Can You Take Shilajit While Pregnant? +FAQs

Last updated on August 25th, 2025 at 09:13 am

Shilajit has a long history in traditional medicine, yet its safety in pregnancy remains uncertain due to a lack of studies in pregnant women. Research is scarce, and even traditional texts tread carefully. What little evidence exists raises important questions and reasons for caution. 

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only. None of the information here should be taken as medical advice. Even if a remedy is classified as safe in Herbal Doula blog posts based on the existing evidence, that doesn’t mean it’s safe for you. The classifications in the database are just a general reference point. Follow your body, keep track of your response, and consult an herbalist, holistic practitioner, traditional midwife, or anyone else you feel may help you if you need expert advice. 

Is Shilajit OK to Take While Pregnant?

Shilajit Pregnancy Safety Summary

Based on the available data and its limitations, it may be safest to avoid shilajit in pregnancy altogether until more studies come out. 

If considering using shilajit during pregnancy, practice high levels of caution and use shilajit only occasionally or at low doses for specific health concerns under the guidance of a knowledgeable practitioner. 

However, due to the lack of research on shilajit during pregnancy and the potential risks, most healthcare professionals recommend avoiding it while pregnant. 

It’s safer to focus on getting enough essential nutrients from a well-balanced diet and possibly adding other safe herbal remedies or natural prenatal vitamins tailored to your individual health needs.

Be sure to access the full free monograph about Shilajit safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 

Limited Data About the Safety of Use in Pregnancy 

The data on shilajit safety during pregnancy is limited. Only sparse traditional medicine and scientific data about the safety of shilajit during pregnancy are available. Most published studies have focused on men and/or non-pregnant women, leaving shilajit safety in pregnant women unexplored. 

One case report mentions a serious syndrome in a woman pregnant with twins who used shilajit from the beginning of pregnancy for 6 months. Her symptoms resolved once she stopped taking shilajit (Stavropoulos et al., 2018). 

Shilajit was safe in studies with pregnant animals, but we don’t know how this might translate to human pregnancies (Ahmed et al., 2003; Idrees et al., 2016). 

Although shilajit is an important remedy in traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda, it’s not usually recommended during pregnancy. There are only a couple of Ayurvedic polyherbal formulations (like Chandraprabhavati) that contain shilajit in small amounts in addition to other herbs. Even these remedies are advised to be used in consultation with a practitioner. They’re usually prescribed for a short while to address specific complaints like UTIs in pregnancy. 

No other human data are available. 

In studies in the general population, shilajit is generally well-tolerated, but it may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, headaches, and allergic reactions. Shilajit may also affect blood flow and potentially lower blood pressure (Muhammad Ali et al., 2024). 

If you’re ready to go deeper, the Shilajit Pro Monograph© covers specific Ayurvedic and traditional medicine terms, polyherbal Ayurvedic remedies, uses, actions, and the details of heavy metal analyses that were omitted from the free monograph. It also provides a special chapter on using shilajit, including considerations for women and herbal alternatives. The free monograph you’re reading is 12 pages long, whereas you get 27 pages in the Pro Monograph©! Go beyond the surface-level understanding of shilajit and uncover its potential and limitations when working with pregnant and breastfeeding women—for the price of a coffee!

FAQs

Is Shilajit Safe To Take While Trying To Conceive?

Although several studies have suggested that shilajit may improve male and female fertility, it’s unclear whether it’s safe to take while trying to conceive (TTC) (Park & Han, 2003). Most studies are limited to animals, and sparse human data is available. 

The human studies that have been published mostly focused on men, suggesting that shilajit may increase sperm count in men with oligospermia, a condition that causes infertility due to low sperm count in the semen (Biswas et al., 2010). 

One of the biggest safety factors to consider while TTC is shilajit product quality and purity. Mycotoxins, poisonous metals (like thalium), and heavy metals (like cadmium, lead, mercury, and aluminum) can pose a great health risk in low-quality shilajit supplements. This is especially relevant during the preconception and conception window, as heavy metals can impair fertility and cause DNA damage and mutations (Carrasco-Gallardo et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2024). 

If you do decide to take shilajit while TTC, it would be best to consult your healthcare provider first and do your research to find high-quality shilajit supplements that provide certificates of analysis for heavy metals and other contaminants. 

What If I Took Shilajit During Early Pregnancy?

If you took shilajit while you still didn’t know you were pregnant, don’t panic. If you’re concerned, consult a healthcare provider. However, unless you used extremely high doses of low-quality shilajit, you likely have no reason to be concerned. 

Does Shilajit Contain Folic Acid?

Shilajit does not contain folic acid. No natural sources contain folic acid, as it’s a man-made synthetic version of natural folate or vitamin B6. Shilajit doesn’t contain folate either. Folate is found in dark leafy greens and some fruits (NIH). 

Shilajit is high in humic substances like humic and fulvic acid, which may enhance the absorption of nutrients. Shilajit also contains many minerals. Therefore, the active compounds in shilajit may increase the absorption of natural folate and provide other minerals, but it doesn’t contain folic acid or folate (Carrasco-Gallardo et al., 2012; Kamgar et al., 2023; Meena et al., 2010). 

Can I Take Shilajit During IVF Treatment?

It’s uncertain whether it’s safe or beneficial to take shilajit during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. No human data are available. 

In one Korean study on pig eggs (oocytes) done in the lab, shilajit improved in vitro sperm penetration. However, shilajit was applied directly to sperm during IVF (Yi et al., 2023). 

When applied to the sperm, shilajit had antioxidant effects and increased the activity of the spermatozoa and the number of intact, healthy sperm. In these IVF trials, the sperm treated with shilajit reached the oocytes more quickly and achieved a higher fertilization rate. The authors suggested that shilajit should be researched further for potentially helping improve fertilization rates in cases of subfertility and infertility during IVF (Yi et al., 2023). 

In another study in rabbits, shilajit was given either alone or with selenium and vitamin E. Shilajit has no negative effects on reproduction, and it increased implantation rates, fetal weight,  placental fluid, and the total weight of animals. Shilajit—both alone and with selenium and vitamin E—also increased progesterone levels in the animals (Idrees et al., 2016). 

The authors concluded that shilajit with selenium and vitamin E may boost fertility and conception, supporting female reproduction, but that human data are needed to test this. 

It’s uncertain how it may affect IVF success if taken by women or men participating in IVF, and whether human studies will show any benefits. Consult a healthcare practitioner if you’re considering using shilajit during IVF. 

Does Shilajit Increase Estrogen?

We don’t know if shilajit increases estrogen. Most human data comes from male participants, in whom shilaijt increased testosterone levels (Pandit et al., 2016). 

Studies suggest that shilajit supplementation slows the conversion of testosterone to estradiol by decreasing the activity of the aromatase enzyme in men or male animals (Rajpoot et al., 2024). This suggests that shilajit may reduce estrogen in men, but its effects on sex hormones in women may be different. More research in women is needed to evaluate this.