Omega 3 6 9 - caution!

[bloomfield]

I have been taking an Omega 3 6 9 supplement since before I became I pregnant. I'm now 14 weeks. I asked my doctor if it was ok to continue with the supplement, and he said it was safe and actually recommended in pregnancy.

It turns out, I wasn't very informed about the supplement and have since learned that it contains borage oil (400 mg) and is NOT recommended for pregnancy.

Now I'm in a panic and am worried about potential birth defects.

Can anybody share some insights on this?

Thanks!

 

[gemabee]

omega 3 6 9 is recommended in pregnancy... think u can get it without borage oil in it.
xx

 

[bloomfield]

thanks gemabee!

Does anybody know what risk, if any, borage oil poses if taken in the first trimester? I've already taken it and wonder how worried I should be.

 

[BabySeal]

I think you should ask your doctor just to be sure.

I googled it a read about it and some say it is a uterine stimulant/ ripens cervix used in 3rd tri. But I dont know how backed that info is so please dont take my word for anything. I would think everything would be okay especially since you are okay now . But ask your doc again for peace of mind.

 

[Phinners]

Is there another thread on this somewhere? I posted some journal evidence in it but it's not in this thread? Am I going daft?

But no it isnt ok to take (Borage oil), it is connected with birth defects and other things.

 

[AP]

^yeah the threads in 2nd tri

 

[Cra]

Just wondering the outcome re, borage oil concerns at 14 weeks. I am in the same situation. I havent been taking it for long but i am now concerned.

 

[veganmama]

don't really see why you feel like you need the whole omega complex as most people are eating way too much omega 6. a good quality DHA/EPA supplement is what you should be striving for.

 

[bubbles123]

I agree with veganmama, you only really need to take omega 3 DHA/EPA. There is one I would recommend to you if you are in the UK. It's called Mind and More https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2631&prodid=2915&sid=0
is available through Holland and Barrett and is suitable for use during pregnancy. If you are in the USA, there is a company called Life's DHA that makes a similar product.
Most other veggie omega supplements are best avoided due to either Rosemary oil (which has been linked to causing the cervix to contract) or borage oil. I don't know about the implications of taking the others I'm afraid but would definitely recommend switching to one of the above products.If you are not veggie, then the antenatal DHA supplements that come with Pregnacare and the like are fine to take as are high purity fish oils - they have to be high purity though or they may contain mercury. There is no mercury in the veggie algae oil supplements so they are IMO the best choice X

 

[ash086]

agreed omega 3 is the only one you really need.

 

[Cra]

I do have my own health reasons why i went with an omega 3 6 9 but was not told of the borage oil concern when I was recommended to do so.

 

[Cra]

I do have my health reasons why i went with an omega 3 6 9 but unfortunately was not told of borage oil concern when recommended to do so.

 

[sazpark]

Hello Bloomfield,

I wonder if you are still using this account?
As I just realized that I also have been taking the omega 3.6.9 that contains Borage Oil and I did not realize that it is not recommended during pregnancy.
I am 17 weeks pregnant and have been taking it religiously for the past 17 weeks.......... I am really concerned.

SInce you posted your concern in 2010, you have already given birth.

Is everything okay with your child?

I would really appreciate it if you or someone could advise as I am really worried now...

So far, my pregnancy has been smooth... and ultra sound, they didnt detect anything strange yet... but you never know.

Please HELP!!

Thank you!

 

[babybirdangel]

Hello Bloomfield,

I wonder if you are still using this account?
As I just realized that I also have been taking the omega 3.6.9 that contains Borage Oil and I did not realize that it is not recommended during pregnancy.
I am 17 weeks pregnant and have been taking it religiously for the past 17 weeks.......... I am really concerned.

SInce you posted your concern in 2010, you have already given birth.

Is everything okay with your child?

I would really appreciate it if you or someone could advise as I am really worried now...

So far, my pregnancy has been smooth... and ultra sound, they didnt detect anything strange yet... but you never know.

Please HELP!!

Thank you!

I am in the same predicament! I have been taking fish oil with flax seed oil, omega 3,6,9 and borage oil. I am going to stop taking it and get the fish oil without borage oil in it.

 

[lauren10]

well, i'm in 3rd tri now and have been taking 3/6/9 all along! i didn't know. I've read nothing about birth defects, but softening of the cervix and possibly pelvic ligaments. No harm done, the baby is still inside and I've had many ultrasounds that were all fine....I'll just stop now! Thanks for the info.

