Are pumpkin seeds good to eat during pregnancy?

They are a reasonable food in pregnancy, and nothing shows they do anything special for mother or baby. We found no randomized trial of pumpkin seeds in pregnant women. The only study in PubMed is a pilot of 14 women in rural India, with no control group and outcomes taken from a questionnaire. What does exist is trial evidence on zinc and magnesium, two minerals the seeds are rich in. A Cochrane review found zinc supplements may make little or no difference to preterm birth (risk ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.03, 21 studies, 9,851 women, low-certainty evidence). An ounce of seeds gives about 1.8 mg of zinc, while the trials gave 5 to 90 mg.

Unsettled. Whether pumpkin seeds help a pregnancy has not been tested. The answer here is borrowed from supplement trials of the minerals the seeds contain, and those trials mostly found little or no difference for the baby. One 2025 meta-analysis found a large benefit from zinc alone, and it disagrees with Cochrane and with WHO.

What the trials found

Pumpkin seeds themselves

The single study of the seeds in pregnancy is a 2022 pilot in 14 women aged 19 to 34, between 16 and 36 weeks, in Andhra Pradesh, India. We read the full text. It reports no dose, no duration and no hemoglobin values, and it had no comparison group, so it cannot say whether the seeds did anything.

The closest measured result is from women who were not pregnant. Eight healthy women aged 20 to 37 ate 1.1 oz (30 g) of pumpkin seed kernels plus 1.1 oz (30 g) of iron-fortified cereal every day for 4 weeks. Their serum iron rose from 60 to 85 micrograms per dL, and transferrin saturation from 16.8 to 25.6 percent. There was no control group, and the cereal carried more iron than the seeds (7.1 mg against 4.0 mg), so the seeds' share of that rise is unknown.

Zinc

In the 2021 Cochrane review, zinc supplements probably made little or no difference to low birthweight (risk ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.13, 17 studies, 7,399 women) or to babies born small for gestational age (risk ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.12, 9 studies, 5,330 women), both on moderate-certainty evidence. Mean birthweight differed by 13.83 g, with an interval from minus 15.81 to 43.46 g, on low-certainty evidence. Most of the data come from low-income countries.

A 2025 meta-analysis reached a different answer for zinc given alone to healthy pregnant women. It reported less fetal growth restriction (risk ratio 0.23, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.35) and longer babies at birth (standardized difference 0.66, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.12). Its abstract carries no certainty rating, and an effect that large needs checking before anyone relies on it. The abstract gives no absolute numbers.

Magnesium

The 2014 Cochrane review of oral magnesium found no significant difference in stillbirth and newborn death (risk ratio 1.10, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.67, 5 trials, 5,903 infants), in small babies (0.76, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.07) or in pre-eclampsia (0.87, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.32). Those trials used magnesium supplements of several kinds, and the dose varied from trial to trial. The effect of magnesium eaten as food has not been studied.

Myth. Leg cramps are the usual reason magnesium-rich food is suggested in pregnancy. A meta-analysis of trials of magnesium supplements in pregnant women with cramps found cramp frequency was not decreased (weighted difference minus 0.47, 95% CI minus 1.14 to 0.20). No trial has tested the seeds for cramps.

In women with gestational diabetes, magnesium supplements lowered fasting blood sugar by 7.33 mg/dL in a meta-analysis of small trials. The reported interval, 7.02 to 7.64, is suspiciously narrow for trials that size. Preterm birth did not change clearly (odds ratio 0.42, 95% CI 0.06 to 2.95). These were supplements, not seeds.

What the seeds actually supply

USDA analyzed 8 samples of raw pumpkin seed kernels. Zinc averaged 6.3 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) but ranged from 4.3 to 10 mg, a spread of more than double between samples. Magnesium was about 500 mg and iron 8.4 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). A 28 g ounce, the usual serving, comes to roughly 1.8 mg of zinc and 140 mg of magnesium.

In a systematic review of 50 surveys of pregnant women in Africa, Cucurbita pepo, the pumpkin plant, was among the three most often cited medicinal plants, used for nausea and as a nutritional supplement. That shows how often it is used, not whether it works, and the abstract does not say which part of the plant.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. If you already react to tree nuts or other seeds, talk to your allergist before adding pumpkin seeds. In a Turkish case series of 25 children with confirmed pumpkin seed allergy, 64 percent had anaphylaxis, 76 percent also reacted to tree nuts and 72 percent to other seeds. That is a small series in children, and it says nothing about how common the allergy is in adults.

Retail seeds are not always clean. A UK survey of 3,735 retail dried seed samples from 2007 and 2008 found E. coli in 9 percent and unsatisfactory levels in 1.5 percent, and pumpkin seeds were among the seeds affected.

