Is Magnesium Safe During Pregnancy?

Magnesium is among the most essential minerals for ensuring a healthy pregnancy. This specific mineral helps in creating and regenerating body tissues.

What`s the Role of Magnesium during Pregnancy?

Magnesium and calcium function together in the body, just as calcium needs vitamin D to accomplish its purpose. Magnesium relaxes muscles, while calcium stimulates muscles to contract. Experts claim that the normal levels of magnesium during pregnancy help in avoiding premature uterine contractions.

Magnesium helps in the construction of body tissues, strengthens teeth and bones, but also helps in regulating the insulin or glycemic level and in the function of certain enzymes. Besides, magnesium controls the harmful cholesterol in the blood and balances the irregular heartbeats. It has an useful effect in combating leg cramps during pregnancy as well.

In short:

• It helps in building and repairing of body tissues.
• It`s recognized for the ability of controlling irregular heartbeats.
• It works very well with calcium.
• It decreases the risk of osteoporosis.
• It helps with the insomnia.
• It helps in reducing cramps.
• It prepares the body for the moment of delivery and helps to face labor more easily.

Research & Studies

Women who don`t have a well balanced diet have a magnesium deficiency which can have negative consequences for the evolution of pregnancy. For you to better understand, we present in short the results obtained after some studies made to analyze the importance of magnesium in pregnancy.

The conclusions below are based on the analysis of data from 2689 of pregnant women at which was analyzed the effects of the administration of food supplements based on magnesium during pregnancy. The additional intake of magnesium was associated with:

• A lower frequency of premature births.
• Fewer cases of low weight at birth.
• Fewer cases of underdevelopment relative to the fetal gestational age.

Also, pregnant women who took food supplements based on magnesium needed fewer hospitalization during pregnancy, and the cases of vaginal bleeding before birth occurred more rarely than for women who didn`t took such supplements.

Recommended Daily Dose of Magnesium

The amount of magnesium you require depends on the age when you`re pregnant, as well as if you are breastfeeding or not.

• 18 years or less – 400 mg/day.
• 19 – 30 years – 350 mg/day.
• 31(+) years – 360 mg/day.
• 18 years or less + breastfeeding – 360 mg/day.
• 19 – 30 years + breastfeeding – 310 mg/day.
• 31(+) + breastfeeding – 320 mg/day.

These doses are only for you to have an idea. You won`t be able to offer to your organism the same dose of magnesium every day, not to mention to offer it the ideal dose. However, it`s important for you to try and stay around these values and not fall in the extreme of deficiency, which can prove to be very dangerous for your pregnancy.

Sources of Magnesium

The good news is that there are lots of foods that contain this amazing mineral and which are recommended during pregnancy. Magnesium is full of foods, like:

• Pumkin seeds.
• Raw sunflower seeds.
• Millet cooked.
• Salted, steamed or boiled salmon.
• Cereal tar.
• Wheat germinated.
• Halibut.
• Quinoa.
• Spinach spaghetti.
• Brown rice cooked.
• Chinese green beans.
• Fried almonds.
• Spinach.
• Hazelnuts.
• Soybean.
• Fortified oats.
• Potatoes (with bark).
• Yogurt with low fat content.
• Peanut butter.

Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium supports the growth of the pregnant woman`s uterus as well as the healthy development of the bones and other organs of the baby from your belly. Also, it`s essential to the entire muscle system of the future mother.

Are you fighting with headaches, sleep disturbances, fatigue, leg cramps or lack of concentration (especially during the second trimester of pregnancy)? Don`t look for other reasons: you may confront yourself with lack of magnesium.

If the magnesium intake in the body is adequate, you`ll manage to keep away of the risks of preeclampsia, miscarriage and premature birth. Moreover, when magnesium is at optimal levels in the pregnant woman`s body, the baby has a lot to gain as well. The positive effects on the fetus are proven scientifically.

Magnesium Supplements

Magnesium supplementation can be done by taking New Life Multivitamin produced by Calvita, which is especially designed for pregnant and breastfeeding women with a content of 112,5 mg of magnesium along with other vitamins and minerals necessary to a future mother. Another supplement with a magnesium content that is very popular is Magne B6, which contains magnesium and vitamin B6, but Calvita has another similar supplement with the same concentration of magnesium and vitamin B6, but also has zinc, which is called Magne Zi B6.

Stress Has an Enemy!

From all benefits that magnesium offers to the organism, the most well known is the fact that it can block the elimination of stress hormones. This translates in calm, relaxation, inner peace, which means exactly what you need during this period in your life.

To cover the requirements of magnesium during pregnancy and breastfeeding, a pregnant woman or a mother needs to consume 7 bananas or 300 g of peas or 300 g of nuts or 9 slices of whole bread on a daily basis.

As mentioned above, pregnant women need 310 – 350 mg of magnesium per day, and the ones breastfeeding 390 mg.