Can I Take Collagen While Pregnant?
During pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of changes beyond growing a new life inside you. As your baby grows, your skin begins to stretch and your weight increases, which means you might experience joint or muscle pain from the additional load you’re carrying. While you might be quick to switch from your regular supplements to prenatal vitamins as soon as you find out you’re pregnant, collagen is actually completely safe to continue taking - and can even be beneficial during your pregnancy journey.
In fact, many experts in health and nutrition turn to collage powder for its benefits for women during pregnancy. Qualified naturopaths and nutritionists at Halsa Health explain why adding a collagen supplement to your diet during pregnancy can be very beneficial.
Reach out to the specialists in women’s health and fertility at Halsa Health for personalised guidance and advice.
Are collagen supplements safe during pregnancy?
There are a lot of things that are off-limits during pregnancy, such as high-mercury seafood, alcohol, and excess caffeine, but thankfully collagen isn’t one of them. While you should always consult your doctor before starting a new supplement during pregnancy, collagen supplements are generally totally safe to incorporate into your daily routine.
Halsa Health Senior Naturopath Claire Grullemans, an expert in women's health, also highlights that collagen supplements can be a great way to add in amino acids which otherwise wouldn’t feature in the diet.
Because Gelpro’s top-quality collagen is essentially just protein, there are no nasty additives that could be harmful to you or your unborn child. In fact, if you’re eating meat, poultry or fish, you’re already naturally ingesting collagen - so your supplements are just giving you that extra boost to help your changing body’s needs.
What are the benefits of taking collagen while pregnant?
Now that the question of ‘can you take collagen when pregnant?’ is answered, you may be wondering if there are any benefits in doing so.
The simple answer is: collagen is beneficial for anyone for a multitude of reasons, including pregnant women.
Some of the benefits of collagen during pregnancy include:
Skin Elasticity:
As your baby grows, so does your stomach, causing your skin to stretch. As we approach our mid to late twenties, our natural collagen production rates have already started to decline, meaning our skin is less self sufficient in terms of keeping up skin elasticity,
Because collagen intake increases skin elasticity, adding a collagen supplement to your daily routine early on in your pregnancy may be beneficial. It can help to reduce the development of stretch marks as your pregnancy progresses, as well as reduce cellulite post-pregnancy - not to mention the internal structures of your body which need plenty of give when the time comes for the baby to arrive.
Joint Health:
During pregnancy, you’re carrying a lot of extra weight for your baby, which can put pressure on and cause inflammation in your joints, bones and ligaments. Collagen supplements can help keep your joints healthy and pain-free by increasing collagen synthesis in the connective tissues. As Claire notes, it's not uncommon during pregnancy to develop musculoskeletal aches and pains for which amino acids found in collagen can help to reduce.
Blood Sugar Balance:
Claire also states that women experience changes in glucose levels throughout pregnancy and postpartum, that can be stabilised by adding protein via collagen powder.
“An extra serving of protein each day can help to balance this in support for those experiencing Gestational diabetes. The best way to do this is by adding in a smoothie with collagen powder, and lots of pre and probiotic fibres from other food sources such as fresh fruit, grains like oats, chia seeds, nuts/nut butters and the additional serve of 300-400ml water is also great for hydration and blood sugar balance.”
Hair Growth:
Some pregnant women may benefit from thicker, more luscious hair during pregnancy. However, postpartum hair loss is a common occurrence soon after or in the months after giving birth. Collagen is the main protein structure in hair (and nails) and therefore collagen supplements can help with hair growth as well as improve the health and strength of your hair.
For women experiencing changes in hair health during breastfeed, Claire turns to collagen powder for support.
“Anytime I am working with a postpartum mumma I love to recommend Gelpro collagen powder as a staple part of the diet,” Claire says.
How much collagen is safe to consume while pregnant?
Taking the right dose of collagen for pregnancy is as simple as following the guidelines on the product. Because there is no risk involved in taking a collagen supplement during pregnancy, one serving per day, or the recommended amount on your supplement, is totally safe while pregnant. However, as always, consult your doctor if you have any concerns about your intake amount.
As a nutrition expert, Claire says a dose of 20-50gm daily would be considered a safe and effective dose to ingest as part of a nutrient dense, whole foods diet.
Can you take collagen supplements while breastfeeding?
Just like collagen in pregnancy, taking collagen supplements while breastfeeding is safe as long as you have no other health concerns. However, as the nutrients you ingest impact your breast milk, it’s important to choose a collagen supplement that is free of artificial flavours, sweeteners and any other unnatural additives. A clean pure collagen powder like Gelpro can be a great way to boost calories, protein, and extra nutrients to support your body while breastfeeding.
Collagen can also be beneficial as a protein supplement during breastfeeding. The average breastfeeding mum needs roughly 100 grams of protein daily, so using a supplement to top up a healthy diet can make hitting your daily protein intake requirements a breeze.
How should you take collagen? What are the best supplements?
There are a few things to consider when looking for the best collagen to take while pregnant, and choosing the best quality collagen supplements in general.
The best choice is always a pure collagen supplement that contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives, is being manufactured ethically and sustainably, and comes from a local, high-quality source.
If you’re looking at bovine collagen, it’s important to choose one that’s made from grass-fed cows, like Gelpro’s Collagen Hydrolysate, which is Australia's first, and only collagen produced exclusively from Australian and New Zealand hides.
If you’re looking at marine collage, our Original Marine Collagen is made from wild-caught fish from the pristine Arctic and North Atlantic waters.
Particularly for during pregnancy, choose a collagen that is made of 100% protein. For this, powders are the best choice, as pills, gummies and liquid supplements will usually contain smaller amounts of collagen protein to make room for additives like sugars, flavours and colourants. Flavourless powders are also the most versatile as they can easily be incorporated into a wide range of foods and drinks for easy daily consumption.
Some collagens may contain extra ingredients or nutrients that actually are beneficial and complement collagen use such as antioxidants and organic superfoods, like our Collagen + Australian Organic Greens superblend. However, if choosing a collagen supplement with added nutrients, always check with your doctor first.
Gelpro collagen can be easily incorporated into your morning routine and help you feel and look your best during and after pregnancy. Simply mix one scoop of collagen powder into your coffee, juice or smoothie and enjoy the benefits. Or, explore our easy and delicious recipes to incorporate your daily dose of collagen into delicious treats.
Gelpro offers a wide range of sustainably and ethically sourced collagen, wholefood and superfood supplements to support your wellness journey. Discover the benefits of our ancestrally inspired daily wellness essentials and shop our products at Gelpro Australia.