 

[Nugget2]

I am in the same boat. Let me guess, did we all take the Jaimeson brand? It doesn't have a warning lable for pregnancy! How much did you folks take? I didn't take it religiously but I counted and I've taken 123 pills. I am 27 weeks now. I know sometimes i took 3 (as the bottle suggests) and sometimes 1 or 2. Most of it was injested in my second trimester. Please see my post for the info I got from MotherRisk about it. My midwife really felt it was safe and said she has lots of patients taking Omega 3-6-9. Plus there is all of us, that makes me feel better! Please anyone let us know if you have problems!

 

[anita665]

Most people get plenty of omega 6 & 9 in their diet but not enough quality omega 3. To get your full dose of dha/epa it should ideally be from fish oil but then there is a risk of contamination from things like mercury from the fish and too much vitamin A if it's fish liver oil.

There are omega 3 fish oil capsules designed for pregnant women which are refined and safe. Pregnacare do one which I've taken right through pregnancy. In the UK you can also get Centrum Pregnancy Care Plus Omega 3, Sanatogen pregnancy mother to be plus omega 3 and Seven Seas Pregnancy plus.

 

[MSKR5]

Can any ladies fill me in on how everything ended up? I was taking the same capsules up until about 5.5weeks and now I'm freaking out!

 

[summer rain]

The main issue with borage oil is it is like a twice as strong version of evening primrose oil so can cause miscarriage I have also heard earlier in pregnancy it can theoretically cause birth defects but haven't found any clear info as to what these are and what the risk level is.

With regard to omega 3 supplements contrary to popular belief when it comes to supplements as opposed to getting it from your diet, fish oils aren't the best option but algal supplements are-as it is the algae that gives the fish the relevant fatty acids to begin with. The fish oil omega 3 is best absorbed if you actually eat two portions of oily fish a week otherwise if possible its best to take an algal version. There is a product called opti omega that is made by the same company that managed to source a plant based version of vitamin d3 (vitashine) and I believe it's available in the UK and US it isn't extracted using hexane or other nasty chemicals and provides a higher level of DHA and EPA than most fish oil based supplements. If you aren't able to take omega 3 or worry your diet is deficient in it don't worry too much, evidence of benefit isn't as strong as you would think. Also if you don't eat fish and only take or eat ALA I.e. from flaxseeds women can convert this to DHA better than men and a fairly large scale study from the University of East Anglia in 2010 found that people who had not eaten fish or taken fish oil supplements for a long time, if at all their body adapted to convert ALA into DHA and there was no real difference in their blood levels of DHA as opposed to those who ate fish regularly. Hopefully further research will be undertaken in this regard. Xx

 

[MSKR5]

The main issue with borage oil is it is like a twice as strong version of evening primrose oil so can cause miscarriage I have also heard earlier in pregnancy it can theoretically cause birth defects but haven't found any clear info as to what these are and what the risk level is.

With regard to omega 3 supplements contrary to popular belief when it comes to supplements as opposed to getting it from your diet, fish oils aren't the best option but algal supplements are-as it is the algae that gives the fish the relevant fatty acids to begin with. The fish oil omega 3 is best absorbed if you actually eat two portions of oily fish a week otherwise if possible its best to take an algal version. There is a product called opti omega that is made by the same company that managed to source a plant based version of vitamin d3 (vitashine) and I believe it's available in the UK and US it isn't extracted using hexane or other nasty chemicals and provides a higher level of DHA and EPA than most fish oil based supplements. If you aren't able to take omega 3 or worry your diet is deficient in it don't worry too much, evidence of benefit isn't as strong as you would think. Also if you don't eat fish and only take or eat ALA I.e. from flaxseeds women can convert this to DHA better than men and a fairly large scale study from the University of East Anglia in 2010 found that people who had not eaten fish or taken fish oil supplements for a long time, if at all their body adapted to convert ALA into DHA and there was no real difference in their blood levels of DHA as opposed to those who ate fish regularly. Hopefully further research will be undertaken in this regard. Xx

Thanks for responding! I haven't stopped researching since I found this out and really can't find much evidence for anything.

Most talk about the regular dosage as being 1000-2000mg or even more and my pills just had 400mg in them. I was only taking it as my doctor told me to for TTC and then thought I'd continue because I know it was supposed to be good for brain development.

At 5.5 weeks I got horrible morning sickness and haven't taken them since so I'm wondering how much damage I could have done at that dose and until only 5 weeks... My bottle has no warning or nothing! I'm so upset and worried that I can't sleep!