Should I be taking choline supplements during pregnancy??

3/12/2026

Megan Bragg, PhD, RDN

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If you’re pregnant or considering becoming pregnant, it’s likely you’ve seen choline pop up in your internet searches. Choline is a nutrient found in eggs, meat, and soy (among other foods), and it’s used to create cell membranes, neurotransmitters, and as a source of methyl groups used to turn genes on and off. People have alternately ignored choline and hailed it as a super nutrient that creates baby geniuses.

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So what’s the truth about choline? I’m in a uniquely good position to answer that question! During my PhD, my dissertation focused on choline and whether it was associated with growth and development among young children in rural Malawi. I spent years reading the research around choline and even contributed to the research myself (link). In fact, it’s why eggs are featured in the Family Centered Nutrition Science logo!

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Here are a few key takeaways I learned from my research:

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·       Choline is important for baby’s brain development, especially attention and processing. In one small study, 26 pregnant women were randomized to consume either 480 mg/day (which is near the recommended amount) or 930 mg/day of choline throughout their third trimester. Infants whose mothers consumed more choline had faster information processing speed (link) and, even 7 years later, could sustain attention longer (link) compared to infants whose mothers consumed less choline. Of course, this is a small study and more research would help increase our confidence in the findings, but it’s backed up by research from animal models (like this).

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·       Most women don’t get enough choline. In 2021-2023, women of childbearing age consumed about 280 mg of choline per day on average (link). In comparison, the current recommendation for pregnancy is 450 mg/day, and in breastfeeding it increases to 550 mg/day (link). And even this is far below the amount where benefits to processing and attention were seen in the randomized trial.

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·       Most prenatal vitamins don’t contain choline, or don’t contain enough. One analysis found that only 40% of prenatal supplements contained choline, and most of these contained only about 25 mg. In fact, only 2% met their recommendation for choline supplementation during pregnancy (link). As I mentioned in my blog post about prenatal vitamins (link), there is NO perfect prenatal vitamin out there. So if you choose one that’s low in choline, consider taking a separate supplement (here’s an example – not an ad! – but be sure to talk with your provider before starting any new supplements or medications) or aim to include eggs several times per week throughout your pregnancy.

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Overall, yes, I think choline is a nutrient to consider when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, in addition to a generally healthy diet. Check your prenatal vitamin’s choline content, and consider eating a few extra eggs, if you can. And if you’re struggling to get the nutrients you need in your pregnancy journey, I’m here to help!