Nestlé has introduced two new nutritional solutions, Materna Pre and Materna Nausea, designed to support female fertility and relieve some of the pregnancy-related symptoms that women may experience, such as nausea and vomiting.

The demand for solutions to support women’s health is growing, with the market expected to register high single-digit growth over the next three years. Critical gaps exist when it comes to addressing specific needs related to conception, digestive disorders during pregnancy, and postpartum recovery. For example, up to 70% of pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy or throughout their pregnancy. Women require specific nutrients to help them address these challenges. The launch of these new products aims to capture the opportunities in this promising and underserved market.

“Expanding our maternal health offerings is a strategic corporate priority,” said Serena Aboutboul , Senior Vice-President and Head of the Nutrition Business at Nestlé. “Expanding the Materna range with these two new products reflects our commitment to providing women with tailored, science-based nutrition products and supporting them before conception, during pregnancy and after birth. This will ultimately help improve health outcomes for mothers and their babies.”

Materna Pre is the first product launched based on the results of the first-of-its-kind NiPPeR study. It is a proprietary nutritional blend that has been shown to reduce the time to conception and improve the nutritional status of women when taken before conception. Other products will follow at a later stage.

The NiPPeR study, conducted in collaboration with the EpiGen Global Research Consortium, followed more than 1,700 women from preconception through pregnancy and postpartum to test the impact of a nutritional solution containing a blend of micronutrients, probiotics, and myo-inositol. The unique blend was found to reduce the risk of complications, such as preterm birth, when taken before and during pregnancy.

For her part, Isabelle Bureau-Franz , Head of Nutrition R&D at Nestlé, added: "We are excited to translate our cutting-edge science into these product innovations to support maternal health. In particular, the launch of Materna Pre is the result of more than a decade of scientific validation and this work is a great example of how a public-private partnership can lead to the innovation of breakthrough solutions designed to meet the specific health needs of women and their babies."

The new Materna Nausea, which contains natural ginger and vitamin B6, is scientifically proven to reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. The company will launch the new products in Latin America in 2025, with plans to expand to other regions and geographies at a later date. These products are part of the company’s Nutrition portfolio, which is dedicated to providing science-based nutritional solutions at every stage of life, including meeting maternal health needs throughout the entire maternity journey.