Essential oils and TTC/ Pregnancy

I ahve heard most essentail oils are bad during pregnancy, maybe TTC. does this include aromatherapy? Which oils are the 'worst'?

Thanks in advance

I got told not to use peppermint, clary sage (i think it is ok very late in pregnany though), camphor... hmm there were more but that is all i can remember right now.

Lavender is ok as far as i know.

Hi Leuy,

I have no idea if it's all ok to use or not but a friend recently pointed out that a citronella based mosquito repellent I had been using all summer also contained pennyroyal. She said it can cause the uterus to contract!
Since that warning I've kept an eye on the products I use. I am not sure about burning essential oils, I would suppose that might be ok, but who knows?
Other oils I have since heard are to be avoided are cinnamon, wintergreen, aniseed and or fennel.
I will watch this thread and hope someone who actually knows fills us both in.

thanks, sassba

Hi Luey :)

Aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils in different ways, e.g. massage, bath, inhalation, so genuine aromatherapy and essential oils are one-and-the-same thing.

During pregnancy, you should avoid:
Aniseed, sweet fennel - these have oestrogen-influencing properties
Clary sage, sweet marjoram, cedarwood, cypress, peppermint, rosemary, jasmine and rose - some of these have emmengogue-type actions or are uterine tonics, meaning that they can encourage menstrual bleeding and/or uterine contractions.

There are some others that aren't safe during pregnancy, such as pennyroyal, sassafras, wormwood, sage, mugwort, tansy, thuja and parsley seed ... but these are generally considered quite toxic, and aren't readily available anyway.

Some of the oils that aren't safe during pregnancy can be great to use during labour, such as clary sage, jasmine, peppermint, and rose (when you want your uterus to contract!).

There are lots and lots of the other essential oils that are very safe during pregnancy and can be very beneficial - I have been using spearmint, tangerine, sweet orange, mandarin, lavender and german chamomile all through my pregnancy, in my bath, on my pillow, or in a massage oil (which DH kindly obliges me with!).

i was wondering this same thing today - DH is so sweet if i'm having a bad day, and will give me a back rub - usually uses either massage oil (lavender and ylang ylang - four seasons brand i think - was in a pamper pack we got from the motel we stayed at for wedding anniv ) or one the le reve massage oils (combination of heaps of different things) - i haven't added anything else to the le reve carrier oil in ages as all of my oils (had the complete set from le reve) got packed in one of the boxes i obviously haven't unpacked yet when we moved!

does anyone know whether these are ok when TTC or pg?:confused:

Damn i used Rose yesterday - is my favourite. I used it with Lavendar and chamomile. I wasn't in the room much. I know now to avoid it.

thankyou very much cherie.


Good luck Briggsy's girl - I think your next round started today

Hi,

Cherie, you really sound like you know what you are talking about. Do you know if oils like rose, jasmine etc ok to use in an oil burner? Any opinion on ylang ylang, my fave?

And what about skincare products, I use a rose spray from Jurlique every single morning and a moisturiser also by jurlique which contains a variety of lovely oils, it is so devine to use but do you think that should be avoided just to be sure? My recent splurge was a jasmine rich neck cream too. I wouldnt think it'd be a problem but if you or anyone else knows I'd like to know? I am starting to wonder if I have to avoid almost everything, "just in case"

Also....Recently I was told when I went to buy an aniseed (fennel) toothpaste by inessence, great brand, that because you spit it out it will be fine, any opinions on that?

Looking forward to anyone elses experiences or opinions on this topic.

sassba32

I know the feeling sassba, once you find out about 1 or 2 things you think oh no can I use that. You just want ot avoid eveything other than water. I was looking at my facial toner this morning with it's Rose scent and was thinking, is that ok? But I am thinking that is as it is probably manufactured scent . I think it mainly applies to essential oils, but I could be wrong. MAybe give the jurlique store a call and ask about the rose spray.