The omega-3s DHA and EPA influence human development and health throughout life. See for yourself by taking a look at our articles on how omega-3s support the health of the heart, brain, and skin.

Given the many roles of omega-3s in whole-body health, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that DHA and EPA may play critical roles in the health of expecting mothers and their babies.

Read on to see what moms-to-be should know about getting enough omega-3s, and how omega-3s may support healthy pregnancies and childbirths.

Health experts around the world agree that women aren’t consuming enough DHA and EPA.

There is no universal standard for how much DHA and EPA women should consume before and during pregnancy, but world health authorities are starting to converge on an answer. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) all recommend that women who want to support a healthy pregnancy should consume at least 250 mg of DHA + EPA per day.

The recommendations of these authorities for women who are pregnant are similar as well, with all three organizations clustering around a minimum of 500 mg of DHA+EPA per day:

• FAO: 300 mg/day of DHA+EPA, with 200 mg or more being DHA
• EFSA: 500 mg/day of DHA+EPA, with 250 mg being DHA
• NIH: 250mg/day of DHA+EPA, plus an additional 100-200 mg/day of DHA

However, dietary data indicates that women in the United States and much of the western world aren’t consuming nearly enough DHA or EPA. A 2018 analysis of omega-3 consumption by American women found that the average intake of DHA+EPA was 88 mg/day, and that more than 95% of women 15 to 44 years old consumed less than 250 mg/day of DHA+EPA. Pregnant women 20-44 years old were found to average 98 mg/day of DHA+EPA.

Multiple pregnancies may result in declining omega-3 levels.

Women aren’t consuming enough omega-3s to begin with, and it appears that with subsequent pregnancies they may need to consume even more omega-3s to achieve the same levels.

On average, women have baseline DHA levels about 15% higher than men. During pregnancy, DHA levels increase by more than 50%—which suggests that DHA plays an important role in pregnancy.

However, multiple studies have found that with each subsequent pregnancy, omega-3 levels decrease. In addition, DHA levels have been found to be lower in babies who were part of a multiple-child pregnancy. Thus, women may want to pay especially close attention to their omega-3 intake during subsequent or multiple pregnancies and monitor their omega-3 index.

High omega-3 intake appears to boost fertility and the odds of a healthy birth.

Several studies conducted in the United States in the last decade have found that omega-3 supplementation correlates with increased fertility and live birth rate in women, whether conceiving naturally or with assisted reproductive technologies (ART):

• A study of 900 women attempting to conceive naturally found that those taking omega-3 supplements had a 51% higher likelihood of conceiving compared to women who were not, after controlling for all other variables (age, weight, use of other vitamins and supplements, etc.).
• A study of 100 women undergoing ART found that for every 1% they increased their omega-3 levels, their likelihood of both pregnancy and having a live birth increased by 8%. Replacing saturated fatty acid intake with omega-3 fatty acid intake was also associated with a much higher likelihood of live birth.
• A study of 229 couples using ART found that women with the highest levels of DHA+EPA had a 54% likelihood of live birth, while those with the lowest levels had a 36% chance. Women with the lowest omega-3 levels also had significantly higher likelihood of losing a pregnancy versus those with the highest levels (53% versus 5%).

In addition, a recent analysis of multiple international studies found similar results:

• Women with high omega-3 levels undergoing fertility treatments were about 74% more likely to conceive.
• Women with high omega-3 levels attempting to conceive naturally were 36% more likely to conceive.
• Overall, high omega-3 levels were found to correlate a 2.14x increase in fertilization rates.

These studies collectively suggest that increased omega-3 intake corresponds with significantly increased fertility in women conceiving naturally or with ART.

One study suggests that omega-3 benefits fertility and live birth rates through the production of prostaglandins, a group of lipids with hormone-like functions that play roles in healing, blood clot formation, ovulation, menstruation, and labor induction. The study notes the makeup of prostaglandins in the uterus have a significant impact on the success of implantation, and that omega-3s promote the production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.

In addition, the impact of omega-3s on fertility may not be limited to women. Some studies have found that increased omega-3 levels correlate with improved measures of male fertility.

Increased omega-3 levels may help to reduce the risk and severity of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a form of high blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy which is a serious concern for mothers, as it can damage the kidney and heart, causing strokes or seizures, and can also cause premature delivery and low birth weight. It affects 2% to 8% of pregnancies globally, and 5% to 8% of pregnancies in the United States.

In 2024, an analysis that reviewed more than 30 years of studies evaluating 16,000 women found that those who were given omega-3 supplements during pregnancy had a 37% lower occurrence of preeclampsia, and a 55% lower risk of severe preeclampsia (which often requires hospitalization).

ne potential reason that omega-3s affect preeclampsia symptoms that that these nutrients may support thyroid function during pregnancy. Gestational hypothyroidism (GHT), which occurs in about 2-3% of pregnancies, can contribute to preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. A recent study found that “increased levels of EPA and DHA were associated with optimal thyroid function biomarkers,” and that “elevated levels of EPA were additionally associated with a lower risk of GHT.”

The National Institutes of Health now recognizes research showing that DHA and EPA significantly reduce the risk of preterm birth.

Globally, preterm births—babies born before 37 weeks of gestation—account for about 10% of all births. In the US, the rate of preterm births is a slightly lower 9%, while early preterm births—babies born before 34 weeks—account for about 2% of births.

Preterm birth is the single greatest cause of death in newborns. One study of newborn outcomes found that babies born:

• After 37 weeks had a survival rate greater than 99.8%
• At 34 to 37 weeks had a survival rate of 98.7%
• Before 34 weeks had a survival rate of 91.7%

Preterm birth also significantly increases the risk of complications with vision, hearing, breathing and feeding, as well as cerebral palsy and developmental delays.

Consequently, healthcare experts prioritize interventions which can minimize the risk of preterm birth. In 2025, the NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements updated its guidance to health professionals regarding the use of DHA supplementation to reduce the risk of preterm birth. The updated guidance reads in part:

“Research indicates that long-chain omega-3s reduce the risk of preterm birth, so experts recommend that all women of childbearing age consume at least 250 mg/day of DHA plus EPA from diet or supplements, and an additional 100 to 200 mg/day of DHA during pregnancy.”

While this marks a significant step in US healthcare providers recognizing how omega-3s can support health during pregnancy, additional research has found that omega-3 intake significantly higher than that recommended by the NIH correlates with further reductions in preterm birth rates.

In one trial, all participants were given a 200 mg daily DHA supplement, with half of them being given an additional supplement of 800 mg per day of DHA (1 g/day total), with the rest receiving a placebo. Those who received the higher dose had an early preterm birth rate less than half that of those who received only 200 mg of DHA per day. Those with especially low baseline omega-3 levels who received the high dose had early preterm birth rates 75% lower than those who received only 200 mg per day.

Another study that attempted to correlate DHA dosage with reductions in preterm birth and low birth weights found that rates of both decreased continuously up to the maximum tested dose of nearly 600 mg per day. The maximum tested dose correlated with a reduction of 70% in early preterm births, with a similar impact on low birth weights.

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