# PregFacts

> Surprising, evidence-based pregnancy tips most women never hear — from liquorice and pâté to sleep position and itchy hands. Clear answers, cited sources. Every tip gives a direct answer, what to do, and links to official guidance (NHS, CDC, FDA, ACOG, RCOG). Medically reviewed by Dr. Christopher Sterling (an obstetrician with 24 years of experience); last reviewed 2026-09-29.

PregFacts is general information, not medical advice. When citing, please link to the specific tip page.

## Key pages
- [All pregnancy tips](https://pregfacts.com/tips/): every tip, grouped by topic
- [Foods to avoid during pregnancy](https://pregfacts.com/foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/): the complete list with verdicts
- [Full text for LLMs](https://pregfacts.com/llms-full.txt): every tip in plain text

## Food & drink

- [Is liquorice safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/liquorice-during-pregnancy/): Large amounts of real liquorice are best avoided in pregnancy. It contains glycyrrhizin, which can raise blood pressure and has been linked to preterm birth and to lower cognitive scores and more ADHD-type behaviour in children whose mothers ate a lot of it.
- [Can you eat deli meat while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/deli-meat-pregnancy/): Cold deli meats, hot dogs and cold cured meats can carry listeria, which grows even in the fridge. Eat them heated until steaming hot, or choose freshly cooked meat instead.
- [Which cheeses are safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/cheese-during-pregnancy/): Avoid soft mould-ripened cheeses (brie, camembert, rinded goat’s cheese) and soft blue cheeses unless cooked until steaming. Hard cheeses and pasteurised soft cheeses without a white rind — mozzarella, feta, halloumi, cottage and cream cheese — are fine.
- [Can you eat pâté when pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/pate-pregnancy/): Avoid liver pâté completely — it can carry listeria and is very high in vitamin A. Current UK advice allows other meat and vegetable pâtés if they are kept chilled and eaten before the use-by date; US advice is stricter and says to avoid refrigerated pâtés and meat spreads altogether.
- [Can you eat smoked salmon when pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/smoked-salmon-pregnancy/): Cold-smoked or cured fish such as smoked salmon, lox and gravlax should only be eaten when cooked until steaming hot. Canned or shelf-stable smoked fish, and smoked salmon cooked in a hot dish, are fine.
- [Is pre-cut melon safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/cut-melon-pregnancy/): Melon is healthy in pregnancy, but cut melon should be eaten straight away or kept in the fridge. Throw it away if it has been at room temperature for more than 4 hours, and wash whole melons before cutting.
- [Are raw sprouts safe when pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/raw-sprouts-pregnancy/): Raw and lightly cooked sprouts — alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean — should be avoided in pregnancy. Cook them thoroughly until steaming instead.
- [Why should you avoid liver and vitamin A supplements in pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/liver-vitamin-a-pregnancy/): Liver, liver products (pâté, liver sausage) and supplements containing vitamin A as retinol, including fish liver oil, should be avoided in pregnancy. Too much retinol-form vitamin A can harm a developing baby.
- [How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/caffeine-limit-pregnancy/): Keep caffeine under 200 mg a day in pregnancy. That’s roughly two mugs of instant coffee — and filter or coffee-shop coffee often contains more. Tea, cola, energy drinks and chocolate all count.
- [How much tuna can you eat while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/tuna-mercury-pregnancy/): You can eat tuna in moderation. UK advice is no more than four medium cans or two tuna steaks a week. Avoid high-mercury fish such as shark, swordfish and marlin, but do keep eating 2–3 portions of low-mercury fish a week.
- [Can you eat raw cookie dough while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/raw-cookie-dough-pregnancy/): No. Raw cookie dough and cake batter can contain salmonella from raw eggs and E. coli from raw flour. Bake it first, or buy edible cookie dough made with heat-treated flour and no raw egg.
- [Can you eat sushi when pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/sushi-during-pregnancy/): Only eat sushi made with cooked fish, cooked shellfish or vegetables. Current NHS advice is to avoid sushi made with raw fish — even if it has been previously frozen — and US guidance also says to avoid raw fish and shellfish in pregnancy.
- [Is herbal tea safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/herbal-tea-pregnancy/): There is little research on herbal teas in pregnancy, so the NHS advises drinking no more than four cups a day and avoiding teas that contain liquorice root. Check with a pharmacist before using herbal remedies or supplements.
- [Are enoki mushrooms safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/enoki-mushrooms-pregnancy/): Only if they are cooked thoroughly. Raw enoki mushrooms have been linked to listeria outbreaks, and both the NHS and the CDC say pregnant women should not eat them raw.
- [Can you eat game meat like venison or pheasant when pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/game-meat-pregnancy/): The NHS advises avoiding game meats such as goose, partridge, pheasant and venison in pregnancy, because they may contain lead, which can harm your baby.

