The reported benefits of collagen during pregnancy cover everything from that positive pregnancy test to your postpartum recovery. But are any of these benefits of collagen during pregnancy backed by science? And can one supplement truly make this much of a difference?
In short, yes.
Pregnancy is an intense time – and not just for your emotions. Pregnancy pushes a person’s body to the limit and beyond, causing all sorts of unpleasant symptoms. While you’re definitely aching to hold your little bundle of joy, chances are good that your body is literally aching, too.
The good news is that there are things you can do to help make bringing a new life into this world easier on your body. Hydration, exercise, rest, and diet – including taking supplements like collagen peptides during pregnancy – all have a role to play.
But first you may be wondering, is taking collagen during pregnancy actually even safe? Let’s take a look at the safe use of collagen for expectant mothers, and then dive into the many potential benefits of collagen during pregnancy.
Is collagen safe to take during pregnancy?
Before we dive into the benefits of collagen during pregnancy, let’s address a question you might be asking yourself: “Can I take collagen while pregnant?”
Collagen isn’t just a supplement, it’s part of your everyday diet – and a natural part of your body composition, too! Collagen can be found in beef, chicken, pork, eggs, fish, berries, bell peppers… the list goes on and on. So, yes, collagen is safe to consume while pregnant.
When it comes to collagen peptides during pregnancy, there are a couple of things to keep an eye out for in a supplement.
Make sure that your collagen supplement isn’t marine collagen. Marine collagen can be dangerous for the same reason tuna and shellfish are – they can contain potentially high levels of mercury.
The best collagen for pregnancy will be hydrolyzed or nano-hydrolyzed (sometimes labeled as “collagen peptides”). This means that the collagen has already broken down into smaller, more bioavailable pieces, so your body has an easier time absorbing it.
Lastly, make sure you buy from a company that’s transparent about what’s in its collagen. This includes where they source the collagen from, the ingredients list, and what kind of studies they’ve participated in.
Once you’ve checked those three things and talked to your healthcare professionals to ensure there shouldn’t be any issues, you can take your collagen confidently and enjoy these nine benefits of collagen during pregnancy.
9 potential benefits of collagen during pregnancy
There are so many possible benefits of collagen during pregnancy, but here are some of the big ones you might experience.
1. You might have less morning sickness
“Morning sickness” is a catch-all term used to describe the nausea, vomiting, and food aversions that most women experience during pregnancy. Despite the name, morning sickness can strike at any time of day.
Current research has found a strong link between morning sickness and protein intake. The research hasn’t confirmed that a lack of protein causes morning sickness. However, consuming more protein has been shown to relieve symptoms.
There’s just one problem. Women with morning sickness are more likely to have food aversions to high-protein foods – like meat, eggs, fish, and dairy.
So while the benefits of collagen during pregnancy include its high protein content, the best collagen for pregnancy will shine in how easy it is to eat – even when you’re feeling sick.
You can mix liquid or powder collagen into any food your body will tolerate to help mitigate some of that awful nausea. You can even mix it into water, a smoothie, or take it straight!
2. Collagen might help soothe your skin
As many as 90% of women experience some kind of skin change during pregnancy. This could be as minor as a dry patch or as major as dermatitis. The most common skin change, though, has to be the stretch marks.
Your body rapidly changes to accommodate the baby growing inside of you, and this can make the collagen and elastin in the skin rupture, leaving you with unwanted scars.
The benefits of collagen during pregnancy in the skin haven’t been specifically studied yet. However, in non-pregnant women, collagen has been shown to improve overall skin health – including elasticity, firmness, and hydration.
This means that collagen should also help with the prevention and healing of stretch marks in the long term.
3. You might notice less hair loss and breakage
Many women deal with hair loss and breakage during and after pregnancy. There are a few reasons for this, with hormonal changes being the biggest. The second biggest reason? Nutrition and protein deficiencies.
These hormones and nutritional needs are present in a smaller way throughout a woman’s life. Hair health is often cited as one of the biggest collagen benefits for women because you can see the change so concretely – wherever you’re at in life.
Again, hair benefits of collagen during pregnancy haven’t been specifically studied due to ethical concerns. Collagen’s effects on hair in non-pregnant women have been studied, though, and consistently shown positive changes in hair loss and breakage.
4. Collagen could help you absorb nutrients better
It’s no secret that your body needs extra nutrients during pregnancy. You’re building a whole person, after all! And it’s also no secret that your body works especially hard during pregnancy.
The combination of those two things means that your body needs all the nutrients it can get as easily as possible.
One of the unsung benefits of collagen during pregnancy is its ability to strengthen your gut. This allows your digestive tract to get better at absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat.
