Magnesium during pregnancy & breastfeeding

The female body needs sufficient magnesium to be able to cope with all the changes and the additional requirements involved in pregnancy as well as meeting the needs of the fetus – much more than before. Studies also show that your magnesium metabolism works differently during pregnancy. For example, expectant mothers eliminate more magnesium than usual, making it more difficult to cover their magnesium needs.

The female body needs sufficient magnesium to be able to cope with all the changes and the additional requirements involved in pregnancy as well as meeting the needs of the fetus.

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) currently recommends  300 mg magnesium per day for pregnant and breastfeeding women. However, new scientific studies find that mothers-to-be require more – approx. 360 to 400 mg magnesium daily.

• Leg cramps

• Abdominal pain

• Fatigue

• Tension

• Constipation

• Palpitations

• High blood pressure

• Exhaustion

A balanced diet rich in magnesium (e.g. green vegetables, whole grain products, nuts, legumes, magnesium-rich mineral water) can provide the mother & child team with a targeted supply of magnesium. But sometimes a healthy diet is not enough on its own. Nutrition surveys have repeatedly and clearly shown that pregnant women often don't have enough magnesium in their diet.

Symptoms such as leg cramps, pelvic pain, tiredness, nervousness, constipation, palpitations, high blood pressure and/or fatigue may indicate magnesium deficiency.

An insufficient supply of the mineral can also exacerbate morning sickness and promote gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. The latter is a serious condition that can endanger the lives of both the mother and the child. In addition, severe magnesium deficiencies can cause cramping of the uterus and even premature labor, which in the worst case can lead to premature birth.

High-quality magnesium supplements can help to cover the magnesium requirement and to provide optimum support for a happy pregnancy. Studies have shown that 300-400 mg magnesium daily have proven to be effective and can be taken throughout the entire pregnancy.

If you have any symptoms that indicate a magnesium deficiency, your gynecologist can take a blood sample to determine your magnesium status and respond to your individual needs by prescribing customized magnesium dosages.

Not all magnesium is the same. For example, different magnesium compounds not only have different magnesium contents, but also different degrees of solubility, which ultimately determines  how well the mineral can be absorbed into the body (bioavailability). Organic compounds, such as magnesium citrate and magnesium citrate malate, are generally considered to be readily bioavailable.

As always, special attention should also be paid to the composition of the product: while high-quality capsule supplements do not contain any unnecessary additives at all, liquid variants should also be natural (e.g., no coloring agents, no synthetic flavors) and as sugar-free as possible.

Particularly in pregnancy, the purity and quality of a preparation should take the highest priority. Sophisticated magnesium blends extract the maximum from the mineral by cleverly combining soluble and magnesium-rich compounds with each other. This results in a good supply of magnesium – irrespective of the pH in the digestive tract of the mother-to-be (for example, this is dependent upon the different medications taken, the current diet or bacterial gut colonisation).

Experts are currently still divided on the question of whether women should take magnesium before and during pregnancy as a precautionary measure, or just as and when needed. However, nutritional studies that repeatedly report on magnesium deficiencies in pregnant women as well as the risk of pre-eclampsia in conjunction with a lack of magnesium, indicate the benefits of preventive supplementation.  However, a mother-to-be can always ask her gynaecologist or midwife for advice.

In order to ensure an adequate supply of magnesium for both mother and child during pregnancy, a balanced diet that is rich in magnesium should be the order of the day. Good sources of magnesium are found in wholegrain products, unprocessed rice, pulses and nuts. In addition, certain mineral waters and vegetables (particularly green vegetables), bananas, oranges and berries contain this mineral. But it is not only plant foods but also animal products, such as meat and fish, that are rich in magnesium.

Sometimes healthy eating alone is not sufficient to cover our magnesium requirements. Nutritional studies repeatedly illustrate that not all pregnant women have an adequate supply of magnesium. For this reason, pregnant women – in consultation with their gynaecologist – are sometimes strongly advised to consider preventive supplementation with a magnesium preparation.

Even once you are able to hold your bundle of joy in your arms, you should not neglect your daily magnesium supplementation.

According to the DGE, the estimated amount required by breastfeeding mothers is 300 mg magnesium daily. Of this, an average of 3 mg magnesium per 100 ml breast milk is consumed by the baby, which it needs for development and growth.

Mothers-to-be have the superpower of growing a new human being inside them. However, in order for the bundle of joy to develop correctly, it is important that there should be a good supply of magnesium as not only does it help to reduce pregnancy-related problems but it can also reduce the risk of the occurrence of pre-eclampsia. Since nutritional studies repeatedly show that many pregnant women have a magnesium deficiency, it makes sense that women in other circumstances are also encouraged to take a magnesium supplement.

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