Determination of Maternal Serum Zinc, Iron, Calcium and Magnesium During Pregnancy in Pregnant Women and Umbilical Cord Blood and their Association with Outcome of Pregnancy

Abstract

Background:Trace elements and specially minerals are critical for the development of fetus. Many minerals are transferred to the fetus for fetal stores in the latter part of the pregnancy. It has been shown that various trace elements such as Zinc, Iron, Calcium and Magnesium are metabolically interrelated and there is alteration in their concentration during pregnancy. Beyond pregnancy is associated with increased demand of all the nutrients and deficiency of any of these could affect pregnancy, delivery and outcome of pregnancy.Aim:To study the levels of trace elements namely zinc, iron, magnesium and calcium in maternal and umbilical cord blood and their association with pregnancy outcome.Methods:Sixty pregnant women in Zabol, Iran were selected from those who had registered their names for the prenatal care and who had followed up till the 3rd trimester of pregnancy ending in child birth. Biochemical parameters analyzed with help of the biochemical laboratory. Data were analyzed by SPSS software.Results:The mean biochemical profile such, serum calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron in the pregnant women were as follow: in the 1st trimester 8.3, 1.9, 74.9 and 74.4 µg/dl respectively; in the 2nd trimester 8.5, 1.9, 73.1 and 79.3 µg/dl, respectively; in the 3rd trimester 8.6, 1.9, 68.4, and 82.2 µg/dl, respectively. In the umbilical cord blood, the mean serum calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron were 8.5, 1.9, 84.1, and 89.8 µg/dl, respectively. The mean serum calcium and magnesium during the three trimesters of pregnancy were not significantly different from that in the umbilical cord blood, while the mean serum zinc and iron in the umbilical cord blood were significantly different (p<0.05) in the three trimester of pregnancy. The mean birth weight of neonates was 3.1 kg and 12% of neonates showed low birth weight. Our findings showed that, except magnesium, the profile of other biochemical variables, namely, calcium, zinc and iron in the umbilical cord blood of the neonates with normal birth weight (NBW) were significantly higher than in the umbilical cord blood of neonates with low birth weight (LBW).Conclusion:The results suggest that maternal serum zinc, iron and calcium concentration influenced the birth weight of neonates as outcome of pregnancy, and however, there is need for proper, adequate and balanced micronutrient during pregnancy to affect neonates as healthy outcome.

Serum Levels of Zinc, Magnesium and Selenium among First Trimester Pregnant Saudi Women with Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes

“…Previous studies on dietary and supplemental zinc showed a potential protective effect on type 2 diabetes [30].…”

“…It has been shown that various trace elements such as Ca, P, Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe, etc. are metabolically interrelated, and there is an alteration in their concentration during pregnancy [24].…”

Selected trace elements concentrations in pregnancy and their possible role — literature review

“…Most of the currently available data suggests a positive correlation between the concentration of iron in the maternal serum and the birth weight of neonates (Table 2) [6,7]. According to Wang et al, the impact of iron supplementation in pregnancy on the birth weight of the child depends on the concentration of hemoglobin in maternal blood before pregnancy [9].…”

“…Iron deficiency can result in abnormalities in brain development and cogni- 74.4 ± 12.1 [7] 63.5 ± 15.2 [1] 79.3 ± 8.6 [7] 70.1 ± 14.4 [1] 82.2 ± 10.2 [7] Zn 79.5 ± 15 [1] 74.9 ± 9.1 [7] 74.5 ± 16.1 [1] 73.1 ± 10.6 [7] 65.3 ± 14.9 [1] 68.4 ± 9.9 [7] Mn ---Cu 130.9 ± 43.5 [1] 172.0 ± 38.94 [1] 193.2 ± 28.5 [1] Se ---tive impairment later on in life. Tissue iron stores depletion can lead to cellular hypoxia, which could lead to the abnormal proliferation of blood vessels in order to compensate for the oxygen deficiency in the brain.…”

“…Iron plays a major role in many metabolic processes [6,7]. It participates in redox reactions, immune processes and DNA synthesis, as well as being a substrate in the synthesis of heme, the main component of hemoglobin.…”