Is tuna safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about tuna during pregnancy?

1. Canned light tuna, including skipjack, sits in the lowest-mercury tuna group, so most pregnant women can enjoy it two to three times a week. 1
2. Albacore, also called white tuna, and yellowfin tuna carry more mercury than light tuna, so it works best to cap these at about one serving a week. 1
3. Bigeye tuna, the type most often served as tuna steak or in sushi-grade cuts, is flagged as a choice to avoid rather than a weekly regular. 1
4. The 8 to 12 ounce weekly seafood target adds up all fish together, so tuna shares that total with salmon, shrimp, or any other seafood eaten the same week. 2
5. Eating seafood during pregnancy has been linked with stronger cognitive development scores in children, even after researchers accounted for mercury exposure in the same studies. 3

Is tuna safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Early on, the smell or taste of fish can be tough to handle if morning sickness has you queasy. Skipping tuna for now is fine. The weekly 8 to 12 ounce range is a target to aim for over time, not a strict quota for every single week.
• Second trimester. As nausea eases, tuna becomes an easy way to add protein and DHA for your baby's brain growth. Reach for canned light tuna most weeks and save albacore or tuna steak for an occasional meal.
• Third trimester. Your baby's brain grows quickly in the third trimester, and the omega-3s in fish still matter. Keep tracking your weekly tuna the same way, and mix in other low-mercury fish like salmon for variety.