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Prenatal DHA Test for Mom & Baby
Do You Know Your DHA Level?
Once you know your Prenatal DHA level, you can personalize your diet to safely change your level in as little as two to three months. The goal is to reach a Prenatal DHA level of 5% or higher.
Eating fish, taking an omega-3 supplement, or a little bit of both can get you to 5%. You can eat two servings of low-mercury, high-DHA fish per week, like salmon, anchovies, herring and mackerel. If you can’t stomach those kinds of fish, an omega-3 or DHA prenatal supplement or a general fish oil supplement can raise your blood level. Make sure the supplement has at least 200 mg of DHA per serving, but it’s good to aim for getting both EPA and DHA if possible. Many people end up taking a supplement and adding a little fish to their diet as tolerated.
What the Prenatal DHA Test Measures:
The Prenatal DHA Test measures the amount of omega-3 DHA in the blood. Studies show 5% is the level women should shoot for during pregnancy.
Optimal DHA Levels are Important for:
full term pregnancy
Baby’s growth and development
Postpartum health
Why Prenatal DHA & Mothers Milk DHA Testing Matters
- Women who get an optimal about of Omega-3 DHA during pregnancy can reduce their risk of early preterm birth by 42% – view study
- Women who have low blood DHA levels are 10x more likely to have preterm birth – view study
- Nearly three quarters of women have DHA levels below 5%, the optimal level for pregnant women – view study
- Studies also show that getting enough DHA during pregnancy can impact behavior, attention, and learning in children – view study
- Breast milk is an ideal delivery system for DHA to growing babies to support their brain, eye and overall development – view study
Why the Prenatal DHA Test?
DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, fish oil, and prenatal supplements that is an important nutrient for a healthy pregnancy. The Prenatal DHA Test, which is a measure of DHA in blood, lets you know if you are getting enough of this key nutrient for both you and your baby.
For you, DHA is important because studies have shown that women with higher DHA blood levels are less likely to have early preterm birth. For your baby, DHA is important for brain, eye and immune system development.
Prenatal DHA Videos
Also – check out these playlists:
Media Coverage
Research Papers
Higher blood DHA levels in pregnancy were related to lower risk of preterm birth in Australian women >
Plasma EPA + DHA level during early to mid-pregnancy predict risk for early preterm birth >
Having lower prenatal DHA levels is related to a higher risk of postpartum depression >
Supplementation of EPA+DHA during pregnancy increased children’s IQ at 4 years >
OmegaMatters
EPISODE #14: Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian: Translating Nutrition Science into Practice
EPISODE #13: Dr. Jing Kang: How the Fat-1 Mouse Creates Omega-3 from Omega-6
EPISODE #12 – Part 2: Is DHA Essential? – Dr. Norm Salem
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