files/choline-flashcard.pdf

          Eat a probiotic-friendly diet with a wide variety of vegetables, berries, nuts, tubers and possibly a Prebiotic supplement. Having a diverse and healthy gut microbiome during pregnancy is critical.

          Get your Vitamin D level tested and corrected quickly. This is really important. Once the weather is warm, get a LOT of mid-day sun exposure.

  115. Hello,

    I have been reading some of the posts. Sorry, if you have already answered this question. I am 37 and have been trying to conceive for approx 6-8 months now. I am on my 3rd IUI cycle. Have been taking Letrozole 5mg for 5 days prior to IUI and the trigger shots. My FSH highest was 14, 13 and recently has improved to 5.7. AMC 1.2. And possible endometriosis.
    My question is, I am taking NatureMade Prenatal (1tab) and NatureMade Fish oil, 2tabs which include: Fish Oil Concentrate: 2400mg, Total Omega-3Fatty Acids: 720mg (EPA 360mg, DHA 240mg, Other 120mg). How much should I increase by? And do you recommend anything else?

    Thank you for your time.

    • Hi Malina – if your dosage was prescribed by your doctor, then, you need to stay on the protocol. However, if it was your decision to add Omega-3, I’d suggest you change your formula to include a much more concentrated Omega-3. In other words, more Omega-3 per pill. You’re taking 2400 mg of OIL and only getting 720 mg of Omega-3. That’s a very weak Omega-3 source. You don’t have to take OmegaVia, but there are many Ultra-concentrated products available. You may even take a Triple Strength Omega-3. Aim for about 2000 mg of Omega-3 with about half of it being DHA.

  116. Hello Vin,
    My daughter is pregnant and allergic to fish. Are you familiar with Nutra Vege Omega 3 Plant? Or what else would you recommend? Thank-you!

    • Hi Elsha – there are several good algae-based Omega-3 products. Any of those will work, including the Nutravege item you mentioned.

  117. Hi,
    I am 12 weeks pregnant and had been taking Citranatal DHA. It has 300 DHA but very little EPA. The DHA is made of Algal oil. Is it ok to switch from Algal Oil DHA to fish oil DHA now? Also, it doesn’t contain vitamin B12 supplement. How important is that? Please let me know. Thank you!

    • Hi Linda – yes, it is fine to switch from algae to fish-based DHA. If you are taking a separate prenatal supplement that contains B12, you should be fine. B12 is critical during pregnancy, as are several other nutrients. Please read the article above for areas where pregnant women usually go deficient.

  118. I should have found this page before I bought some omega 3 for my first pregnancy. I have the NOW brand. 2 softgel has 2,000 mg of fish oil concentrate, 360 mg of EPA and 240 mg of DHA. I’m scared to take more than this because the fish oil concentrate seems so much but the DHA is so low. What would you recommend?

    • Hi Didi – the NOW brand item is fine. You can either take two or three of those or take an OmegaVia DHA 600 on top of what you’re already taking. This will give you a good amount.

  119. I am 20 week pregnant, i am using Nature Made Prenatal Multi+DHA 200 mg DHA [Contains DHA 200 mg+EPA 60 mg]

    My husband bought Health Kart ULTRA Omega -3 capsules which contains Fish oil concentrate 1.25 mg [EPA -425 mg+DHA 325 mg] and My doctor Suggested a predelivery Dietary supplement Mummy Feed protein powder containing DHA 20 Mg

    Can i take all a total of DHA 200 mg + DHA 325 mg + DHA 20 mg = DHA 545 mg in one day ?

    i am vegetarian and my diet adds leafy vegetables.

    regards,
    Keeru.

    • Hi Keeru – yes, you may take 545 mg of DHA daily without any issues. However, since you are pregnant, it is best if you check with your doctor before you proceed.

  120. Hi Vin,

    Before pregnancy, I kept taking 1 Omegavia for prepping. After IVF transfer with 1 viable fetus, I came across your suggestion and bought Carson 500 DHA and have taken for the first 3 months but I stopped taking Omegavia, cos I had serious morning sickness and could barely take in any pills.