One of the collagen peptides benefits is that the supplement takes things a step further since the peptides themselves are also easy to absorb.
5. Collagen may help calm an angry digestive tract
Many pregnant women deal with a variety of digestive issues. Heartburn, gas, constipation, and diarrhea can all show up to some degree, causing daily discomfort and wrecking your sleep.
The benefits of collagen during pregnancy, specifically in gut health and alleviating these kinds of symptoms, have promising research behind them. A study published in January of 2022 found that 93% of participants experienced a reduction in digestive symptoms.
6. Your bones may stay stronger
During and after pregnancy, you might have some damage to your bone density, including bone loss. As scary as this sounds, it’s not an uncommon thing for women to experience.
In pregnancy, bone loss is usually caused by your body “borrowing” nutrients like calcium and collagen for the baby. During menopause, bone loss is caused by changing hormone levels.
One of the benefits of collagen during pregnancy and menopause alike is the way it helps to balance your hormones. Since collagen is 100% natural, it’s one of the best natural hormone balance supplements.
Taking collagen for hormone balance during and after pregnancy can help with bone density, energy levels, and dips in your mood – in short, it’s a great hormone supplement all-around!
7. Ligaments and joints may be less prone to injury and pain
Speaking of hormones, late in pregnancy, you may encounter a particularly frustrating one. Relaxin is a hormone that loosens your ligaments to allow the baby to pass through your pelvis. The only problem is that relaxin isn’t picky about which ligaments it loosens.
This means that joints and ligaments throughout your whole body are more prone to over-extension and injury. A study performed on athletes – who are also at risk of ligament tears and joint injuries – found that collagen significantly reduced pain compared to a placebo.
The best collagen for pregnancy will be rich in the amino acids your body needs to rebuild fatigued ligaments and joints. Look for one that has all 9 essential amino acids – so your body can get to strengthening and repairing those joints as soon as possible.
This means you need to find a collagen supplement that has been fortified with tryptophan, like the nano-hydrolyzed collagen supplements from ProT Gold.
8. Collagen may speed postpartum healing
The benefits of collagen during pregnancy don’t end when the baby is born, just like your body isn’t done changing the day you give birth. Collagen is one of the most important building blocks in your body, especially in wound healing.
During those early days and weeks postpartum, your body works double-time to heal itself and nourish a newborn… and all on less sleep than normal. The best collagen supplements for women will be bioavailable, meaning your body can easily use them for healing.
9. Collagen can help you with your protein needs while breastfeeding
Connected to your body’s need to heal itself are your body’s higher protein needs both during and after pregnancy. The need for more protein makes sense since proteins are the main building blocks of every cell in your body.
Taking collagen peptides during pregnancy and after birth can help you meet these protein needs at a time when your body and mind are dealing with a lot of stress.
Besides sleep deprivation and learning to care for a newborn, you might find those food aversions sticking around. In women with HG, specifically, food aversions can take months or years to overcome.
One of the greatest benefits of collagen during pregnancy and into the postpartum days is its high protein content and how easy it is to eat. Even on days when you feel like you don’t have the energy or capacity to prepare or eat a full meal, the best collagen for pregnancy can help you meet your protein needs.
Benefits of collagen during pregnancy and beyond
During your pregnancy, your body is going through more changes than it did even during puberty. This means that you might not feel like yourself for a while. And that’s ok. Even when you feel like you don’t know which way is up, you can still do small things to care for yourself.
It’s great practice for when the baby comes! During those early postpartum days, you’ll need to be able to find small ways to take care of your body and mind, and taking collagen can be one of them. After pregnancy, you might wonder, “Can collagen affect menstrual cycles?”
Don’t worry. You can keep taking your collagen without any fear of delaying your normal cycle’s return. In fact, collagen has a promising future in women’s hormone health.
During your pregnancy and beyond, collagen can help you take care of your body. And when you take care of your body, you can focus more clearly on enjoying the incredible journey of motherhood.
Just remember, if you want to enjoy all the potential benefits of collagen during pregnancy, it’s best to find a hydrolyzed or nano-hydrolyzed collagen supplement from a reputable source. That’s because the majority of supplements, including collagen, aren’t regulated by the FDA.
That means there is nothing stopping a company from putting fillers, sweeteners, and additives in their supplement. When looking for collagen to take during pregnancy, make sure to read reviews and nutrition labels carefully to ensure you are receiving a high quality supplement.
If you are looking for the best collagen to take during pregnancy, why not try ProT Gold? ProT Gold nano-hydrolyzed collagen is made with a medical-grade formula that is trusted by doctors in thousands of medical facilities across America – making it safe for both you and your little one.
