World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated from August 1 to 7 and highlights not only the importance of breast milk for the baby but also the care needed for the health of women during pregnancy and postpartum. This period is marked by high physiological demands in which the maternal body adapts to generate, nourish, and care for a new life. Consequently, maternal osteoarticular and metabolic health also requires attention. Any nutritional strategy, including collagen supplementation, should be evaluated and guided in advance by qualified health professionals such as doctors and nutritionists.
Hormonal changes, increased body weight, higher calcium demand, and biomechanical alterations cause many women to report discomfort such as joint pain, overload in the lower back, knees, hips, and a feeling of structural fatigue during pregnancy and especially postpartum. A recent literature review by Foschera and Giareton in 2024 indicates that the prevalence of low back pain during pregnancy ranges from 50 percent to 80 percent, highlighting the need for relevant nutritional strategies. Another systematic review confirms that the prevalence of low back pain during pregnancy is between 50 percent and 80 percent and underscores the need for nutritional and support strategies to assist in this condition.
This situation is directly related to physiological adaptations during pregnancy, including a natural increase in ligament laxity caused by the hormone relaxin. Relaxin promotes greater tissue elasticity but also contributes to joint discomfort. In addition, there is a redistribution of minerals, especially calcium and magnesium, with priority given to fetal bone formation and later to breast milk composition. While essential for fetal development, this process can impact maternal bone and joint health, contributing to temporary bone density loss and overload on joints and tendons, increasing the risk of discomfort and injury during pregnancy and postpartum.
This article explores the role of collagen at the maternal-fetal interface and during breastfeeding, emphasizing that any nutritional intervention during pregnancy and postpartum should be guided by a doctor and a nutritionist.
Scientific Evidence on Collagen Functions During Pregnancy
Collagen plays a critical structural and functional role in the maternal-fetal environment. It is the main component of the extracellular matrix in the uterus, placenta, and fetal membranes. Collagen provides structural support, strength, elasticity, and three-dimensional organization to maternal and fetal tissues. It is also essential for adhesion, proliferation, and trophoblast invasion, which are key steps for successful implantation and proper placental formation.
Beyond structural support, collagen plays a crucial role in immune modulation during pregnancy. It contributes directly to maternal-fetal immune tolerance, a vital mechanism that prevents the maternal immune system from recognizing the fetus as a foreign body. This function occurs through collagen interaction with specific receptors such as LAIR-1 and integrins, modulating Natural Killer cell activity and reducing cytotoxicity, which promotes an immunologically tolerant environment.
Collagen in Pregnancy-Related Pathologies
Collagen is also essential for vascular remodeling and angiogenesis, processes that ensure proper blood flow to the placenta. It is directly involved in the formation and remodeling of the uterine spiral arteries that nourish the fetus.
Shi and colleagues in 2020 reviewed pathological conditions in pregnancy and collagen involvement. In cases of recurrent miscarriage, women showed reduced expression of type IV and type V collagen in the endometrium and decidua, impairing maternal-fetal immune tolerance and the stability of the implantation site, which are crucial for maintaining pregnancy.
In gestational diabetes, hyperglycemia promotes excessive accumulation of type I and type V collagen in the decidua along with reduced expression of type III collagen. This imbalance directly affects uterine tissue adaptation and the decidualization process, which transforms the endometrium into decidua, a specialized tissue that supports and nourishes the developing embryo, impacting uterine adaptation during pregnancy.
In pre-eclampsia, collagen type I and IV accumulation is associated with reduced activity of metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9. This can lead to placental fibrosis, ischemia, and failed remodeling of spiral arteries, compromising proper blood flow to the placenta and fetal development.
The balance between collagen synthesis, organization, and degradation at the maternal-fetal interface is fundamental for a healthy pregnancy. Alterations in this balance are linked to complications such as miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, and premature membrane rupture.
Breastfeeding and Collagen
During postpartum and lactation, the maternal body remains in a state of high metabolic and structural demand to support milk production, tissue recovery, and the maintenance of bone and joint health. Transient loss of bone mineral density during lactation is documented and associated with calcium mobilization for milk production. The bone matrix, primarily composed of type I collagen, provides essential structural support for the deposition of calcium and other minerals. Maintaining the integrity of this matrix is crucial for bone health, especially during and after lactation.
Although most studies focus on calcium and vitamin D, emerging research highlights that the organic bone matrix, particularly type I collagen, is equally essential for bone strength and joint integrity, especially in women.
Individualized Assessment of Collagen Supplementation During Pregnancy and Lactation
Despite the established benefits of collagen supplementation for osteoarticular health, connective tissue integrity, and structural support, there are still limitations in scientific literature regarding studies specifically involving pregnant and lactating women. Most evidence is based on studies with healthy adults, athletes, or women in climacteric and postmenopausal phases, with few clinical trials focused exclusively on pregnancy and postpartum.
For this reason, monitoring by qualified health professionals such as nutritionists and doctors is essential. They can assess individual needs, physiological conditions, and safely tailor supplementation, considering synergy with other key nutrients such as vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium, particularly for women during pregnancy and lactation.
Choosing the Right Supplement
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, when the safety of what is consumed affects both maternal and infant health, it is essential to prioritize supplements from companies with scientific rigor, origin control, and complete traceability.
Developed with exclusive Peptide Profile Tailoring technology, Genu-in® offers highly standardized peptide profiles, ensuring high bioavailability, purity, efficacy, and predictable results. Its production process prioritizes transparency, traceability from raw material to final product, and strict quality control with scientific backing. This is crucial during high-demand physiological phases such as pregnancy and lactation, where nutritional support must be carefully adjusted.
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Sources
Foschera, Laura Rossetto, and Joana Grando Giareton. Prevalence and Management of Low Back Pain in Pregnancy A Literature Review. Revista de Ciências da Saúde REVIVA, Itapiranga, v. 3, n. 2, 2024. Available at: https://revistas.uceff.edu.br/reviva/article/view/833/721. Accessed June 30 2025
Shi JW, Lai ZZ, Yang HL, Yang SL, Wang CJ, Ao D, Ruan LY, Shen HH, Zhou WJ, Mei J, Fu Q, Li MQ. Collagen at the Maternal-Fetal Interface in Human Pregnancy. Int J Biol Sci. 2020 May 25;16(12):2220-2234. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.45586. PMID: 32549767; PMCID: PMC7294936
Staun-Ram, E, Shalev, E. Human Trophoblast Function During the Implantation Process. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 3 56 2005. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7827-3-56
Yamaguchi K, Nakayama J, Yamamoto T, Semba K, Shirota T, Yamamoto Y. Collagen Induction of Immune Cells in the Mammary Glands During Pregnancy. Physiol Genomics. 2024 Feb 1;56(2):128-135. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00098.2023. Epub 2023 Nov 13. PMID: 37955336; PMCID: PMC11281812
Salari N, Mohammadi A, Hemmati M, et al. The Global Prevalence of Low Back Pain in Pregnancy A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 23 830 2023. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-06151-x
König D, Oesser S, Scharla S, Zdzieblik D, Gollhofer A. Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women A Randomized Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2018 Jan 16;10(1):97. doi: 10.3390/nu10010097. PMID: 29337906; PMCID: PMC5793325
