After embryo transfer vitamins omega 3 fish oil- cod liver tablets safe? Please advise?

[Rosie90]

Omega 3 fish oil - cod liver oil safe after embryo transfer please advise iv been taking it for months this is my last FET try i dont want anything to mess up please help xx

[FluffyFox]

Not sure about those tablets in particular but I’m 22 weeks and have been taking Pregnacare tablets that include an Omega 3 tablet alongside multivitamins. Maybe check those out? Boots sell them xx

[Peony85]

Check the vitamin A content… you need to be careful with high vitamin A foods / supplements in pregnancy (hence no liver). I took omega 3s my entire pregnancy but I took one that was especially designed for pregnancy (Bare Biology Mums and Bumps).

[Sunshine809]

I'm not an expert but I believe Omega 3 is good to take but not in Cod Liver Oil. You can buy omega 3 supplements that are not cod liver oil. I got mine from Boots and it's Omega 3 Fish Body Oil x

[Purpledoggy]

Cod liver oil is a big no-no for anyone TTC and especially after a transfer/confirmed pregnancy. This is due to high levels of vitamin A that can cause birth defects. Fish oil (not cod liver) or algal omega 3 is fine. The TTC is mainly because you don't know if/when you become pregnant - as you only just had a transfer you will be OK but do stop them now. xx

[nadinenads]

Please don't worry about the vitamin A concerns above. Cod Liver Oil is quite literally liquid gold when TTC. Good brands include Rosita and Nordic Naturals. I am posting some info here for reassurance -

Typical of the orthodox medical view of vitamin A is the following statement, posted at WebMD.com: "Vitamin A can be very toxic when taken in high-dose supplements for long periods of time and can affect almost every part of the body, including eyes, bones, blood, skin, central nervous system, liver, and genital and urinary tracts. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, skin damage, mental disturbances and, in women, infrequent periods. Severe toxicity can cause blindness and may even be life-threatening. Liver damage can occur in children who take RDA-approved adult levels over prolonged periods of time or in adults who take as little as five times the RDA-approved amount for seven to ten years. In children, chronic overdose can cause fluid on the brain and other symptoms similar to those in adults. Pregnant women who take amounts not much higher than RDA levels increase the risk for birth defects in their children. High consumption of vitamin A may also increase the risk of gastric cancer and the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in women."

The Merck Manual describes vitamin-A toxicity in less hysterical terms. Acute vitamin-A poisoning can occur in children after taking a single dose of synthetic vitamin A in the range of 300,000 IU or a daily dosage of 60,000 IU for a few weeks. Two fatalities have been reported from acute vitamin-A poisoning in children, which manifests as increased intracranial pressure and vomiting. For the vast majority, however, recovery after discontinuation is "spontaneous, with no residual damage."

In adults, according to the Merck Manual, vitamin-A toxicity has been reported in arctic explorers who developed drowsiness, irritability, headaches and vomiting, with subsequent peeling of the skin, within a few hours of ingesting several million units of vitamin A from polar bear or seal liver. Again, these symptoms cleared up with discontinuation of the vitamin-A rich food. Other than this unusual example, however, only vitamin-A from "megavitamin tablets containing vitamin A. . . when taken for a long time" has induced acute toxicity, that is, 100,000 IU synthetic vitamin-A per day taken for many months.

Unless you are an arctic explorer, it is virtually impossible to develop vitamin-A toxicity from food. The putative toxic dose of 100,000 IU per day would be contained in 3 tablespoons of high vitamin cod liver oil, 6 tablespoons of regular cod liver oil, two-and-one-half 100-gram servings of duck liver, about three 100-gram servings of beef liver, seven pounds of butter or 309 egg yolks. Even synthetic vitamin A is not toxic when given as a single large dose or in small amounts on a daily basis. Children in impoverished areas of the world are routinely given two 100,000-unit doses of retinol per year for infants and two 200,000-unit doses for children over 12 months.

The tragedy is that misplaced concern about vitamin-A toxicity has led doctors to advise pregnant women to avoid foods containing vitamin A, and parents to avoid giving cod liver oil to their babies. Yet the early books on the feeding of pregnant women and infants recommended generous doses of cod liver oil and frequent liver consumption for pregnant women and two teaspoons of cod liver oil per day for babies three months and older. A majority of our medical problems would clear up very quickly if the populace would return to eating liver and embrace the use of cod liver oil—our finest superfoods.

