Flax Oil

[joannabeske]

Hi!

I have a question regarding flax oil and pregnancy. I have heard mixed things. Some say it is good for baby(brain dev) and others say to avoid it during pregnancy due to lack of research. Does anyone know more about this? I am ttc and not sure if I should continue w flax.

 

[farmgirl]

my prenatal vitamins were a 2 part prescription by Primacare, with the morning pill containing Omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, calcium, vit D, and vit E. the evening pill contains the tradition prenatal formula. If you are TTC, you should be taking a multivit (for the folic acid), and I just cheated and started in on these right away. It is good for brain development, specifically vision and possibly may lower the incidence of ADHD...but who knows. These are the fatty acids that are very prevalent in breast milk and are now being added to formula (Similac Advance and Enfamil Lipil)
I had also heard conflicting reports about using flax seed itself..but this regimen agreed with me!
take care
julie;-)

 

[HelenT]

I think the conflict about flax may be due (at least in part) to inconsistent manufacturing standards of flax seed oil capsules. I had seen conflicting reports as well so was hesitant to supplment my diet while pregnant. For most of my pregnancy I have tried to eat other foods like eggs, salmon, sardines, flax seed bread - foods with those good fatty acids. I think I got to about week 25 or maybe 28 and I really missed my flax seed supplements. I have found flax seed does amazing things for my eczema and it has been very painful since I stopped taking the flax. I called an organization called www.motherrisk.org and they said it was okay to take the flax seed capsules at this point in my pregnancy but to make sure they are the highest quality product I can find. My understand from what they said is thasupplements are not very well regulated and you can't always be sure of the quality or purity of your supplement, you may not be ingesting quality flax seed oil. I stick with a good brand so I'm pretty confident my baby and i are getting the benefits of the flax. Like Julie, I was taking my folic acid way very early. I started taking folic acid (well, actually, the "Materna" vitamin supplement) in January 2002, we started TTC in July 2002 and I was pregnant by Sept 2002. I also try to eat foods that are high in folic acid (like spinach, legumes, greens, broccoli, oranges).

And, when I was TTC, I was taking the flax seed capsules. I actually also was grinding flax seeds themselves in my coffee grinder and eating a tablespoon each day with yogurt too while I was TTC. I only cut this out once I found out I was pregnant and like I said, once I was about 6 months pregnant, I started taking flax again.

 

[joannabeske]

HI!

Thanks for the info. I am already taking a prenatal vitamin along w a multi everyday. What about the flax oil? I bought the oil at Whole Foods. Is this the same as the seeds or capsules?

 

[mogambo]

The ground seeds also contain fiber of various kinds, so they are better than just the oil alone. And then you know they're fresh and high quality because you buy them and grind them yourself.

 

[cmh99]

Talk to your doctor

Definitely go in for a pre-conception physical and discuss your concerns with your ob/gyn. My dr advised me to discontinue taking fish oil throughout the entire pregnancy because of possible mercury contamination. He also said to avoid evening primrose oil in the first & second trimesters because it could stimulate uterine contractions and lead to a miscarriage but to start taking it again after 36 weeks to help jump-start labor (it didn't). Flaxseed oil though he said was safe and beneficial to take throughout pregnancy to help with fetal brain development.

This is just what my physician recommended for me, yours may have very different opinions on what's right for you.

Best wishes,

Claire

 

[briee]

RE: Talk to your doctor

I grind flax seed in the coffee grinder and take about 2 tblsp per day mixed in a little water. This has helped tremendously especially to counter the effects of taking higher iron which can cause constipation. I'm in the beginning of pregnancy.

Briee

 

[LovingLife]

"The ground seeds also contain fiber of various kinds, so they are better than just the oil alone. And then you know they're fresh and high quality because you buy them and grind them yourself."

I agree. I read an article in Health Science magazine telling all the wonderful things that Flax seeds can do for you and it quoted studies stating that just taking the flax oil alone has been linked to a few forms of cancer. But when the seeds are ground, the oil and the fiber combined do not have the same link to the cancer -- in fact, they are cancer-preventing. Makes sense that whole foods are more healthy. I've ground mine up in the blender and with the food chopper (but the blender was much less messy).

You may have to play with what amount you take for awhile until your body gets used to it. I had gas at night for the first few weeks.