    Now, I’m in my 13 weeks and seems like my terrible morning sickness has eased a bit. I start ed taking 1 Omegavia + 1 Carson 500 DHA today. Would it be too late to make it up? I bear a lot of guilt for not able to taking in more when suffering the morning sickness.

    Please kindly advise if I should amp up the dosage. Thanks so much in advance for your reply! I’ve found myself lucky to stumble on your website Omegavia and also the replies you’ve given to all the needy.

    Kind regards
    Maria

    • Hi Maria – let go of the guilt. You haven’t done anything wrong! The fact that you are here and asking me this question is proof! Parenthood will give you lots of opportunities to beat yourself up. Be kind to yourself.

      If you’re into your second trimester, I suggest you take one regular OmegaVia and one OmegaVia DHA 600. In your third trimester, take one regular OmegaVia and two OmegaVia DHA 600.

  121. Hello sir,
    Can you explain how much DHA should needed for a pregnancy woman for first, second and third trimester indeed? And also a few explanations about hiw important obimin pills for pregnancy..

    Kind regards,
    Shana

    • Hi Shana – there are varying guidelines for DHA requirements during pregnancy. It ranges from 300 mg to 900 mg per day. The daily requirement gets higher as you approach delivery because that is when the baby’s brain and body needs more DHA. If your diet includes seafood, then 300 to 600 mg per day should be fine as you approach delivery date.

      Obimin is OK, as it contains a lot of nutrients required during pregnancy. However, it does not have enough Vitamin D3, K or enough Magnesium.

  122. Dear Vin,

    My doc advised me to stop taking DHA in my last month of pregnancy. I guess it has something to do with blood thinning. Anyway, I took her advice partially, quitting the regular omegavia, but still continue taking 2 capsules of DHA 600.

    I’m wondering now in my 38 weeks, that maybe regular DHA 600 is necessary, please advise. May I also ask after laboring (I’m pregnant with a baby boy), what’s the dosage I should take? Thanks in advance.

    Warmest regards
    Maria

    • Hi Maria – the last month of pregnancy is when your need for DHA is at its highest. Even if you stop taking all Omega-3, your baby’s body will draw Omega-3 from your body’s storage reserves. The downside of this will be that you will be near deficient after you give birth. That may be OK temporarily. You can always supplement after delivery to build up your body’s reserves.

      It’s always a good idea to listen to your doctor. Their job is to get your through delivery safely and hand you a healthy baby.

      After delivery, aim for about 1000 mg of DHA daily and 1000 to 2000 mg of EPA. This can be altered and is not a strict requirement. Both your body and your baby will need a lot of Omegas right after delivery. You can take less after you stop breastfeeding.

  123. Hi Vin,

    I have miscarriage 2 times before this. And I am 6 weeks 5 days now. And actually it supposed to be 9 weeks. Can i take fish oil start from now? I am worried my body dont have enough nutrients provide for the baby.
    Is usana fish oil suitable?
    Or neurogain?

    Thanks for your advice in advance.

    • Hi Christine – I am so sorry to hear this. I can understand your worry.

      I assume you’ve been working with an OB/GYN. Has he/she suggested appropriate prenatal and DHA supplements? If so, please follow their guidance. It is critical to get DHA Omega-3 during pregnancy, but please work with your doctor to get the appropriate product.

      Usana is a good product but it needlessly expensive. Buying Omega-3 from a network marketing company will get you a good quality product but will not get you a good value. I am not famililar with Neurogain.

      Good luck.

      • Hi Vin,

        Really thanks for your quick reply.
        Yes. But doctor didn’t advise me to have any prenatal supplements yet. He just advise me to take Sangobian for iron,
        Take folic acid twice a day, which will be 800mg, and take calcium.
        So when i look at your article, i am amazed with the power of fish oil.
        Thank you for your advise and wishes. Hope everything will be good ❤️

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