Collagen: Safe Use During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Collagen powder in your coffee used to be routine – and now, with a positive pregnancy test or in the first weeks of breastfeeding, you’re wondering whether that can stay the case. The short answer: collagen is an everyday dietary protein, not an active ingredient with a side-effect profile. Even so, there are a few things worth weighing differently right now – from where it comes from to how much actually makes sense. Here’s the honest picture: no scaremongering, but no empty promises either.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, forming the structural framework in skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones. In supplements, it almost always appears as hydrolyzed collagen – broken down into small, water-soluble peptides. The raw material comes from cattle, pigs, fish, or poultry, which means collagen is always animal-derived. Most often you’ll come across it as a flavorless powder to stir into drinks or as capsules. Your body makes its own collagen continuously, with help from vitamin C, among other things.

How Does Collagen Work in the Body?

When you eat or drink collagen peptides, your digestive system first breaks them down into individual amino acids and small peptide fragments – exactly like any other dietary protein. These building blocks enter your bloodstream and become available wherever your body needs them: muscles, connective tissue, skin, or its own collagen production. There’s currently no approved health claim in the EU for collagen peptides themselves, so what you’re getting is protein building blocks, not an officially verified effect on a specific tissue. Vitamin C, on the other hand, does carry approved claims: Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the skin. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the gums. That is why many products pair collagen with vitamin C. With us, natural vitamin C from rose hip is in Iron Bisglycinate + Vitamin C: 40 mg per tablet, 50 % of the nutrient reference value.

This clear-eyed view is especially useful during pregnancy and breastfeeding: your skin stretches noticeably, your connective tissue is working hard – an understandable reason why many expecting and nursing mothers get curious about collagen. But there’s no claim that’s been specifically tested and approved for that purpose. We’d rather tell you that honestly than promise you more than we can back up.

Who This Guide Is For

This guide is for you if any of the following applies:

• You’re already taking collagen and just found out you’re pregnant: You want to know whether you can simply carry on, should adjust the amount, or ought to pause for now.
• You’re breastfeeding and wondering whether you can start again: You’re thinking about what gets passed on through breast milk and whether that’s safe for your baby.
• Your skin is changing noticeably, and you’re newly curious about collagen: You’re wondering whether now is a good time to start, or whether it’s better to wait until after breastfeeding.
• You’re reading labels right now and want to know what to pay special attention to during this time – origin, additives, purity.

The same applies in all four cases: collagen isn’t one of the nutrients explicitly recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, unlike folic acid or iodine, for instance. That means there’s little standing against it, but nobody needs to start taking it specifically because of pregnancy either. This holds regardless of whether you’ve been taking collagen as a powder, capsule, or liquid ampoule – the guidance here applies to pure collagen in any of these forms.

Intake & Dosage

Neither the German Nutrition Society (DGE) nor any EU authority sets a fixed daily dose or upper limit for collagen itself – unlike vitamins or minerals, there’s no official reference value, because collagen isn’t an essential nutrient. Outside of pregnancy and breastfeeding, studies typically work with 2.5 to 15 grams of collagen peptides a day. For context: the DGE lists an additional protein requirement for pregnant women of around 7 grams a day in the second trimester and around 21 grams in the third, and around 23 grams extra for breastfeeding. A typical serving of collagen powder covers only a small part of that – collagen doesn’t replace a balanced, protein-rich diet, at best it supplements one.

Only a handful of nutrients are officially and specifically recommended in pregnancy: folic acid before and in early pregnancy, and iodine throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. Collagen isn’t one of them – that doesn’t make it unsuitable, but it also isn’t a nutrient tied to any risk of under- or oversupply. What matters more than the exact amount, then, is what else is in the product: some collagen supplements are combined with high-dose vitamin A, herbal extracts, or other additives that need to be assessed individually during this time. So talk through any collagen product – both the amount and the exact ingredient list – with your doctor or midwife beforehand, especially if you’re already taking a pregnancy or breastfeeding multivitamin and want to avoid doubling up. If you would like to supplement iron and vitamin C after that conversation, Iron Bisglycinate + Vitamin C gives you one tablet a day with a meal: 20 mg of iron as a gentle chelate plus 40 mg of vitamin C, and 240 tablets last 240 days.

