Magnesium and Pregnancy: How Much Do You Need?

Magnesium is needed for more than three hundred biochemical reactions in the body and is needed for bone and tissue cell function. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady and bones strong, and some studies suggest it can lower your risk of preeclampsia and low birth weight.

While you’re expecting you need 360‒400 mg. of it a day, with no more than 350 mg per day from supplements. Getting enough of it can spare you the pregnancy irritations of leg cramps, excessive swelling (edema), mental disorientation, and even depression and preterm labor. Magnesium is found in some amount in all unprocessed plant foods. Not all prenatal vitamins contain your daily recommended intake of magnesium– in fact, most don’t– so check labels (if your prenatals are by prescription, ask your pharmacist for a copy of your vitamin’s contents). And there’s a lot of magnesium in chocolate, so if you have terrible leg cramps, try a chocolate bar!

As you read supplement labels, note that magnesium and manganese are not the same thing, manganese is a different mineral element and is necessary for enzyme function, but you only need about 2 mg. of it a day. Since you only need a tiny bit and it is found in most plant foods, taking a manganese supplement is not necessary.