Biotin During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a phase where you need a variety of nutrients. Vitamins and minerals play a vital role in pregnancy in various metabolic activities. Among all, folic acids, iron, and biotin are important in embryonic and fetal growth. Though it is popularly known as vitamin H because of its role in having healthy hair and nails, Biotin has varied roles in the conversion of energy in our body, glucose regulation, and different neurological functions.

Extensive research is being conducted into the further roles of Biotin during pregnancy and its possible effects on the fetus.  In this article, let’s learn about the role of biotin in pregnant women, what happens in cases of deficiency, how much biotin is needed for your pregnancy, and the overall benefits of biotin.

In This Article

• What is Biotin?
• Is It Safe To Take Biotin While Pregnant?
• How Much Biotin Is Safe During Pregnancy?
• Natural Sources of Biotin
• Benefits Of Taking Biotin During Pregnancy
• Possible Symptoms Of Biotin Deficiency
• Potential Side Effects Of Taking Biotin During Pregnancy
• Can Biotin Deficiency Cause Birth Defects?
• FAQ’s

What is Biotin?

Biotin is one of the vitamins in the B complex and is generally referred to as Vitamin B7 or Vitamin H. Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that has different biological roles in immunity and fetal growth. (1)

Biotin plays a pivotal role in the conversion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that you consume through food into energy production in your body.  Biotin deficiency may lead to thinning of hair, brittle nails, and scaly reddish rash around the face in normal adults(2)  There is certain evidence from clinical research that if you have biotin deficiency during pregnancy, it may lead to preterm labor or fetal growth restriction.  (1a).

Is It Safe To Take Biotin While Pregnant?

Biotin is safe and it is necessary to take it while pregnant. Your body uses up all your regular supply of biotin for the growth of the baby, resulting in a deficiency while you are pregnant.  So you need an additional supplement of biotin to keep up the supply for your body and baby. 

How Much Biotin Is Safe During Pregnancy?

The US Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine suggested at least 30 mcg of vitamin B7 for pregnant women daily (3).

Any excess biotin in the body is excreted as it is a water-soluble vitamin, the body can not store or use additional amounts and no toxicity is expected. 

The expected deficiency in pregnancy can be covered by taking prenatal vitamins and foods rich in biotin. All the prenatal vitamins contain approximately 30 mcg of biotin, and a balanced diet and eating foods rich in biotin will help you out of deficiency. 

Natural Sources of Biotin

Biotin can be obtained through many natural resources that can be available frequently in our daily lives. Biotin is abundantly found both in nonvegetarian and vegetarian sources. The following is the list of natural sources of Biotin that can be consumed during pregnancy to maintain the required levels (4)

• Meats like Beef provide 30 mcg, Whole Eggs 10 mcg, and Fish such as salmon provide 5 mcg of biotin on the whole.
• Nuts like almonds and sunflower seeds have high amounts of biotin from vegetarian sources, making up to 2.6–1.5 mcg, along with other nuts such as walnuts, pecans, and peanuts.
• Dairy products such as milk, plain yogurt, and cheese have 0.2–0.4 mcg of biotin.
• Vegetables like sweet potato have 2.4 mcg, spinach, and broccoli have 0.4–0.5 mcg of biotin.
• Fruits like bananas, Raspberries, and avocados have minute amounts of Biotin
• Legumes such as soybeans and Black-eyed peas have small amounts of Biotin. 

Benefits Of Taking Biotin During Pregnancy

Most of the research says that biotin is needed for pregnant women for proper fetal growth. There are many benefits of taking Biotin during pregnancy for both pregnant women and baby (1c) (4a),(5)

1. Biotin plays a main role in the conversion of major nutrients like carbs, protein, and fats into energy, which is required both for you and your growing fetus
2. Another main function of biotin is its role in immune function, which is needed during pregnancy for the protection of mother and fetus 
3. Biotin is key for embryonic development and DNA replication in the fetus.
4. It helps to maintain healthy growth of your hair and nails. It can help build strong bones in the fetus. 
5. Biotin takes care of your liver, skin, and nervous system health. It also plays a main role in regulating blood sugar levels, making it important for pregnant women  
6. Studies revealed taking Biotin supplementation along with biotin-rich foods while expecting can prevent any malformations in the fetus and avoid birth defects  

Possible Symptoms Of Biotin Deficiency

Although symptoms of Biotin deficiency are very rare, at least one-third of women in pregnancy will have marginal biotin deficiency despite normal intakes of biotin due to its increased use by the body for fetal growth (5a)

 The signs and symptoms of biotin deficiency  may include (4b)

• Progressive loss of hair, at times all throughout the body.
• Scaly red rash around eyes, nose, mouth, and perineum, and unusual distribution of fat in the face.
• Brittle nails and skin infections.
• Increased lactic acid acidosis, and acidic urine.
• Neurological findings such as depression, lethargy, and developmental delays in infants.