What to Look for When Buying

If you decide on a collagen product after talking to your provider, these criteria can help you choose:

• A pure formula rather than a combination product: the fewer added ingredients a product contains, the less you have to check individually during this time. Herbal additives or high-dose single vitamins have little place in a collagen product for this stage of life.
• Lab-tested purity, especially for marine collagen: fish-derived collagen should be tested for heavy metals like mercury – a criterion that matters even more than usual right now.
• Keep a fish allergy in mind: if you have a fish allergy, marine collagen is off the table regardless of pregnancy or breastfeeding. Bovine (beef) collagen is the obvious alternative in that case.
• A clear amount per serving: look for a stated quantity of collagen peptides rather than a vague “collagen complex” listing, so you know exactly how much you’re actually taking.
• Read the full label, not just the marketing line: some powders contain sweeteners or flavorings alongside the collagen – factor that in deliberately during this time.
• Factor in taste and tolerability: nausea and shifting taste preferences are part of early pregnancy for many women. An unflavored powder is often easier to work into your routine than a strongly flavored one.

The Honest Assessment

Regardless of pregnancy or breastfeeding, not a single health claim is currently approved for collagen in the EU. Whether and how much added collagen affects skin elasticity or connective tissue is therefore officially unproven, even though individual studies point in that direction. For use specifically during pregnancy and breastfeeding, there’s an additional factor that applies to most supplements: pregnant and breastfeeding women are rarely included in studies for ethical reasons, so targeted data for this group simply doesn’t exist.

That’s not a reason for concern – it’s the norm for almost every supplement. As a hydrolyzed dietary protein, essentially a relative of classic bone broth, collagen isn’t a novel or exotic substance. The honest summary: no safety risk is known, but no specific extra benefit for this stage of life is proven either. That’s exactly why the decision about whether and in what form you continue is best made together with your doctor or midwife – not based on marketing promises alone. That goes for collagen just as much as for most other “beauty from within” products currently on the market.

Matching Products from Scheunengut

Since 2012 we have worked without investors behind us and with a focus on pure raw-material quality: raw materials and finished products of every batch go to independent laboratories. Collagen powder is not part of our range, but we have two products that fit this stage of life. Here too: talk through the product and amount with your doctor or midwife beforehand.

• Iron Bisglycinate + Vitamin C: 20 mg of iron as a gentle chelate (143 % of the nutrient reference value) and 40 mg of natural vitamin C from rose hip (50 %) in a vegan tablet, made in Germany. One tablet daily with a meal, 240 tablets last 240 days. Vitamin C increases iron absorption. Iron contributes to normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin.
• Mamasmilch: the nursing complex for breastfeeding, with 900 mg of fenugreek seed extract and 150 mg of fennel powder, the two traditional nursing herbs, plus 300 mg of omega-3 (of which 30 mg DHA), 19.8 mg of iron, 450 µg of folic acid and 5.4 µg of vitamin B12 in 3 capsules. 2 to 3 capsules daily, in plant-based capsule shells and free of additives, colourings and fillers. Folate contributes to normal blood formation. Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal function of the nervous system.

More on the topic: Collagen While Breastfeeding: Yes, If the Label Checks Out and Nutrients when trying to conceive and during pregnancy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I take collagen during pregnancy?

As a protein-based food, collagen generally raises few concerns during pregnancy. That said, it isn’t one of the nutrients officially recommended in pregnancy, like folic acid or iodine. Still, run it by your doctor or midwife first, mainly because of possible additional ingredients in the product.

Is collagen safe while breastfeeding?

Yes, there’s generally nothing wrong with a pure, hydrolyzed collagen powder or capsule while breastfeeding. What matters more than the collagen itself is the rest of the formula – check the label for herbal additives or high-dose individual vitamins, and run those by your midwife.

How much collagen can I take during pregnancy?

There’s no official upper limit specifically for collagen, since it isn’t an essential nutrient with its own reference value. Studies outside of pregnancy typically use 2.5 to 15 grams a day – it’s best to discuss the right amount for you with your doctor.

Do I need to stop taking collagen as soon as I’m pregnant?

With a pure collagen product that carries no known risks, stopping immediately usually isn’t necessary. Use your next prenatal checkup or midwife appointment as an opportunity to go over your current product together.

Is marine (fish) collagen safe during pregnancy?

A lab-tested, pure fish collagen with no raised heavy metal levels is considered safe, but it’s off-limits if you have a fish allergy. Bovine (beef) collagen is the obvious alternative if you’d rather avoid fish altogether.

Does collagen help prevent stretch marks?

There’s no approved, scientifically confirmed evidence for that – neither for oral collagen nor for creams. How much your skin stretches depends mainly on genetic and hormonal factors, which collagen can’t specifically influence.

Does collagen pass into breast milk?

During digestion, collagen is broken down into amino acids and small peptides, just like any other protein you eat. No meaningful amount of unchanged collagen passes into breast milk – there’s no more reason for concern here than with any other dietary protein.