Jan 10, 20233 min read

Can Omega-3 Improve Pregnancy Outcomes?

Updated: Aug 22

Several studies have investigated how a moderate intake of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (an omega 3) in pregnant people can reduce the risk of premature birth, especially early preterm (before 34 weeks gestation) and positively affect birth size (weight and length).

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Omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), while several forms exist, the three main ones are, α-linolenic (ALA), sourced from vegetable oils (flax seed, soybean, canola), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA, which are almost exclusively found in oily fish (salmon, tuna, sardines). While all are essential (the body can't synthesise them) and play a vital role in health, during pregnancy DHA aids in the development of baby's brain, eyes, and nervous system. The body can synthesize DHA from ALA; however, the process is slow and quite ineffective (less than a 15% conversion rate).

Key take-home points:

The protective nature of the DHA was more apparent when individuals moved from a very low intake to supplementing with 300mg DHA per day for 6 months prior to conception and throughout pregnancy.
Implementing a higher daily dose (600mg DHA) in pregnant people with little DHA reserves before the third trimester was still seen to be beneficial (the third trimester is where we see most of the fat being transferred to the baby).
For those who have been consuming fish 2-3 times a week before/during pregnancy, a smaller daily dose throughout pregnancy (200-300mg DHA) could still be beneficial for the health of the mother, baby, and postpartum recovery.
For those with existing high DHA levels, there was no apparent benefit of receiving a supplement.

There may be a cut-off point where taking too high a dose may do more harm than good, as omega-3's reduces blood clotting time, however, the study did note, even at very high DHA intake there was no increased risk of severe bleeding episodes during birth.

Mechanisms of action:

Scientists are still understanding the mechanisms of action, one potential explanation may be the anti-inflammatory nature of DHA. DHA and EPA may also compete with arachidonic acid, reducing the potency of prostaglandins, an important hormone in early labour. Interestingly, the body has a natural biological favour for omega 3 production during pregnancy, as the heightened estrogen level increases the mechanistic pathway of converting ALA to EPA (however not to DHA).

If you are now curious about checking your Omega-3 status, it can be done, however, there is no universal standard measure, nor established target ranges. Omega 3 index can be observed by measuring plasma or serum phospholipids. A notable difference between the two is plasma cells regenerate approximately every 90 days, so any recent change in omega 3 intakes would not be evident until after a few months, whereas serum level may change from day to day depending on your daily consumption of omega 3’s.