Eating Fish Before and During Pregnancy

Today, a guest infertility specialist answers your questions about the risks and benefits of eating fish while trying to conceive or during pregnancy.

I just returned from a trip to the coast. The sounds of the waves and cool breezes off the ocean make everything, including food, better. Each night we’d enjoy fish, shrimp, and other gifts from the sea.

I am often asked by patients about eating fish before and during pregnancy. How much is too much? How much is enough?

We know from studying cultures who eat a large amount of seafood that their level of omega 3 fatty acids is higher than a classic American-based diet. This can have far-reaching consequences to your health and the health of your children in a positive way. However, this very same fish can have contaminants that can accumulate in your body and affect neuro-developmental function.

These days, in light of the BP oil spill, we are bombarded with information about how it’s impacted fish in the Gulf of Mexico. While contaminates may not be as much of an issue on the Pacific Coast, we do have to worry about mercury levels in fish. A recent article in the June edition of OB GYN News reviewed the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendations regarding fish and shellfish. They recommend that pregnant women limit their intake to no more than 12 oz a week (2 average meals). They also recommend avoiding swordfish, shark. king mackerel, and tilefish. Tuna can also contain large amounts of mercury.

By following the FDA recommendations, most women will have low levels of mercury, but if you are interested, some university centers can check the mercury level in hair. If you do not like fish (salmon, trout, halibut), or find that you eat it less than once a week (especially with morning sickness hits in early pregnancy), then consider DHA/EPA supplements—especially if plant-based (algae). 200 mg of DHA a day should be a good starting point but it can also be found in combination with prenatal vitamins.

There are also a few other reasons to consider DHA other than “the FDA told me to”:

– Children whose mothers took a DHA supplement during pregnancy scored higher on intelligence tests at four years of age than children of mothers not taking DHA supplements, as published in a 2003 study in the journal Pediatrics.

– Children whose mothers had high blood levels of DHA at delivery had advanced attention spans into their second year of life. During the first six months of life these infants were two months ahead of babies whose mothers had lower DHA levels. (2004 Child Development.)

– In a trial of women receiving DHA supplementation during the third trimester, the average length of gestation increased six days (Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2003).

– In the Journal of Affective Disorders, 2002, scientists believe increasing levels of maternal DHA may reduce the risk of postpartum depression.

Dr. Mary Hinkley, MD is an infertility specialist in our Reproductive Science Center Bay Area clinic.