Survey Overview

A questionnaire survey on nutrition was conducted among 832 women in their twenties to forties who were currently pregnant or breastfeeding. This was the third survey, following those conducted in 2019 and 2024.

During the period of trying to conceive, improving dietary habits, taking supplements, and making adjustments to sexual activity were the main initiatives, with supplement use growing particularly among women in their twenties and thirties. While folic acid remains central, intake of multiple ingredients, including iron, vitamins, and lactic acid bacteria, is expanding. Interest in mothers' own health has also increased during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and supplements are being used widely throughout these periods.

Since 2019, five changes have been observed: greater emphasis on mothers' own health, the expansion of folic acid into everyday health maintenance use, demand for comprehensive intake of multiple nutrients in balance, nutrition conscious behavior beginning before pregnancy, and a style that combines meals with supplements. Nutritional needs during pregnancy and childbirth are suggested to be evolving from addressing specific periods and ingredients to comprehensive and flexible nutrition management that supports both mothers' and children's health in daily life.

Survey Overview

A questionnaire survey on nutrition was conducted among 832 women in their twenties to forties who were currently pregnant or breastfeeding. This was the third survey, following those conducted in 2019 and 2024.

In addition to nutrition related behavior prompted by pregnancy, this survey identified changes in medium to long term trends since 2019. During the period of trying to conceive, improving dietary habits, taking supplements, and making adjustments to sexual activity were the main initiatives, with supplement use growing particularly among women in their twenties and thirties. While folic acid remains central among the ingredients consumed, intake of multiple ingredients, including iron, vitamins, and lactic acid bacteria, is expanding. In addition, although there is a strong tendency to focus on children's nutrition after pregnancy, interest in mothers' own health has increased in recent years, and supplements are being used widely throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Five changes have been observed in perceptions of nutritional intake in the medium to long term trends since 2019. The first is a change in mothers' health awareness. In the past, the awareness of sacrificing oneself for one's child was central, but in recent years this has shifted toward the view that maintaining one's own health ultimately contributes to a child's healthy growth. There is also a growing tendency to emphasize improving the mother's physical condition in the reasons for taking supplements and in the expected benefits. The second is a change in the position of folic acid. Folic acid was previously recognized as a nutrient specific to pregnancy, but it is now expanding as an ingredient consumed routinely to maintain one's own health, not only during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The third is a change in how nutritional intake is considered. Whereas there was previously a strong tendency to supplement specific ingredients such as folic acid on a targeted basis, demand is now increasing for a comprehensive approach that enables balanced intake of multiple nutrients at once, including iron, vitamins, and minerals. The fourth is the earlier timing of nutritional intake. Rather than starting because of pregnancy, a lifestyle of being routinely mindful of nutrition and incorporating supplements before pregnancy is becoming more widespread. The fifth is a change in the way nutrition itself is consumed. A combined style in which meals form the basis and supplements make up for nutrients that tend to be insufficient has become common, and an approach to managing nutrition in a practical and efficient manner is becoming established.

These changes suggest that nutritional needs during pregnancy and childbirth are evolving from addressing specific periods and ingredients to comprehensive and flexible nutrition management that supports both mothers' and children's health in daily life.

This report examines changes in the awareness of physical and mental conditions and nutrition among women during pregnancy and breastfeeding, awareness of supplement use, the actual use of maternity supplements, views on future nutritional intake, and needs for nutrition support foods. It also analyzes the findings by age group and pregnancy stage, as well as across seven clusters: Career Mom, Stoic Mom, Modern Mom, Sensitive Mom, Value for Money Mom, Veteran Mom, and Standard Mom.

Main Survey Contents

• Changes in physical and mental conditions after pregnancy
• Current awareness of nutritional intake
• Ingredients specifically consumed
• Actual intake of health foods and supplements for pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Views on future nutritional intake

Survey Dates

February 26 to March 2, 2026

Survey Method

Web based questionnaire survey

Survey area: Nationwide

Target: 832 women in their twenties to forties who were currently pregnant or breastfeeding

(Selected from 30,000 women in their twenties to forties)

Report Format

A4 size, 137 pages

Publication Date

April 24, 2026

• ■Survey Overview
• ■Respondent Characteristics
• ■Preliminary Survey
• ■Main Survey

Analysis Section

• 1. Activities undertaken by women who wish to become pregnant
• 2. Difficult symptoms associated with pregnancy and childbirth
• 3. Changes in awareness of nutrition
• 4. Sources of nutrition related information
• 5. What is specifically used to obtain nutrition
• Supplement: Factors influencing supplement intake
• 6. Ingredients currently consumed
• 7. Actual intake of health foods and supplements for pregnancy and breastfeeding
• 8. Understanding of required nutrition and increasing awareness at each stage of pregnancy and childbirth
• 9. Products and ingredients that women during pregnancy and breastfeeding want to consume in the future
• 10-1. Changes since 2019 (1): From for children to for oneself
• 10-2. Changes since 2019 (2): The role of folic acid expands into everyday use
• 10-3. Changes since 2019 (3): From folic acid specialization to comprehensive nutrition
• 10-4. Changes since 2019 (4): Nutrition awareness becomes routine and begins earlier
• 10-5. Changes since 2019 (5): From meal centered to combined supplement use
• 10-6. Future direction interpreted from changes since 2019
• 11-1. Cluster characteristics (1)
• 11-2. Cluster characteristics (2)
• 11-3. Cluster characteristics (3)
• 12-1. Analysis by cluster: Career Mom Type
• 12-2. Analysis by cluster: Stoic Mom Type
• 12-3. Analysis by cluster: Modern Mom Type
• 12-4. Analysis by cluster: Sensitive Mom Type
• 12-5. Analysis by cluster: Value for Money Mom Type
• 12-6. Analysis by cluster: Veteran Mom Type
• 12-7. Analysis by cluster: Standard Mom Type

