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Pregnancy

Fish Oils? which one safe in pregnancy

20 replies

Lulu41 · 23/05/2003 14:06

Does anyone know of a brand made for pregnancy as keep reading about the need to increase intake in third trimester and cant find any Omega/Fish oil supplements that are geared towards pregnant women?

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chanelno5 · 23/05/2003 14:11

Hi lulu41 - this is something I've been wondering about too. I'm sure on the Eye Q website it said that it is safe to take during pg, but nothing on the box. Also, Boots do a Mum To Be supplement that contains EPA and DHA from tuna oil. Someone else might beable to tell you more, but HTH.

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Marina · 23/05/2003 14:18

Lulu, I have found it REALLY hard to get sensible advice about this one too. One brand, Efanatal, has apparently been discontinued by the makers (cheers Efamol).
The only one I can find is the rather expensive but safe Zita West Vital DHA and that is what I am using. Unless you can get to John Bell and Croyden on Wigmore St in London you have to use her website mail order service, which is very prompt and helpful.
I actually went as far as posting about this on a women's health website and the obstetrician (well-known and respected as far as I know) said he recommended NO supplements in pregnancy, which was not helpful, frankly!
I will be well chuffed if someone on here can come up with a cheaper, safe brand for pregnant women...

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Marina · 23/05/2003 14:20

Ooh, Chanel, thanks for the Boots tip. Now I just have to find a branch of said shop in the City that sells anything acknowledging the existence of pregnant women in the Square Mile...how are you keeping?

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chanelno5 · 23/05/2003 14:39

Hi Marina - I'm ok, though my mind is in a total pg fog and I seem to spend most of my time talking gibberish (Hey, what's new!) Hope you're ok and looking after yourself. Not long to go for you now, you lucky thing , I've got ages Any progress on the nasty email incident? Hope you're feeling better about things and able to put the horrible business behind you.

Yes, was quite a lucky find, the Boots Mum To Be capsules. Only £6 for 30 one a day caps, so probably cheaper than the Zita West ones. EPA content is 31mg and DHA is 122mg, how does this compare? Also, can sometimes get them on offer (BOGOF etc) and can use Boots points to pay for them. Can you tell I love a bargain?

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Marina · 23/05/2003 14:46

I'll check the bottle tonight for contents (after the trip to Ozer) but on the ££££ front there is a definite balance in favour of Boots. Am also a big fan of Boots for its BOGOFs and points.
The DHA should help our poor old brains as well as our babies'. Wish I could detect any improvement in mine so far. Good to hear from you again!

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Marina · 23/05/2003 14:47

Off topic but not much progress on nasty e-mail, thanks for asking. No-one has topped me yet, though, so trying to stay sanguine about the whole thing.

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nobby · 23/05/2003 14:58

I'm taking the Boots capsules but wondered re. the tuna oil as we're supposed to be avoiding tuna whilst pg because of the mercury etc. How does it work? I'm assuming that as Boots hasn't withdrawn the capsules they're fine

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Marina · 23/05/2003 15:04

Nobby, that's a fair point...I think the reason for using tuna oil in these supplements is that unlike cod liver oil (the usual supplement source of DHA) it is not high in retinol. Retinol, derived from animal sources such as fish and meat, is contraindicated in pregnancy in high doses. You have given me pause for thought, I wonder whether there is somewhere on the Boots website where we can ask about this.

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nobby · 23/05/2003 15:20

Well, I've emailed Boots - I'll let you know if I get a response.

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Marina · 23/05/2003 15:22

That's great, I'd be very interested to hear. Thanks!

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NQWWW · 23/05/2003 15:39

Why not try flaxseed oil (sometimes called linseed oil) instead? It has the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in exactly the right ratios. You can buy it from health food shops, and you keep it in the fridge and use it cold - ie not for cooking, so in dressings or mixed into food once you've cooked it.

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vkr · 23/05/2003 15:59

The ones I took were Boots Super Strength Concentrated fish oils. These did not have any CLO in and the pharmasist at boots did call HQ for advice. They are not specifically marketed to pregnant women, but were available at Boots in High Holborn and Waterlo station !!
ds is 10mo and only a genius in my eyes so who knows if they worked

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aloha · 23/05/2003 16:21

The only thing you are advised to avoid is retinol (vit A) so as long as the product does not contain retinol they are safe. I recently read that after further research scientists beleive that tuna is not a hazard (ie no probs with babies at all).

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aloha · 23/05/2003 16:24

The only thing you are advised to avoid is retinol (vit A) so as long as the product does not contain retinol they are safe. I recently read that after further research scientists beleive that tuna is not a hazard (ie no probs with babies at all).

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aloha · 23/05/2003 16:25

The study was, I think, of babies born to mothers who ate tons of tuna! Can't find it at the mo though, but think I remember it correctly.

BTW did you know some large studies showed that taking probiotic supps or drinks during the last trimester and while breastfeeding cut the risk of asthma by up to 50%?

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BIBIBOO · 26/05/2004 14:47

does anyone know of a substitute for fish oil that is veggie friendly, but will still do good things for my baby's brain?

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gloworm · 26/05/2004 14:50

bibiboo, you can you flax seed oil (also called linseed). comes in seeds, which you need to crush, or in liquid. Also comes in capsules, but these are usually geletine.

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gloworm · 26/05/2004 14:51

forgot to mention "Higher Nature" is a really good quality one, available in health shops.

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Jimjams · 26/05/2004 15:52

Any eye Q type product should be fine. As long as it isn't fish liver oil you are OK. In previous pregnancies I have taken the efantal, this time I am taking one from a US company.

Doesn't have to be fish oils, flax oil etc is fine as well - hemp oil even better (although rather green)!

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Jimjams · 26/05/2004 15:54

Good quality fish oils are purified and tested for mercury content. That's why I ge thr stuff from the states, but I think eye Q is OK

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