Magnesium in pregnancy and breastfeeding
Magnesium requirements rise during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This article sets out what is known — and makes clear why the decision about magnesium intake in this period cannot be made on a website.
First and without hedging: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, discuss any form of magnesium intake with your obstetrician, your doctor or your midwife beforehand. That applies to tablets as much as to application through the skin. In pregnancy, magnesium is also a medication used deliberately and under monitoring in certain situations — all the more reason why it is not a subject for self-experimentation after an internet search.
Requirements change
Magnesium requirements rise during pregnancy. Two reasons are given: the growth of the child, and hormonal changes that lead to more magnesium being excreted via the kidneys. Requirements also remain raised while breastfeeding, because minerals are passed on through breast milk.
Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, to normal functioning of the nervous system and to normal energy-yielding metabolism — those are the health claims authorised under European law. Nothing more can seriously be asserted, and nothing more is needed: an adequate nutrient supply is in any case a subject of every antenatal check-up.
What you frequently read in advice articles — that magnesium counteracts premature labour, improves blood flow to the uterus or prevents gestational diabetes — we deliberately do not repeat here. Such claims are legally impermissible and not supported by robust data. Questions about labour, blood pressure or blood sugar in pregnancy belong in medical care, where they belong.
Why application through the skin is asked about in this group
The practical reason is unspectacular: nausea and gastrointestinal complaints are common in pregnancy. Oral magnesium can itself cause bloating, discomfort or diarrhoea in some people — an unhelpful combination.
Application through the skin does not involve the digestive tract. That is the factual difference, and it is the only one we claim.
Forms of application
Available forms:
- Magnesium oil — applied to the skin and massaged in, for instance on arms and shoulders
- Magnesium gel — for massage, for instance around the neck and shoulders
- Bath flakes for full or foot baths, at around 37 degrees Celsius, 20 minutes
Details on dosage, areas of skin and contact times are under Application.
Important restrictions: magnesium application should be discontinued at term, once labour begins. With kidney disease and with cardiovascular disease, what has already been said applies all the more: seek medical advice first. Graduated hot foot baths are not suitable with varicose veins or cardiovascular disease.
Conclusion
Magnesium requirements are raised in pregnancy and breastfeeding — that much is well established. Whether and how you supplement is an individual decision that depends on your nutritional status, any pre-existing conditions and the course of your pregnancy. Your midwife or your doctor knows those factors. We do not.