Magnesium from the seeds is not a worry for healthy people. The NIH upper limit of 350 mg a day applies only to supplements and medicines, because healthy kidneys clear extra magnesium from food. That statement covers healthy individuals. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor.

If you take iron tablets, WHO notes that routine iron supplements in pregnancy may compete with zinc for absorption, and calcium supplements may do the same. WHO gives no size for that effect.

What expert bodies say

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says pregnant women need 3 mg more zinc a day than women who are not pregnant. In US survey data from 2001 to 2014, 11 percent of pregnant women got less zinc than the average requirement from food and supplements together. WHO in 2021 kept its position that zinc supplements are not part of routine antenatal care and should be given only in rigorous research, and it points to a healthy, balanced diet instead. No expert body we found makes any statement about pumpkin seeds in pregnancy.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A controlled trial of whole pumpkin seeds in pregnant women that measures hemoglobin, zinc status and birth outcomes. Nothing of that kind is in PubMed.
• Published results from the registered Indonesian trial of pumpkin seed extract capsules. Even then, an extract in a capsule is a different product from the seeds.
• An updated Cochrane review of zinc that takes on the 2025 meta-analysis. If the large drop in growth restriction held up under a certainty rating, the case for zinc-rich food in pregnancy would get stronger.
• A human study of how much of the zinc and iron in pumpkin seeds the body actually absorbs.

More on the seeds themselves is on the pumpkin seeds page. The minerals are covered in the zinc guide and the magnesium guide.

Sources

1. ev-pspg-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 9851
   The evidence suggests that zinc supplementation may result in little or no difference in reducing preterm births (risk ratio (RR) 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74 to 1.03; 21 studies, 9851 participants; low-certainty evidence).
   
   Who: healthy pregnant women given zinc supplements vs no zinc or placebo, started before 27 weeks
   Effect: preterm birth RR 0.87 (95% CI 0.74 to 1.03); 21 studies; low-certainty evidence
   Certainty: About zinc supplements, not pumpkin seeds; seeds give ~1.8 mg zinc per ounce versus 5-90 mg in RCTs.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-pspg-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 7399
   Finally, for other birth outcomes, zinc supplementation may make little or no difference to mean birthweight (MD 13.83, 95% CI -15.81 to 43.46; 22 studies, 7977 participants; low-certainty evidence), and probably makes little or no difference in reducing the risk of low birthweight (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.13; 17 studies, 7399 participants; moderate-certainty evidence) and small-for-gestational age babies when compared to placebo or no zinc supplementation (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.12; 9 studies, 5330 participants; moderate-certainty evidence).
   
   Who: pregnant women in RCTs of zinc supplementation vs placebo or no zinc
   Effect: low birthweight RR 0.94 (95% CI 0.79 to 1.13; 17 studies, 7399 participants); SGA RR 1.02 (0.92 to 1.12; 9 studies); mean birthweight MD 13.83 g (-15.81 to 43.46); moderate to low certainty
   Certainty: Moderate certainty for low birth weight and SGA; data mainly from low-income countries.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-pspg-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 77 RCTs
   Compared with no zinc, zinc monotherapy among healthy pregnant women resulted in higher serum zinc level (standard mean difference (SMD) the second trimester = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20 to 0.44; SMDthe third trimester = 0.51, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.76), lower fetal intrauterine retardation rate (risk ratio = 0.23, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.35), longer neonatal birth length (SMD = 0.66, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.12), bigger birth head circumference (SMD = 0.58, 95% CI 0.08 to 1.09), higher 1-min Apgar score (SMD = 0.28, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.49) and cord blood zinc level (SMD = 0.36, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.56).
   
   Who: pregnant women in RCTs of prenatal zinc supplementation, search to March 2025
   Effect: fetal intrauterine growth retardation RR 0.23 (95% CI 0.16 to 0.35); birth length SMD 0.66 (0.21 to 1.12); no added benefit of zinc-iron-folate vs iron-folate
   Certainty: Diverges from Cochrane 2021 and WHO 2021; no GRADE certainty rating in the abstract; the RR 0.23 effect is too large to accept without verification.
   J Evid Based Med, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-pspg-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 9090
   In the analysis of all trials, oral magnesium supplementation compared to no magnesium was associated with no significant difference in perinatal mortality (stillbirth and neonatal death prior to discharge) (risk ratio (RR) 1.10; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72 to 1.67; five trials, 5903 infants), small-for-gestational age (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.54 to 1.07; three trials, 1291 infants), or pre-eclampsia (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.58 to 1.32; three trials, 1042 women).
   