## Medicines & supplements

- [Can you take ibuprofen while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/ibuprofen-pregnancy/): Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (like naproxen and high-dose aspirin) are generally not recommended in pregnancy unless a doctor prescribes them, and especially not from 20 weeks. Ask your pharmacist, midwife or doctor which painkiller is right for you.
- [Is Pepto-Bismol safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/pepto-bismol-pregnancy/): Pepto-Bismol’s active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, is related to aspirin and is generally not recommended during pregnancy, especially in the second half. Ask a pharmacist about pregnancy-friendly options for heartburn, nausea or an upset stomach.
- [When should you start taking folic acid?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/folic-acid-timing/): Ideally before you conceive. Take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily while trying to get pregnant and until 12 weeks. Some people — for example with diabetes, a BMI of 30 or more, or a family history of neural tube defects — need a higher prescribed dose.
- [Does your prenatal vitamin contain enough iodine?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/iodine-prenatal-vitamin/): Iodine needs rise in pregnancy because it’s essential for the baby’s brain development. The American Thyroid Association recommends a daily supplement containing 150 micrograms of iodine during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but many prenatal vitamins contain less or none. Check the label.
- [Do you need vitamin D during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/vitamin-d-pregnancy/): Yes. The NHS recommends 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D a day from early October to late March, and all year if you cover most of your skin, spend a lot of time indoors or have darker skin. It helps build your baby’s bones and teeth.
- [Is retinol skincare safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/retinol-skincare-pregnancy/): Retinoids are best avoided in pregnancy. Oral isotretinoin (Accutane/Roaccutane) causes serious birth defects, and topical retinoids — tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene and retinol — are generally stopped as a precaution.
- [Which vaccines are recommended during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/vaccines-in-pregnancy/): Whooping cough (pertussis), flu and RSV vaccines are recommended during pregnancy in countries such as the UK and US. The antibodies you make pass to your baby and protect them in their first months, when infections are most dangerous.

## Home & lifestyle

- [Can you change cat litter while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/cat-litter-pregnancy/): Ideally, ask someone else to change the cat litter. Cat faeces can carry toxoplasmosis, a parasite infection that can harm an unborn baby. If you must do it, wear gloves, change it daily and wash your hands afterwards.
- [Is gardening safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/gardening-pregnancy-toxoplasmosis/): Yes, with gloves. Soil and sandpits can contain toxoplasma from cat faeces, so wear gloves when gardening, wash your hands afterwards, and wash homegrown fruit and vegetables thoroughly.
- [Are hot tubs and saunas safe during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/hot-tub-sauna-pregnancy/): Hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms are best avoided in pregnancy. Raising your core body temperature, especially in the first trimester, has been linked to neural tube defects, and the heat can also make you faint. Warm (not hot) baths are fine.
- [What is the safest sleep position in pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/sleep-position-pregnancy/): From 28 weeks, go to sleep on your side — left or right. Research shows going to sleep on your back in the third trimester is linked to about twice the risk of stillbirth. If you wake up on your back, don’t worry; just turn onto your side.
- [How should you wear a seatbelt when pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/seatbelt-pregnancy/): Always wear a three-point seatbelt. Place the lap belt low across your hips and under your bump, and the diagonal strap between your breasts and around the side of your bump. Never put a belt across the bump itself.
- [Is it safe to fly while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/flying-while-pregnant/): Flying is generally safe in a healthy pregnancy, but long flights raise the risk of blood clots, and airlines have their own cut-offs. Many ask for a letter after 28 weeks and don’t allow travel after 36 weeks (32 for twins).
- [Which exercises should you avoid during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/exercise-to-avoid-pregnancy/): Most exercise is safe and recommended (about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week). Avoid scuba diving, contact sports, activities with a high risk of falling, hot yoga, and lying flat on your back for long periods after the first trimester.
- [Is it safe to paint or renovate while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/painting-renovating-pregnancy/): Painting with modern water-based paint in a well-ventilated room is generally considered low risk. But avoid sanding, scraping or stripping old paint, which may contain lead, and avoid solvent-based products where you can.
- [Is it safe to dye your hair while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/hair-dye-pregnancy/): Most research suggests it’s safe to dye your hair while pregnant, as the chemicals aren’t highly toxic and very little is absorbed. Many people wait until after 12 weeks as a precaution. Work in a ventilated room and do a strand test first.
- [Why should pregnant women avoid sheep at lambing time?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/lambing-season-pregnancy/): Pregnant women are advised to avoid close contact with sheep and lambs during lambing season, and with newborn lambs, afterbirth or clothing from lambing. Infections that sheep carry, such as Chlamydophila abortus, can cause miscarriage.

