Vivid green-gold extra virgin olive oil in a glass cruet beside fresh green olives and leaves on warm wood

Olive Oil in Pregnancy: Is It Safe, and What Does the Research Show?

By Yusuf Elsayed, Founder of Sidr & Stone · Last updated 10 June 2026

Olive oil in pregnancy is one of those questions that sounds simple and turns out to have several layers. Is it safe to cook with? Almost certainly yes. Does it do something useful, as the Mediterranean-diet headlines suggest? The research is more interesting here than people expect — and more limited. And then there are the folk uses, from rubbing it on a growing bump to old wives' tales about bringing on labour, which range from harmless to best avoided. This article walks through what the evidence actually says, what is reassuring, what is overstated, and what genuinely belongs in a conversation with your midwife or doctor rather than a blog.

For our own olive oil, see our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil.

The Short Answer

  • Olive oil eaten as a normal food — for cooking, dressing, and drizzling — is widely considered safe in pregnancy. It is simply a food fat.
  • The strongest evidence is about the whole Mediterranean diet, in which extra virgin olive oil is the main fat, not about olive oil taken on its own.
  • A 2019 UK randomised trial (ESTEEM) found a Mediterranean-style diet with olive oil and nuts was associated with a lower risk of gestational diabetes in women with metabolic risk factors.
  • Importantly, that same trial did not find a reduction in overall serious complications for mother or baby — the benefit was specific, not a cure-all.
  • Folk uses such as olive oil for stretch marks have weak evidence; using it to try to bring on labour is not supported and should be avoided.
  • Extra virgin olive oil — fresh, peppery, in dark glass — is the kind worth choosing if you want the compounds the research describes.
  • None of this is medical advice. Anything specific to your pregnancy — diet, supplements, symptoms — is a conversation for your midwife or doctor.

Is Olive Oil Safe to Eat in Pregnancy?

Let's take the most common worry first, because it is the easiest to settle. Olive oil used as an ordinary food — for frying, roasting, in dressings, drizzled over vegetables or bread — is generally regarded as safe during pregnancy. It is a plant oil with a long culinary history, eaten daily by millions of pregnant women across the Mediterranean for centuries.

There is nothing in normal culinary olive oil that pregnancy guidance flags as a hazard in the way it flags, say, unpasteurised cheese, high-mercury fish, or alcohol. It is not on the "avoid" lists for a reason: it is food. Used in the amounts you would actually cook with, it does not require any special caution.

Two sensible, non-dramatic points are worth making. First, olive oil is calorie-dense, as all fats are, so it counts towards overall energy intake — relevant only in the ordinary sense that diet matters in pregnancy, not as a warning. Second, if you are using it raw on bread or salad, the usual food-hygiene common sense applies to whatever you are eating it with, not to the oil itself.

The honest summary: as a food, in food amounts, olive oil is one of the more straightforward things in a pregnancy kitchen.

Rich green-gold olive oil drizzled over a bowl of fresh leafy salad and vegetables on a pale surface in soft light

What the Research Actually Shows: The Mediterranean Diet

This is where olive oil becomes genuinely interesting — and where it is easiest to overclaim, so it is worth being careful.

Most of the meaningful research is not about olive oil swallowed by the spoonful. It is about the Mediterranean diet as a whole pattern — a way of eating built around extra virgin olive oil as the principal fat, alongside vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and whole grains, with little red or processed meat and few sugary drinks. Olive oil is central to that pattern, but it is one part of it.

The standout study is the ESTEEM trial, a 2019 multicentre randomised controlled trial published in PLOS Medicine, run across several inner-city UK hospitals. It enrolled over 1,200 pregnant women with metabolic risk factors and asked half of them to follow a Mediterranean-style diet, supported with extra virgin olive oil and mixed nuts. The women following the diet had meaningfully lower odds of developing gestational diabetes — around a third lower — and gained somewhat less weight over the pregnancy. A separate Spanish trial, the St Carlos study, which specifically boosted extra virgin olive oil and pistachios, pointed in the same direction on gestational diabetes.

That is a real, well-conducted body of evidence, and it is encouraging. But two pieces of honesty have to travel with it.

