Is Turmeric Safe In Pregnancy?

If you are a keen cook, spices may be present in a variety of your dishes as they provide lots of flavors and warmth to meals.

Spices are often consumed for their benefit, but they are not suitable for everyone. If you are pregnant, are spices safe to consume? Or are some unsuitable to have during pregnancy?

Turmeric is a widely used spice in lots of different dishes, but is it safe to use when you are pregnant?

Making sure that spices are safe to consume during pregnancy is important as you need to make sure that everything you are eating is safe, so what about turmeric?

This article will help you to see if turmeric is safe to consume when you are pregnant and if it is a good spice of choice to eat.

Find out more about the safety of eating turmeric when you are pregnant below. 

What Is Turmeric?

You may be unfamiliar with turmeric, but you can pick it up at any grocery store and it can be found with the jars of spices.

It is bright yellow and very hard to miss, and it comes from the Curcuma longa root, a plant that is very closely related to ginger. It can be used in a wide variety of dishes like curries and chilis. 

One reason is that turmeric is very popular to consume as it contains manganese, fiber, vitamin B6, iron, and antioxidants, so it is very popular to have in meals and even in lattes.

It has also been used as an anti-inflammatory in traditional Chinese medicine, so turmeric is a very well-known spice throughout the world. 

Can Turmeric Be Eaten During Pregnancy?

Although turmeric is used in ancient medicine, there have not been tests on humans to show if turmeric is safe to eat during pregnancy.

The only tests to show the effects of turmeric during pregnancy have been done on rats, where baby rats who were born to females who consumed high doses of turmeric were lower in weight than usual. 

Although this study hasn’t been conducted on humans, there is an indication that high doses of turmeric consumed during pregnancy could affect the weight of your baby and the embryo’s development.

Therefore, as there have been no studies done on humans, the effects of turmeric on pregnant women cannot be confirmed as rats may react differently than humans. 

Is Cooking With Turmeric Safe During Pregnancy?

As studies are unsure how turmeric affects pregnant humans, turmeric should be eaten with caution. You shouldn’t consume high doses of turmeric, like supplements, as it is unsure what the outcome will be.

However, if you want to use turmeric in your cooking, this is considered safe as you will not be having high doses. 

It is also thought that turmeric can be very beneficial to the reproductive system, which is one of the reasons why it is a popular spice.

Although this has not been proved by scientific studies, it is one of the reasons why turmeric is very popular to consume.

As an expecting mother, you should always consult your doctor before consuming turmeric as you need to make sure that you are consuming safe food during your pregnancy. 

Are There Benefits Of Turmeric When You Are Pregnant?

Turmeric is widely known in medical circles for its anti-inflammatory properties but there are no proven benefits for people who are pregnant.

Consuming turmeric is said to prevent cancer due to its high levels of antioxidants, so it can likely have the same effect on pregnant people.

Although you shouldn’t consume high doses of turmeric, you can use it in cooking, but do not use it for medical reasons without consulting a healthcare practitioner. 

It is important to remember that the effects on pregnant women from consuming turmeric are unknown, so you should always consult your doctor to ensure that you get the right diet.

Although it is said to have beneficial properties, it should never be used as a medical supplement without advice from a healthcare professional, such as a medical herbalist.

Turmeric is thought to relieve heartburn, help back pain, reduce inflammation, and aid joint pains, but it is important to consult your doctor about any of these issues.

As part of a balanced diet, it is believed that turmeric can potentially provide benefits during pregnancy, but it is important to consult your doctor about any symptoms you may be experiencing. 

Risks Of Consuming Turmeric During Pregnancy 

As there have not been any studies conducted on pregnant women, it can be difficult to confirm the risks of consuming turmeric during pregnancy.

Therefore, it is always advised that you contact your doctor when you are consuming turmeric as it should never be used as a medical supplement without medical advice, despite the potential benefits. 

As there have been no studies into the way that pregnant women react to turmeric, so as long as you are not consuming it in high doses, it is thought that it is safe to consume.

However, it is best to check with your doctor to make sure that you are having a safe amount of turmeric. 

Can Consuming Turmeric Cause Miscarriages?

There have been no studies to show whether or not turmeric can cause a miscarriage, so there is no scientific evidence to support this claim.

However, there are assumptions that curcumin might promote contractions or menstrual flows, which could affect pregnancy and potentially cause a miscarriage.

There have not been any scientific tests to show that this is possible, however. 

To make sure that you are safe during pregnancy, it is advised that you do not consume turmeric supplements as they could provide you with too much turmeric.

Consuming high doses of turmeric may be dangerous in pregnancy or they may be safe. Unfortunately, there is no research that supports either claim.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, consuming turmeric in high doses is not recommended as there have been no studies done on humans to show what the outcome will be. 

It is thought that eating turmeric as part of a balanced diet is safe as it is very beneficial to people who are not pregnant, but it should never be used as a supplement without medical advice from a healthcare professional or herbalist. 

It is also important to consult your doctor about any symptoms that you may be having, even if it is said that turmeric can help to relieve you of these symptoms.

Your doctor will be able to prescribe you the right pain relief and will be able to help sort out the issue, so it is important to always seek advice from your doctor.