Is Maca Safe to Use During Pregnancy?
Maca Root During Pregnancy
Are you thinking about using Maca while pregnant? Many women have questions about taking Maca root during pregnancy.
Is Maca safe during pregnancy? Below, we will discuss some key topics and points to consider before deciding if taking Maca during pregnancy is right for you.
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What is Maca Root and What is it Used for?
You’ve probably noticed that people have been talking about maca more often in recent years. It’s becoming a popular topic in the health food and nutrition industries, gaining traction as a point of conversation.
Maca root is the root of a plant that is naturally found growing in locations near and around the Andes Mountains.
There are a lot of different uses that people use Maca for but it’s important to point out that nothing is “proven” to be a guaranteed use or option that works or “treats” conditions.
Some of the main ways that people have used maca for their own needs are:
- to try to help with infertility issues in men
- assist with health problems arising from menopause
- and potentially improved bone health in women
Is It Safe to Use Maca During Pregnancy?
It’s important to know that while I am knowledgeable in prenatal nutrition, I am not a doctor. Please always consult your trusted physician before altering your prenatal diet.
Is Maca Safe During Pregnancy?
The short answer is that there’s no definitive proof that taking maca root during pregnancy is either safe or unsafe. There simply haven’t been enough studies conducted on the use of maca root during pregnancy to clearly determine its safety.
I know many women who have taken maca supplements or protein powders containing maca while pregnant, and none of them have experienced any complications or negative effects.
However, the lack of extensive testing means it’s crucial to consult with your doctor, nutritionist, or midwife to get their medical opinion and advice on whether taking maca is right for your pregnancy.
Remember, many experts believe that introducing new foods or herbs during pregnancy might not be the best idea. Pregnancy is a time when being cautious and aware of what you consume is especially important.
RELATED: The Top Rated Protein Powders for Pregnancy to Grow a Healthier Baby
What are the Benefits of Maca Root While Pregnant?
Again, depending on what you and your physician talk about, there can be many benefits to taking maca root while pregnant that he or she might discuss with you.
One of the best potential benefits is to help try and balance out your pregnancy hormones.
We all know that during these months, your hormones are likely to fluctuate significantly, so the idea of achieving some hormonal stability can be quite appealing.
Personally, this is why I was advised to take maca root for the first time, as a hormone balancer.
Maca root can help you handle stress.
Pregnancy is a wonderful time but also a very stressful time for a multitude of reasons. Everything in your life is about to change. Finances, expenses, physical discomfort and more… pregnancy can be a stressful time!
Maca root is an adaptogen, meaning it is believed to help your body adapt to stress, anxiety, and depression over time with continuous use. It is known to help you adjust to dealing with the stresses of life and even pregnancy too.
Maca can give you a burst of energy.
And really who doesn’t need more energy during pregnancy?
Maca root may also benefit your bones during pregnancy.
Another potential benefit of maca root during pregnancy is that it may provide your bones with a boost of nutrients, especially during a time when your body is working overtime to nurture the beautiful baby growing inside you.
It is vitally important to take care of your bones and get adequate nutrients for them throughout your pregnancy. If your body doesn’t have enough bone building nutrients throughout your gestation, it will be sure to divert them all to your baby. Even if your body has to pull from it’s own bones to do so.
Are There Any Risks with Using Maca During Pregnancy?
As with anything new and unproven, there are always risks.
One of the biggest risk factors of taking maca during pregnancy is that there aren’t any real studies out there that prove the effectiveness or safety of using it while pregnant.
This means that there can also be potential side effects that happen as well and even more potential serious consequences since it’s a relatively untested herb for the pregnant population.
RELATED: The Pros and Cons of Drinking Shakeology During Pregnancy (it even contains maca!)
The Importance of Pregnancy Nutrition
Pregnancy nutrition is something that unfortunately, women are not very educated about by their providers. But it’s no ones fault, pregnancy nutrition is not even an OBGYN’s specialty! In fact, you have to take special pregnancy nutrition programs and classes to become educated in the most up to date findings (and there are a ton of them in recent years) of prenatal nutritional requirements.
I am Certified in Lifestyle and Nutrition During Pregnancy and have helped to educate thousands of new mothers of the most up-to-date and revolutionary prenatal advice!
After discovering how many mamas wanted to know how to best benefit their baby’s health and genetic makeup with their prenatal diet, I created a revolutionary easy to understand prenatal nutrition program that is available now!
The Perfect Pregnancy Plan is made up of two parts to help you have an amazing pregnancy experience and keep your body strong and healthy during pregnancy and after as well.
One part of the plan focuses on fitness while the other part focuses on nutrition. And the entire plan is geared towards helping pregnant women live their best pregnancy life every single day while helping to grow the healthiest baby possible.
The Perfect Pregnancy Plan Nutrition Program takes all the guesswork out of what you need to know about prenatal nutrition. It is based on dozens and dozens of studies of epigenetics during pregnancy. But instead of boring you with a bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo, I break it all down into an informative but easy to understand and even better, easy to implement format.
Taking control of your body during your pregnancy is one of the best things that you can do to help with your child’s genetic makeup and development.
It also gives you great health knowledge, good nutrition choices, and a calming sense that you’re doing everything in your power to have a healthy and optimal pregnancy experience.
Wrapping Up Maca During Pregnancy
If you’re serious about wanting to introduce the use of maca during your pregnancy, make certain to talk to your doctor or trusted healthcare provider and together make a plan on how to use it, when to use it, and take the time to educate yourself on the potential positives and negatives as well.
As long as you ask the questions and formulate a plan with your health care provider, you can then feel better knowing that you’re educated on all the choices and options that are available.
If maca root is something you would like to try using during pregnancy after chatting with your trusted healthcare provider, you can pick up some great varieties that are rightly rated on Amazon.
Other Pregnancy Nutrition Articles You’ll Love
- The Benefits of Exercising During Pregnancy and How To Do It
- How to Have A Non Toxic Pregnancy
- 8 Healthy Foods For Your Pregnancy That Are Absolutely Delicious
