Office Hours: Your Pregnancy & Postpartum Questions Answered

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.5 • 9.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Pregnancy doesn’t just change your life—it transforms your entire biology. Hormones shift, metabolism adapts, nutrient needs increase, and your nervous system recalibrates in ways most women are never fully prepared for. And after birth, the postpartum phase can be one of the most overlooked and underserved stages of a woman’s health. In this episode, I answer your most common questions, including: • How to choose the right prenatal vitamins—including why methylated folate matters and the difference between folate and folic acid • Natural ways to manage common pregnancy symptoms like nausea, heartburn, sciatica, and fatigue • Key nutrition strategies during pregnancy to support both mother and baby • What happens during postpartum—from hormone and thyroid shifts to hair loss, immune changes, pelvic floor recovery, and C-section healing Pregnancy and postpartum aren’t separate events—they’re part of a continuous biological transition that affects hormones, metabolism, and overall health. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s understanding what your body is going through and supporting it with the right nutrients, habits, and care so you can recover, rebuild, and thrive. Visit ⁠functionhealth.com for 160+ lab tests at just $365 a year. Grab the FREE Guide: Supplements for a Healthy Pregnancy: What to Take (and Why It Matters) Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here (0:12) Introduction to office hours with Dr. Mark Hyman (0:33) Comprehensive guide to pregnancy and postpartum health (2:35) Essential prenatal vitamins and managing morning sickness (5:18) Remedies for common pregnancy discomforts and supporting mental health (10:02) Strategies to prevent preeclampsia and ensure optimal nutrition (12:24) How to choose baby formula and understand postpartum hormonal shifts (15:26) Postpartum recovery: pelvic floor, immune health, and depression prevention (18:12) Combatting postpartum hair loss and nutrient support for regrowth (22:13) Post-cesarean recovery: scar tissue repair and rebuilding core strength (25:03) The emotional journey of pregnancy and postpartum recovery (25:47) Free resource and encouragement for a healthy pregnancy journey (26:52) Engaging with listeners and closing thoughts (27:26) Disclaimer and expressions of gratitude

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to office hours. This is our dedicated one-on-one space to go deeper, get clear, and explore what truly moves the needle for your health.
0:19.4	I'm Dr. Mark Hyman, and each week we're going to pull back the curtain and share the insights, the research, the lessons that
0:24.3	don't always make it into our conversations with guests. Because at the end of the day,
0:28.7	you are the CEO of your own health. And for many of you, your family's health too. And you
0:33.3	might not feel it all the time, but you have far more power in agency than you realize.
0:38.4	I'm glad you're here.
0:45.4	This episode is brought to you by Function Health, empowering you to live 100 healthy years with over 160 lab tests at just $365 a year.
0:49.6	Sign up today at Functionhealth.com slash mark and use code mark 2026 to get $50 towards your membership.
0:56.3	Once you can see, the questions don't stop. They just multiply.
1:00.1	Pregnancy is a time of profound transformation. Your hormones shift, your metabolism changes,
1:05.6	your nutritional needs increase, your nervous system adapts in ways that most women are not really
1:10.7	prepared for.
1:12.1	And postpartum, well, that may be one of the most misunderstood and underserved stages of a woman's
1:17.7	life. So in this office hours, we're slowing things down and answering your most common
1:23.5	real work questions about how to support your body during pregnancy and afterwards.
1:28.4	We're going to talk about things like choosing the right prenatal vitamins and understanding
1:32.5	the difference between folate and folic acid. We're going to talk about managing nausea in
1:38.6	pregnancy, acne, heartburn, which is common and these many other common pregnancy discomforts.
1:44.0	We're going to talk about
1:45.0	supporting mental health during pregnancy and why it matters for your well-being postpartum. We're going
1:50.4	to talk about reducing the risk of complications in pregnancy like preacampsia, which is high blood
1:55.2	pressure in pregnancy. And we'll talk about nourishing your body in the third trimester to prepare
	...

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