Soy milk while pregnant?

kristinyoung111 · November 2012

Has anyone here actually been told by a doctor that they should not drink soy while pregnant? I keep hearing very inconclusive things about soy being bad while pregnant. I can't drink regular milk currently, it seems I've become lactose intolerant since I became pregnant.

ChristyD6 · November 2012

My OB didn't say I had to switch, but I'm trying almond milk instead. It has less flavor so I'll probably go back to soy. I think soy is only bad if you way over do it, eat tons of non organic soy based products/milks bc it may cause hormonal changes. You are probably fine to continue with soy until you go to your next appointment and can ask your OB.

quiggels219 · November 2012

I don't eat dairy, my doctor said rice, almond, or soy milk are all fine. As for the studies on soy, that is basically if you consume a ton of genetically modified soy products. My doctor said soy is a healthy alternative for meats and dairy in pregnancy. I also like vanilla, unsweetened almond milk and rice milk. I make fruit smoothies and throw some coconut milk in there too. Any smoothie I would put coconut water in before pregnancy I now throw coconut milk in instead and it is great! The coco milk is a little fatty but I only do 1-2 smoothies a week.

bobbyme · November 2012

It is completely harmless. You would have to drink/eat way more soy than is capable to experience any negative effects.

twocents6708 · November 2012

I drank soy my entire pregnancy as I am lactose intolerant. I have recently switched to rice milk though just because I prefer that it has a thinner consistency like milk.

Sue&Pasquale · November 2012

I am not a fan of soy in general. It is estrogenic. When I had to give up dairy when I was breastfeeding my son I drank almond milk. which is very good for you and tastes better than soy. also there is coconut milk that is good too that alot of people like.

julie1408 · November 2012

I tend to error on the side of caution so I limit my consumption and I definitely wouldn't drink soy milk while pregnant.

How much is important and that is why I have heard that you shouldn't give it to infants/children, there is concern over the amount of phytoestrogens in ratio to body weight.

Here is a journal article on the pros/cons of phytoestrogens that could give you a starting point for researching the topic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/

bobbyme · November 2012

julie1408:
I tend to error on the side of caution so I limit my consumption and I definitely wouldn't drink soy milk while pregnant.
How much is important and that is why I have heard that you shouldn't give it to infants/children, there is concern over the amount of phytoestrogens in ratio to body weight.
Here is a journal article on the pros/cons of phytoestrogens that could give you a starting point for researching the topic.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/

I drank soy milk, ate tofu, and various other soyfoods for the entirety of both my pregnancies. I am fine, my boys are beautiful and healthy, and I weaned my first to full fat soymilk.

There have been more studies on soy than any other food (about 2,000 soy-related papers are featured in scientific and medical journals every year). The majority of the reputable studies agree that soy products do not cause unwanted estrogenic effects. This is because, while soy contains phyto-estrogens, these isoflavins do not automatically act in the body the same way our own estrogens do. It is a common misconception that they do.

Ladiebug710 · November 2012

I switched to lactose free cows milk. It is a little on the expensive side, but I just really missed cows milk, I didn't find the substitues the same.

julie1408 · November 2012

bobbyme:
julie1408:
I tend to error on the side of caution so I limit my consumption and I definitely wouldn't drink soy milk while pregnant.
How much is important and that is why I have heard that you shouldn't give it to infants/children, there is concern over the amount of phytoestrogens in ratio to body weight.
Here is a journal article on the pros/cons of phytoestrogens that could give you a starting point for researching the topic.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/
I drank soy milk, ate tofu, and various other soyfoods for the entirety of both my pregnancies. I am fine, my boys are beautiful and healthy, and I weaned my first to full fat soymilk.
There have been more studies on soy than any other food (about 2,000 soy-related papers are featured in scientific and medical journals every year). The majority of the reputable studies agree that soy products do not cause unwanted estrogenic effects. This is because, while soy contains phyto-estrogens, these isoflavins do not automatically act in the body the same way our own estrogens do. It is a common misconception that they do.

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Well it doesn't surprise me that there are a lot of studies that say soy is okay, the soy industry is huge. Plus, proving something has negative effects in the long term is difficult. It is easy to prove that soy doesn't cause birth defects. It is much harder to prove that it will impact development over time, especially since there are so many other variables when looking at health.

Some studies show that GMOs don't impact our health and organic is no different than non-organic. I am still going to buy organic and avoid GMOs. I'd rather play it safe.

mcooper014 · November 2012

You can get GMO free soy milk. My doctor said soy milk and soy products were safe. What do you think women in Japan do when they are pregnant? I'm pretty sure they still eat tofu.

mgm84 · December 2012

julie1408:
bobbyme:
julie1408:
I tend to error on the side of caution so I limit my consumption and I definitely wouldn't drink soy milk while pregnant.
How much is important and that is why I have heard that you shouldn't give it to infants/children, there is concern over the amount of phytoestrogens in ratio to body weight.
Here is a journal article on the pros/cons of phytoestrogens that could give you a starting point for researching the topic.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/
I drank soy milk, ate tofu, and various other soyfoods for the entirety of both my pregnancies. I am fine, my boys are beautiful and healthy, and I weaned my first to full fat soymilk.
There have been more studies on soy than any other food (about 2,000 soy-related papers are featured in scientific and medical journals every year). The majority of the reputable studies agree that soy products do not cause unwanted estrogenic effects. This is because, while soy contains phyto-estrogens, these isoflavins do not automatically act in the body the same way our own estrogens do. It is a common misconception that they do.
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000003292 StartFragment:0000002286 EndFragment:0000003256
Well it doesn't surprise me that there are a lot of studies that say soy is okay, the soy industry is huge. Plus, proving something has negative effects in the long term is difficult. It is easy to prove that soy doesn't cause birth defects. It is much harder to prove that it will impact development over time, especially since there are so many other variables when looking at health.
Some studies show that GMOs don't impact our health and organic is no different than non-organic. I am still going to buy organic and avoid GMOs. I'd rather play it safe.

The soy industry is huge? Well, sure it is, compared to certain industries (not related to inhuman animal treatment). However, compared to the dairy industry, who fund a great deal of those so called studies that say soy could be bad, it's tiny! Soy is very good for you, but it is the GMO and overly processed versions that you find as an oil or an ingredient in heavily processed foods that should be eaten in limited quantities.

Also, I personally prefer almond milk (or coconut milk) to soy milk, but love soy in other things. And I would personally rather expose my fetus to a cup of soy milk than a cup of milk and pus made for another species that is suppose to gain something like 200 pounds in the first six months of its life!

wcrowdy11 · December 2012

I am lactose intolerant and ask my OB if drinking soy milk was ok and she said yes. I actually started craving milk through the pregnancy! my LO is 5 weeks and is healthy! :-) hope that helps and good luck!

kristinyoung111 · March 2013

Thanks everyone!!!

Soy milk while pregnant?

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