Biotin deficiency can also be a genetic condition in certain populations. The lack of production of an enzyme called biotinidase inhibits the uptake of biotin despite normal intake. A lifelong supplement is needed in such cases right from infancy.(4c) 

If you have any of the following symptoms in the long run, you may need to consult your doctor and get checked for any deficiency.

Potential Side Effects Of Taking Biotin During Pregnancy

There is no evidence that excessive Biotin can cause Potential side effects. Our body eliminates any excessive amounts of Biotin through urine. It is very rare to have Biotin toxicity for the same reason.

But on the other side, few drugs can cause biotin deficiency. Anticonvulsants like Carbamazepine and Phenobarbital can inhibit the uptake of biotin, leading to Biotin deficiency. Please inform your doctor if you are on these medications. Simple intake of extra Biotin may help you in these conditions

Rather than other vitamins, Biotin can interfere in a few lab tests and pregnancy tests which can provide false negative and false positive tests. (4c) (6) 

• Biotin supplementation can interfere with bHCG blood test done for pregnancy confirmation and can give false negative results even though you are pregnant, have an ectopic pregnancy, or have a miscarriage
• A pregnancy urine test may appear invalid as the control line goes missing with biotin interaction
• Too much intake of biotin may cause false low levels of thyroid in pregnant women which may lead to unnecessary treatment for the same. Vitamin D and gonadotropin levels can be compromised displaying false results. 
• Biotin can also interfere with certain cardiac tests, like troponin levels, where it can show falsely low levels, which delay the diagnosis of cardiac complications, if any.

Can Biotin Deficiency Cause Birth Defects?

There are few animal studies supporting that biotin deficiency during pregnancy can result in birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate and may impair skeletal long bone growth. There is also a biotin deficiency observed in women while pregnant but substantial evidence and further research are needed to prove that this degree of deficiency can cause birth defects as seen in animals. (5b)  

Biotin is a much essential vitamin for both the mother and the fetus. It is vital to maintain adequate intake of Biotin throughout pregnancy. Eating biotin-rich food and taking prenatal supplements when expecting a child can meet the extra demand of Biotin from the body preventing deficiencies that can otherwise lead to fetal growth restriction and small for gestational age babies. It is advised to check the amount of biotin present in your prenatal vitamins to ensure adequate intake. A supplementation of 35mcg and above along with Biotin-rich food is advised throughout. It is always important to get medical advice from your healthcare provider first before consuming a biotin supplement.

FAQ’s

1. How Does Biotin Affect Pregnancy Tests?

Biotin supplements can show falsely low levels of bHCG, whose levels are used to determine pregnancy through blood tests. You may be pregnant, have an ectopic pregnancy, or have a miscarriage that will go unnoticed, leading to false negative results. High levels of biotin can also affect the urine pregnancy test, as it will prevent the control line from appearing, making the test invalid.

2. Who Should Not Take Biotin?

Biotin can interact with certain antibiotics and anti-seizure medications, which may decrease the levels of biotin in your body. If you are using any of these medications, please consult your doctor before taking any additional supplements of biotin.

3. Does Biotin Affect Egg Quality?

Biotin can boost the function of mitochondria, which are the energy centers in the egg thus promoting the overall quality of healthy eggs.

References

1. Serum biotin level during pregnancy is associated with fetal growth and preterm delivery – [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32378602/]
2. Biotin – [https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/313.html]
3. Roles of Vitamin B in Pregnancy – [https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/vitamin-b-pregnancy/]
4. Biotin – [https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/]
5. Marginal Biotin Deficiency is Common in Normal Human Pregnancy and Is Highly Teratogenic in Mice – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2646213/]
6. Biotin – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554493/]