The Mom’s Milk DHA HealthTest is designed for women who are currently breast feeding and want to monitor their DHA levels. All it requires is a few drops of your milk on the sample collection card provided in the test kit. An expecting mother can also measure DHA levels in her body by taking the OMEGA HealthTest.

DHA plays a vital role in a baby’s overall health, including eye development, nervous and immune system, and most importantly cognitive development. An infant’s brain growth is one of the crucial developments in the early years of its life, which requires an optimum level of DHA. Infants require a constant and optimal intake of DHA for up to two years after birth as the brain continues to develop6.Level of DHA in mother’s milk depends primarily on their diet. Our body does not produce enough DHA by its own and needs to be supplemented through a fish rich diet. While adults get their DHA from food or supplements rich in Omega-3, a fetus in-utero gets all its nutrients from its mother. Even if a mother doesn’t consume enough DHA, her body will use its own reservoir of DHA to provide it to the baby during gestation and then through breast milk after birth.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that mothers monitor their DHA level in order to provide maximum benefit to their baby during-and-after pregnancy.

The estimated global average level of DHA in breast milk is 0.32%, while the recommended levels of DHA in mother’s milk are 0.7%7. If the level of DHA in your milk is below the recommended level it is recommended that you eat diet rich in fatty fish or take high quality Omega-3 supplements on a daily basis.

It is recommended not to consume fish or fish supplements before collecting your sample. This will increase your Omega-3 DHA levels which will not reflect the true levels of DHA in your milk.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Scientific Panel recommends that pregnant and nursing women should consume an additional 100-200 mg DHA daily in addition to the 250 mg omega-3 intake recommended by EFSA for adults.
According to USFDA, fish and other protein-rich foods have nutrients that can help your child’s growth and development8.

⁶Adab-Jorge.A., “The Role of DHA and ARA in Infant Nutrition and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes”, Vol. 10 No. 10 P. 66

⁷Brenna, T.J., “Docosahexaenoic and Arachidonic acid concentration in human breast milk worldwide”, American Journal of Nutrition, 2007; 85, 1457-64).

⁸https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/UCM536321.pdf