First, ESTEEM did not find a reduction in overall serious complications for mothers and babies — the headline benefit was specific to gestational diabetes and weight gain, not a blanket improvement in every outcome. Second, this is a finding about a whole diet, not a property of olive oil alone. Nobody has shown that adding olive oil to an otherwise unchanged diet reproduces the effect. The oil is part of a pattern; the pattern is what was tested.

So the fair statement is this: olive oil is the central fat in a way of eating that has good evidence behind it in pregnancy, particularly around gestational diabetes risk in higher-risk women. It is not, on its own, a treatment or a guarantee — and any decision about managing a real risk like gestational diabetes belongs with your maternity team.

Mediterranean table spread with a dish of green-gold olive oil, vegetables, nuts, fish and whole grains in warm light

The Folk Uses: Stretch Marks, Constipation, and Labour

Beyond the kitchen, olive oil collects a lot of traditional pregnancy lore. Some of it is harmless, some of it is oversold, and at least one bit is worth actively avoiding.

Olive oil on the skin for stretch marks. Rubbing oil into a growing bump is a long tradition, and olive oil is a perfectly pleasant, moisturising emollient. The honest position is that the evidence for any oil actually preventing stretch marks is weak — stretch marks are largely down to genetics, skin type, and how the skin stretches, and no topical oil has been shown to reliably prevent them. Olive oil may help skin feel more comfortable and less itchy as it stretches, which is a real if modest benefit. Just do not expect it to stop stretch marks forming. (If you have sensitive skin, patch-test first; some people find olive oil too occlusive for the face.)

Olive oil for constipation. Constipation is genuinely common in pregnancy. Healthy fats, fibre, fluids, and movement all play a part in normal digestion, and a diet that includes olive oil sits comfortably within the general advice. Treat this as ordinary good eating rather than a remedy — and if constipation is persistent or uncomfortable, mention it to your midwife, who can advise on safe options.

Olive oil to "bring on labour." This one deserves a clear word. There is a strand of folk advice about taking oils to induce labour. There is no good evidence that olive oil induces labour, and deliberately trying to start labour at home — by any home method — is not something to attempt without medical guidance. If you are overdue or thinking about induction, that is a conversation for your maternity team, not a kitchen experiment.

Small dish of rich green-gold olive oil beside a soft folded cotton towel on a pale calm surface in gentle light

If You Are Going to Use Olive Oil, Choose a Good One

The compounds that make olive oil interesting — its polyphenols, including the much-discussed oleocanthal — are present only in genuine, fresh extra virgin olive oil. Refined oils, and those labelled simply "olive oil," "pure," or "light," have had most of that stripped out. If you are choosing oil partly for its nutritional qualities, the grade matters.

A few simple signals:

  • Extra virgin, with no qualifiers. Only extra virgin (and to a lesser extent virgin) oil carries meaningful polyphenols.
  • A genuine peppery, bitter taste. That throat-catch is the polyphenols. A bland, completely smooth oil is low in them.
  • A recent harvest date. Polyphenols decline as oil ages, so fresher is better.
  • Dark glass. Light degrades the oil; quality producers never use clear bottles.

For a fuller walkthrough, see our guide to choosing a quality olive oil, and our explainer on olive oil polyphenols if you want to understand what these compounds are.

Close-up of fresh vivid green-gold olive oil being poured into a small glass dish, catching the light, on pale stone

Why Sidr & Stone

Our olive oil is made around the factors that preserve the qualities this article has described. We are not going to make any health claim about pregnancy — that would be both wrong and against the spirit of an honest article. What we will say is that the oil is built to be a genuine, fresh extra virgin oil, and we are transparent about how.

  • Single-estate — one family-owned grove on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco; no blending across origins
  • Rain-fed — no irrigation; the mild natural water stress tends to concentrate polyphenols
  • Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides
  • Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — preserving flavour, aroma, and polyphenols
  • Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed, and it may show natural sediment, which is normal for a genuine unfiltered oil
  • Single harvest, small batch — intended to be enjoyed fresh during its first year
  • 100% natural — one ingredient, olive oil, nothing added
  • Dark glass with a gold label — protecting the oil from light
  • Halal certified, with 10% of profits given to charity
  • Fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US

We will not tell you Sidr & Stone is the best olive oil — that is exactly the kind of claim this article asks you to be wary of. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that the care shows in the taste, the colour, and the season's small batch.