Getting it Wrong

"Vitamin A can be found in fish liver oils, animal livers and green and yellow fruits and vegetables." —Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, MD and Phillis A. Balch, CNC. (However, the authors include the following warning at the end of their section on vitamin A: "Diabetics should avoid beta-carotene as should hypothyroid individuals, because they cannot convert beta-carotene to vitamin A.")

"Cod liver oil used to be taken routinely as a source of vitamin A. But many experts now believe that as a nutritional aid, the oil is obsolete. We can only consume vitamin A directly in the meat of animals—liver is the richest source. But bright orange fruits and vegetables and dark, leafy greens contain beta-carotene which our bodies convert into the vitamin. . . Before the days of refrigerated trucks and mass distribution of produce, vitamin A deficiency was an enormous problem. . . . But today most people have access to a wide range of produce year-round. What's more, beta-carotene supplements are also widely available." —Article on WebMD.com by Karen Cullen, RD, PhD

"Vitamin A is found in animal produce and beta-carotene, a vitamin-A-type compound. It is found in the yellow pigments of vegetables. . . If it is not needed, it remains as beta-carotene; if needed, it is converted into vitamin A. . . vitamin A supplements [are] not necessary."—Enhancing Fertility Naturally by Nicky Wesson

"Vitamin A is found in the form of betacarotene in leafy green vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash and cantelope in adequate amounts to supply a child's daily needs. . . " —Dr. Attwood's Low-Fat Prescription for Kids by Dr. Charles R. Attwood

"Vitamin A's toxicity depends on its form. Only retinol and the other varieties found in animal foods are capable of doing much harm. Carotenoids, the vegetable sources of vitamin A, don't seem to be toxic even when extraordinarily large amounts are consumed." —The University of California San Diego Nutrition Book by Paul Saltman, PhD, Joel Gurin and Ira Mothner

"The carotenes. . . are the main source of vitamin A." Basic Food Chemistry by Frank E. Lee, PhD "Yellow, deep orange/red and dark green vegetables and fruits. . . are high in vitamin A. . . " —The Breast Cancer Survival Manual by John Link, MD

"Vitamin A taken too enthusiastically can be toxic, since it is stored in the liver. Beta-carotene, however, is not converted into vitamin A unless the body requires it, and you cannot suffer from toxic levels of it." —The Endometriosis Answer Book by Niels H Lauersen and Constance deSwaan

Vitamin D

The recommended dosages for cod liver oil provide about 500 IU vitamin D for children, 1000 IU vitamin D for adults, 2000 IU vitamin D for pregnant and nursing women and up to 9000 IU for those taking large amounts of cod liver oil to deal with stress and disease.

In 1997, the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine set the tolerable upper intake level (TUIL) for vitamin D at 2000 IU per day. However, the vitamin D content experts on the Upper Limits Panel objected to this limit, and several prominent vitamin D researchers have called for an upward revision of the limit. Experiments show that even during the winter with a low vitamin D intake, humans will exhaust stores of vitamin D at a rate of 3000-4000 IU per day, an amount that many people require to maintain optimal levels of the vitamin in the blood. Extensive exposure to summer sun at mid latitudes naturally produces levels of vitamin D in the blood equivalent to what is attained by supplementing with a continued daily dose of 10,000 IU, suggesting humans are designed to tolerate such large amounts of vitamin D.(4)

If you are a lifeguard or spend a lot of time in the sun, you do not need to take supplemental vitamin D; however you still need to consume adequate vitamin A. Animal studies show that even moderate amounts of vitamin D increase the body's need for vitamin A, whether the vitamin D is provided in the diet or by UV light (2,5). So, if you cut back or eliminate cod liver oil in the summer, be sure to consume plenty of oily fish, liver, butterfat and egg yolks from grass-fed hens to ensure adequate vitamin A.

[Rosie90]

Thank you everyone for your replies i had the tablet twice after my transfer and stopped now i just hope it doesnt have a effect. I was taking it before for about 6months now. Hopfully fingers crossed.I really appreciate everyones advice xx