   Who: pregnant women randomized to oral magnesium supplements vs placebo or no treatment
   Effect: perinatal mortality RR 1.10 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.67); SGA RR 0.76 (0.54 to 1.07); pre-eclampsia RR 0.87 (0.58 to 1.32)
   Certainty: About magnesium supplements 128-1000 mg; pumpkin seeds are one of the richest food sources of magnesium, but the effect of food has not been studied.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2014 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-pspg-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 332
   The frequency of leg cramps after treatment was not decreased in the treatment group compared to the control group (WMD = -0.47, 95% CI: -1.14-0.20, P = 0.167).
   
   Who: pregnant women with leg cramps in RCTs of oral magnesium
   Effect: frequency of leg cramps WMD -0.47 (95% CI -1.14 to 0.20); recovery OR 0.47 (0.14 to 1.52)
   Certainty: Against the common advice to eat magnesium-rich food for cramps in pregnancy; only 4 RCTs.
   Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-pspg-06 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 266
   Overall, compared with control intervention for gestational diabetes, magnesium supplementation was able to significantly decrease FPG (MD = -7.33 mg/dL; 95 % CI = -7.64 to -7.02 mg/dL; P < 0.00001) and HOMA-IR (MD = -0.99; 95 % CI = -1.76 to -0.22; P = 0.01), but resulted in no obvious impact on serum insulin (MD = -4.17 μIU/mL; 95 % CI = -8.49 to 0.14 μIU/mL; P = 0.06), preterm delivery (OR = 0.42; 95 % CI = 0.06 to 2.95; P = 0.38), macrosomia (OR = 0.34; 95 % CI = 0.08 to 1.35; P = 0.13) or BMI change (MD = -0.01 kg/m2; 95 % CI = -0.06 to 0.04 kg/m2; P = 0.63).
   
   Who: women with gestational diabetes in RCTs of magnesium supplementation
   Effect: fasting plasma glucose MD -7.33 mg/dL (95% CI -7.64 to -7.02); HOMA-IR MD -0.99; preterm delivery OR 0.42 (0.06 to 2.95), not significant
   Certainty: Small RCTs, supplements, not seeds; the CI is suspiciously narrow for 5 small RCTs.
   Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-pspg-07 · Observational data · single-arm before and after trial · n = 8
   The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the pre and post consumption phase for higher serum iron (60 +/- 22 vs. 85 +/- 23 ug/dl), higher transferrin saturation percent (16.8 +/- 8.0 vs. 25.6 +/- 9.0%), and lower TIBC (367 +/- 31 vs. 339 +/- 31 ug/dl).
   
   Who: healthy single or non-pregnant women aged 20 to 37; 30 g pumpkin seed kernels (4.0 mg iron) plus 30 g fortified cereal (7.1 mg iron) daily for 4 weeks
   Effect: serum iron 60 +/- 22 to 85 +/- 23 ug/dL; transferrin saturation 16.8% to 25.6%; TIBC 367 to 339 ug/dL
   Certainty: No control, 8 people, not pregnant; the effect of the seeds is not separated from the fortified porridge.
   Biofactors, 2007 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-pspg-08 · Observational data · uncontrolled pilot study with questionnaire · n = 14
   14 prenatal mothers from Rural Amalapuram in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district made up the study sample.
   
   Who: antenatal mothers aged 19 to 34 at 16 to 36 weeks, rural Amalapuram Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, India
   Effect: no control group; outcomes by structured questionnaire; no hemoglobin values or seed dose reported in the text
   Certainty: Methods read in full (pmc_fetch): dose and duration not stated, hemoglobin not given as a number; conclusion is about nuts and the menstrual cycle.
   Andugula SK et al., Bioinformation, 2022, Impact of pumpkin seeds supplementation on anemia in antenatal mothers at Andhra Pradesh, India · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
9. ev-pspg-09 · Observational data · systematic review of prevalence surveys · n = 50 studies
   The most commonly cited MP species were Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Allium sativum L. and Cucurbita pepo L. and these were used for relief of NVP, motion sickness and as a nutritional supplement.
   
   Who: pregnant women in African studies of medicinal plant use
   Effect: prevalence of medicinal plant use 2% to 100%; Cucurbita pepo among the most cited species; few adverse effects reported
   Certainty: Review of surveys, not of an effect; the part of the plant (seeds or pulp) is not stated in the abstract.
   J Ethnopharmacol, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-pspg-10 · Laboratory or animal data · case series · n = 25
    Twenty-five children (76% boys) were identified, with a median diagnosis age of 2.98 years. Immediate reactions were universal, and anaphylaxis occurred in 64%.
    