Sidr & Stone 250ml olive oil bottle standing on warm wood beside a small olive sprig with green olives in soft light

Frequently Asked Questions

Is olive oil safe during pregnancy?

Used as an ordinary food — for cooking, dressing, and drizzling — olive oil is generally considered safe in pregnancy. It is a plant oil eaten daily across the Mediterranean, and it does not appear on the foods-to-avoid lists. As with any dietary question specific to your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor is the right person to confirm what is right for you.

Does olive oil have benefits in pregnancy?

The evidence is mainly about the Mediterranean diet as a whole, in which olive oil is the central fat. A 2019 UK trial found this pattern was associated with lower gestational diabetes risk in women with metabolic risk factors. That is a property of the overall diet, not proof that olive oil alone delivers the benefit.

Can I cook with olive oil while pregnant?

Yes. Extra virgin olive oil is one of the more heat-stable cooking oils, and cooking with it in pregnancy is no different from cooking with it at any other time. To get the most of its polyphenols, use some of it raw — in dressings or drizzled over finished food — since heat degrades them.

Is olive oil good for stretch marks in pregnancy?

Olive oil is a pleasant, moisturising oil that can make stretching skin feel more comfortable, but the evidence that any oil prevents stretch marks is weak. Stretch marks are largely down to genetics and skin type. Use it for comfort if you like it, but do not expect it to prevent marks forming.

Can olive oil bring on labour?

There is no good evidence that olive oil induces labour, and trying to start labour at home by any method is not advisable without medical guidance. If you are overdue or considering induction, speak to your maternity team rather than trying a home remedy.

What kind of olive oil is best in pregnancy?

If you are choosing partly for nutritional quality, a genuine, fresh extra virgin olive oil is the one worth having — peppery, in dark glass, with a recent harvest date. Refined, "pure," and "light" oils have had most of their beneficial compounds removed.

How much olive oil should I have in pregnancy?

There is no special pregnancy "dose" of olive oil, and we would not suggest one. In the research, it features as the main fat within an overall balanced, Mediterranean-style diet — typically a couple of tablespoons a day across cooking and dressings — not as a measured supplement. Your midwife can advise on your overall diet.

Is olive oil a medicine?

No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.

Final Thoughts

Olive oil in pregnancy is, refreshingly, mostly good news told honestly. As a food, it is safe and ordinary — one of the least complicated things in the kitchen at a time when a lot of food advice feels fraught. As part of the wider Mediterranean diet, it sits inside a genuinely well-evidenced way of eating, with real trial data pointing to a lower risk of gestational diabetes in higher-risk women.

The honesty lies in the edges. The diet's benefit is specific, not total. Olive oil is the central fat in that pattern, not a stand-alone remedy. The folk uses are mostly harmless and mildly helpful at best — and the one about inducing labour is best left alone. Above all, the important decisions in pregnancy belong with the people looking after you, not with an article.

What an article can usefully do is help you choose a good oil. If you are going to make olive oil a regular part of how you eat, a genuine, fresh extra virgin oil is the one worth having.

Our cold-pressed organic Marrakech olive oil — single-estate, rain-fed, organically grown, and cold-pressed within hours of harvest — is available now to pre-order ahead of its first harvest, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.

Sidr & Stone 250ml olive oil bottle on a pale stone surface beside a small dish of rich green-gold olive oil in warm light

Pre-Order Sidr & Stone Organic Marrakech Olive Oil — Limited First Harvest →

Disclaimer: This article explains what published research has investigated regarding olive oil and the Mediterranean diet in pregnancy at the time of writing; research findings and product specifications may change, and readers should check current sources. It is general information, not medical advice, and is not specific to your pregnancy. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical care. Always consult your midwife, doctor, or another qualified healthcare professional about diet, supplements, symptoms, or any decision relating to your pregnancy.

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