Immune Intel AHCC: Conception, Pregnancy & Postpartum.
“Is this safe for me during pregnancy?”
For about 40 weeks every pregnant woman’s google history consists of this question over and over and over — supplements, teas, caffeine, skincare, even sex positions — there’s something every day! Woof.
We just wanna feel good during pregnancy and make a healthy baby.
I remember standing in Whole Foods at 10 weeks pregnant, staring at the tea section, googling tea after tea after tea, then putting it back on the shelf with a huff. Who knew there were so many kinds of teas that are contraindicated during pregnancy?! Not me.
The “Is this safe?” struggle is real.
I receive this question in my inbox weekly regarding Immune Intel AHCC. Mamas who are newly pregnant wanting to continue their AHCC use…or mamas who are further along in pregnancy who just found my page, wanting to start AHCC to support their immune system for HPV/cervical dysplasia, autoimmune, etc…
I also get asked the same safety questions by women trying to conceive, as well as postpartum mums. I get it all! We’re gonna discuss all these scenarios and more in this post. Keep reading.
First things first:
I’m not a medical provider, and this is in no way medical advice. I’m a dental hygienist, mushroom enthusiast, podcast host and online educator. This is a discussion meant to help you sift through the potential pros, cons and unknowns and ultimately decide for yourself, mmmkay? Okay.
The great news is that all the safety studies on AHCC have shown an extremely high safety profile. One study in particular attempting to find the toxic dose, showed that even after a mega dose equal to a 600 gram human dose, the rats in the study had no negative side effects and no death occurred. AHCC is so safe that they had to guess what the toxic dose might be.
Here’s a loving reminder that…
AHCC is classified as a functional food, made from the mycelia of super specific shiitake mushrooms.
Mushrooms have been used medicinally for thousands of years.
It’s the most clinically researched specialty immune supplement globally
In my 7 years of AHCC education, the worst side effect I’ve heard of is an upset stomach. Even that is very rare.
The not-so-great news is that while there are hundreds of clinical studies on AHCC, there are no studies involving pregnant women. Why?
They very rarely include pregnant women in any clinical study. With ANY drug or therapy…the exclusion of pregnant women from most clinical trials is about prioritizing safety, respecting ethical principles, and recognizing the complexities of pregnancy-related health risks.
Researchers have to decide if the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
(But wait, didn’t they include pregnant women in the covid-19 experimental vaccine trials? I know. I have many thought$$$ here, but that’s a whole other blog post.)
Back to Immune Intel AHCC…
Because there are no pregnancy clinical studies we can point to in this case, here are the tools we do have to work with: logic and intuition.
One of my favorite follows on IG, Dr. Bradley Campbell always says, “Logic is fast, science is slow.” And I couldn’t agree with him more.
Let’s put on our logic-intuition hats and dive into a few different scenarios.
Pregnant woman with systemic issue like HPV: A positive HPV screen and any grade of cervical dysplasia can feel very alarming, confusing and anxiety inducing for any woman, and when you are pregnant those feelings can be even heightened. Many women refuse any HPV diagnostics or procedures like colposcopy during pregnancy (understandably so). If there is significant cervical dysplasia present — like CIN 2 or 3 — supporting the immune system with Immune Intel AHCC is a great, non-invasive way to stack that deck in her favor of a (-) HPV test and cervical healing. Studies show a benefit to even a small daily dose (like 1-2 capsules). Alternatively, since HPV is a very slow acting virus, time is statistically on her side. So mom could also wait until giving birth to start taking Immune Intel at the therapeutic dose of 3 grams (4 capsules) if she likes. What brings her peace is the right answer.
Pregnant woman with NO systemic issues: I’ve heard from many women who say they feel amazing taking Immune Intel AHCC for general health while pregnant. Some say it helps them sleep better, or supports digestion and regularity, or helped with their anxiety. There is honestly a laundry list of benefits of AHCC so it’s not surprising that pregnant women feel them too. If you decide to start or keep taking AHCC for general health, 1-2 capsules is the usual recommended dose.
Woman (and her man) trying to conceive: I’ll never forget the IG DM I got from a follower/customer who shared that she and her fiancée had been trying for a year to get pregnant. She started taking Immune Intel for some autoimmune issues…and the next month found out she was pregnant. 😝 Coincidence? Could be. I guess we’ll never know…but I have a hunch that the cortisol regulation support that AHCC provides could have been beneficial for their conception. If you’re feeling super stressed trying to conceive, AHCC could be a helpful ally. Depending on your stress levels, 2-4 capsules per day is great! Get some in your man too! :)
Breastfeeding mama: Speaking of stress…lack of sleep, new daily routines, lack of partner intimacy, healing body…the newborn phase is a lot! And it’s widely known that stress can limit or decrease mom’s milk supply. A few years ago, one of my best friends (and multiple women since then) mentioned to me that her milk supply increased after she started taking AHCC. Win! Now I’m not making any claims, but if mom was having supply issues I wouldn’t hesitate to tell her this story. Side note: this same friend was such an AHCC lover that at around 6 months old, she started opening up a capsule and adding it to her baby’s bottle, and later mixed into things like yogurt…now he’s in school and she swears that her son is hardly ever sick like his peers. Even when his whole class is sick, he’s thriving. Another win! AHCC is supportive to BOTH branches of the immune system — innate & adaptive — so his superior immune intelligence is not surprising to me at all. For breastfeeding mamas, 2 capsules a day is great!
In summary, I have seen major benefits of Immune Intel AHCC for women at every stage — TTC, pregnant and postpartum/breastfeeding. Can I say that taking AHCC is 100% risk free? No, but there are very few things you can say that about in general.
The ultimate decision should come back to mom and her logic-intuition.
This is always my perspective.
If you have any specific questions regarding Immune Intel AHCC, leave them below!
