Is vitamin B6 safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about vitamin B6 during pregnancy?

1. In a study of more than 300 pregnant women, about 30 mg of vitamin B6 a day was linked to a real drop in nausea scores compared with placebo. 1
2. When vitamin B6 is paired with doxylamine, safety data from hundreds of thousands of pregnancies hasn't shown a higher chance of birth defects. 2
3. The body only needs about 1.9 mg of vitamin B6 a day during pregnancy, and up to 100 mg a day from all sources together is considered the safe upper limit. 3
4. Nerve and coordination problems have only shown up with very high, long-term dosing, generally 1,000 mg or more a day for a year or longer, far above typical supplement amounts. 4
5. The FDA has approved a prescription combination of doxylamine and vitamin B6 specifically for pregnancy nausea that hasn't improved with lifestyle changes alone. 5

Is vitamin B6 safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Morning sickness is the main reason most people try vitamin B6 in the first trimester. Studies have used doses around 30 mg a day and found a real improvement in nausea scores, without a higher rate of birth defects.
• Second trimester. Nausea often fades by the second trimester. If you're still taking a B6 supplement, it's a good time to check in with your provider about whether to keep going or scale back.
• Third trimester. Staying within the recommended range matters more than the exact trimester. Doses above the 100 mg daily upper limit, especially kept up for many months, have been linked to nerve and coordination problems, so more isn't better here.