Tabulation Section

• 1. Period from wishing to become pregnant to becoming pregnant (SA)
• 2. Actions taken for pregnancy (MA)
• 3-1. Ingredients consciously consumed (MA)
• 3-2. Ingredient most consciously consumed (SA)
• 4. Own nutritional condition and nutritional intake (SA)
• 5-1. Difficult experiences after becoming pregnant (MA)
• 5-2. Most difficult experience after becoming pregnant (SA)
• 6-1. Awareness of one's own nutrition (SA)
• 6-2. Awareness of children's nutrition (SA)
• 7-1. Health foods and foods consumed with concern for one's own nutrition (MA)
• 7-2. Health foods and foods consumed with concern for children's nutrition (MA)
• 8-1. Ingredients consumed with concern for one's own nutrition (MA)
• 8-2. Ingredients consumed with concern for children's nutrition (MA)
• 9. Period of intake of ingredients currently consumed (SA)
• 10-1. Expected benefits of ingredients consumed (by attribute) (MA)
• 10-2. Expected benefits of ingredients consumed (by ingredient) (MA)
• 11-1. Views on obtaining nutrition from supplements to become pregnant (SA)
• 11-2. Views on obtaining nutrition from supplements during pregnancy and breastfeeding (SA)
• 12-1. Reasons for supporting supplement intake for pregnancy (MA)
• 12-2. Reasons for supporting supplement intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding (MA)
• 13. Knowledge about folic acid (SA)
• 14-1. Products known (MA)
• 14-2. Products ever consumed (MA)
• 14-3. Products currently consumed (MA)
• 14-4. Product mainly consumed currently (SA)
• 15-1. How products were learned about (by attribute) (MA)
• 15-2. How products were learned about (by product) (MA)
• 16-1. Reasons for purchasing products (by attribute) (MA)
• 16-2. Reasons for purchasing products (by product) (MA)
• 17. Period of product intake (SA)
• 18. Reasons for consuming products for trying to conceive, pregnancy, and breastfeeding (MA)
• 19-1. Points for selecting products for trying to conceive, pregnancy, and breastfeeding (MA)
• 19-2. Most important point for selecting products for trying to conceive, pregnancy, and breastfeeding (SA)
• 20. Timing of starting to consume relevant products (SA)
• 21. Attachment to companies and brands (SA)
• 22. Reasons attachment to companies and brands increased (MA)
• 23-1. Amount spent on products for trying to conceive (SA)
• 23-2. Amount spent on products for pregnancy and breastfeeding (SA)
• 24. Places where relevant products were purchased (MA)
• 25-1. Information sources while trying to conceive (MA)
• 25-2. Information sources during pregnancy (MA)
• 25-3. Information sources after childbirth (MA)
• 26. Views on nutritional intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding (SA)
• 27-1. Products wanted under normal conditions (MA)
• 27-2. Products wanted during morning sickness (MA)
• 27-3. Products wanted for snacks and between meal occasions (MA)
• 28. What is sought in supplements and health foods consumed during pregnancy and breastfeeding (MA)
• 29. Ingredients routinely consumed for oneself (MA)
• 30. Views on nutritional intake after the breastfeeding period (SA)
• 31. Ingredients wanted for oneself after the breastfeeding period (MA)
• 32. Whether the respondent wants another child (SA)
• 33. Awareness of how to consume nutrition when becoming pregnant with the next child (SA)
• 34-1. Ingredients wanted with awareness of one's own nutrition before pregnancy (MA)
• 34-2. Ingredients wanted with awareness of children's nutrition before pregnancy (MA)
• 34-3. Ingredients wanted with awareness of one's own nutrition during pregnancy (MA)
• 34-4. Ingredients wanted with awareness of children's nutrition during pregnancy (MA)
• 34-5. Ingredients wanted with awareness of one's own nutrition after childbirth (MA)
• 34-6. Ingredients wanted with awareness of children's nutrition after childbirth (MA)
• 35. Changes in values and behavior associated with pregnancy and childbirth (SA)
• 36. Awareness and views on child rearing (SA)
• 37. Desired future image for children (MA)
• 38-1. Physical problems immediately before pregnancy (MA)
• 38-2. Physical problems likely to adversely affect pregnancy (MA)
• 38-3. Physical problems believed to have hindered one's own pregnancy (MA)
• 39. Which child number is currently pregnant with or breastfeeding (SA)
• 40. Employment environment (SA)
• 41. Values and lifestyle (SA)