Is ginger ale safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about ginger ale during pregnancy?

1. Ginger has been studied in pregnancy at daily amounts around 1,000 mg, far more than the faint flavoring in a can of soda, without a higher rate of birth defects showing up. 1
2. The ginger forms actually studied for nausea are pills, capsules, syrup, and lozenges or tea, not carbonated soda. 1
3. ACOG lists ginger as one of the first things to try for morning sickness, well before medication, but a can of soda isn't the form being recommended. 2
4. Real ginger can ease pregnancy nausea, but it can also cause its own heartburn and stomach upset, on top of whatever the carbonation in soda adds. 3
5. Pooling 12 clinical trials of nearly 1,300 pregnant women, researchers found daily amounts under 1,500 mg worked best for easing nausea, with no unusual safety concerns turning up. 4

Is ginger ale safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Morning sickness usually peaks now, and a cold ginger ale can genuinely take the edge off, mostly from the chill, the fizz, and sipping something slowly. A standard can only carries a hint of ginger flavoring though, nowhere near the roughly 1,000 mg a day used in nausea research. If you're leaning on it daily and still feeling rough, that's a sign to ask about stronger, measured options.
• Second trimester. Nausea tends to fade for most people by the second trimester, so an occasional ginger ale is a fine, low-stakes choice. Keep an eye on added sugar as your glucose screening gets closer, and consider standardized ginger or another studied option if queasiness is still showing up often.
• Third trimester. Reflux tends to crowd in during the third trimester as your growing uterus pushes up on your stomach, and both the fizz and the sugar in ginger ale can make that burn worse for some people. A smaller, flatter pour tends to sit better than a full can. Mention any nausea or reflux that won't let up at your next visit instead of just riding it out with soda.