Is Epsom Salt Safe During Pregnancy?

Did you think it was Granny’s folk lore from the hills? Not so, says science. Epsom salt, the common name for magnesium sulfate, has dozens of proven benefits and can be used safely during pregnancy.

External Use

• Epsom salt used in bath water or to soak feet replaces magnesium in the body and reduces swelling. It’s regularly used to combat ankle swelling and relieve hemorrhoids, both common in pregnancy.

Internal Use

• Pregnant women should always consult health care providers before taking epsom salt internally. Effects of ingested magnesium sulfate on a fetus or nursing baby are unknown.

Pre-Elampsia and Eclampsia

• About 10 percent of pregnant women develop pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition marked by high blood pressure, swelling and excess protein in urine. Magnesium sulfate is sometimes used to prevent seizures in woman with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.

Cerebral Palsy

• A 2008 study showed the risk of cerebral palsy in pre-term babies was reduced by 45 percent when mothers were given an infusion of epsom salt. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the treatment stabilizes a mother’s blood vessels, insuring adequate oxygen supply to the baby.

History

• Epsom salt is named for Epsom, England, because of the town’s magnesium sulfate-rich water. Residents began extracting it from the water there in the 17th Century.