    Who: children with IgE-mediated pumpkin seed allergy at a tertiary allergy clinic in Turkey, 2016 to 2024
    Effect: anaphylaxis 64%; co-allergy tree nuts 76%, other seeds 72%; pumpkin pulp tolerated by all
    Certainty: Rare allergy; for pregnant women only if there is already an allergy to nuts or seeds. Case series as D until Roman decides.
    Allergy Asthma Proc, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
11. ev-pspg-11 · Observational data · cross-sectional microbiological survey · n = 3735
    E. coli was detected in 9% of samples, with 1.5% containing unsatisfactory levels (> or = 10(2)/g). These included melon, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, poppy, linseed, sunflower and mixed seeds.
    
    Who: retail edible dried seeds sampled in the United Kingdom, 2007 to 2008
    Effect: Salmonella 0.6% of samples (none named as pumpkin); E. coli 9%; unsatisfactory E. coli 1.5% including pumpkin seeds
    Certainty: Food safety matters for pregnant women; Salmonella was not detected specifically in pumpkin seeds, only E. coli.
    Food Microbiol, 2009 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
12. ev-pspg-12 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet · n = —
    During pregnancy, the amount of zinc needed increases to accommodate fetal growth, and the FNB therefore recommends that pregnant women consume 3 mg/day more zinc than nonpregnant women in the same age group [1,3]. Similarly, the zinc requirement increases by 4 mg/day during lactation. NHANES data from 2001 to 2014 show that 11% of pregnant women in the United States have total zinc intakes from foods and supplements that are below the EAR [25].
    
    Who: pregnant women in the United States, NHANES 2001 to 2014
    Effect: zinc requirement +3 mg/day in pregnancy; 11% of pregnant women below the EAR from foods and supplements
    Certainty: The basis for why zinc-rich seeds make sense in the diet; ODS adds that routine supplements do not reduce the risk of low birth weight.
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Zinc Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
13. ev-pspg-13 · Position of an expert body · WHO guideline recommendation · n = —
    WHO does not recommend zinc supplementation as part of routine ANC. Zinc supplementation is recommended only in the context of rigorous research to improve our knowledge of its effect in pregnant women.
    
    Who: pregnant women in routine antenatal care
    Effect: no routine zinc supplementation; adequate nutrition through a healthy, balanced diet
    Certainty: Discrepancy with the 2025 meta-analysis (ev-pspg-03); WHO relies on Cochrane 2021.
    World Health Organization, WHO antenatal care recommendations for a positive pregnancy experience. Nutritional interventions update: zinc supplements during pregnancy, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
14. ev-pspg-14 · Position of an expert body · WHO guideline background · n = —
    In addition, routine iron supplementation may prevent women from meeting their zinc requirements by competing with zinc for absorption (3). This may also occur with calcium supplements and foods fortified with inorganic calcium salts (1).
    
    Who: pregnant women
    Effect: iron and calcium supplements compete with zinc for absorption; zinc requirement roughly doubles in the third trimester
    Certainty: Mechanism without effect numbers; pumpkin seed phytates are not named in this text, axis 2 for seeds is empty in the corpus.
    World Health Organization, WHO antenatal care recommendations for a positive pregnancy experience. Nutritional interventions update: zinc supplements during pregnancy, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
15. ev-pspg-15 · Position of an expert body · government fact sheet · n = —
    The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg for adults, and it ranges from 65 to 350 mg for children and adolescents, depending on age. Too much magnesium from food does not pose a health risk in healthy individuals because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine [29].
    
    Who: healthy adults; risk higher with impaired kidney function
    Effect: UL 350 mg/day for supplemental magnesium; no UL for food magnesium in healthy people
    Certainty: An ounce of seeds gives ~140 mg of magnesium from food, which does not count toward the limit; caution in kidney disease.
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Magnesium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
16. ev-pspg-16 · Position of an expert body · dataset · n = 8
    Seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), raw | Zinc 6.341 mg per 100 g (range 4.34-10.0, n=8) | Magnesium 499.7 mg per 100 g (range 468.5-511.0, n=8) | Iron 8.363 mg per 100 g (range 7.84-9.42, n=8)
    
    Who: raw pumpkin seed kernels (pepitas), USDA Foundation Foods
    Effect: zinc 6.341 mg/100 g (range 4.34-10.0); magnesium 499.7 mg/100 g (range 468.5-511.0); iron 8.363 mg/100 g (range 7.84-9.42)
    Certainty: Zinc spreads 2.3-fold between samples; an ounce (28 g, FNDDS 43101050) has ~1.8 mg of zinc and ~140 mg of magnesium.
    USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods (release 2026-04-30), FDC 2515380, Seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), raw · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the dataset