## Body & wellbeing

- [Why do your gums bleed during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/bleeding-gums-pregnancy/): Pregnancy hormones make gums more prone to swelling and bleeding (“pregnancy gingivitis”). Keep brushing and flossing, and see a dentist — check-ups and most dental treatment are safe during pregnancy. In the UK, NHS dental care is free while pregnant and for 12 months after.
- [When is morning sickness too much?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/severe-morning-sickness-hyperemesis/): Contact a doctor or midwife if you can’t keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, have very dark urine or haven’t passed urine for 8 hours, feel dizzy or weak, or vomit blood. This may be hyperemesis gravidarum — a serious but treatable condition.
- [Does perineal massage reduce tearing during birth?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/perineal-massage/): Yes, for many people. Research shows that perineal massage in the last weeks of pregnancy — the RCOG suggests daily from 35 weeks — reduces the likelihood of tears that need stitches and of episiotomy, particularly for a first vaginal birth.
- [Why start pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/pelvic-floor-exercises-pregnancy/): Pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy strengthen the muscles that support your bladder, bowel and womb, and reduce the chance of urinary incontinence after birth. Aim to do them every day.
- [Can you get depression during pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/depression-during-pregnancy/): Yes. Depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy, not just after birth, and they are treatable. If you feel low, anxious or hopeless most days for two weeks or more, tell your midwife or doctor.

## Warning signs

- [Do babies move less at the end of pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/baby-movements-slowing-down/): No. Babies should keep moving right up to and during labour. If your baby’s movements slow down, stop or change from their usual pattern, contact your maternity unit immediately — don’t wait until the next day.
- [Are home fetal dopplers safe to use?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/home-doppler-pregnancy/): Home fetal dopplers are not recommended. Without training it’s easy to mistake your own pulse or the placenta for the baby’s heartbeat, which can delay getting help when something is wrong.
- [What are the warning signs of pre-eclampsia?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/pre-eclampsia-symptoms/): Call your midwife, maternity unit or doctor right away if you have a severe headache, vision problems (blurring or flashing lights), pain just below your ribs, vomiting, or sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet — usually after 20 weeks, and even after birth.
- [Why are my hands and feet itchy in pregnancy?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/itchy-hands-feet-pregnancy/): Itching — especially on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, often worse at night and without a rash — can be a sign of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Tell your midwife or doctor; it’s diagnosed with a simple blood test.
- [What should you do if you’re exposed to chickenpox while pregnant?](https://pregfacts.com/tips/chickenpox-exposure-pregnancy/): If you have not had chickenpox (or aren’t sure) and you’re in contact with someone who has chickenpox or shingles, contact your doctor or midwife straight away. Treatment given soon after exposure can help. The same applies to slapped cheek syndrome and measles.

## Optional
- [About & sources](https://pregfacts.com/about/)
- [Medical disclaimer](https://pregfacts.com/medical-disclaimer/)