Measurement of Serum Calcium and Phosphorous Levels among Healthy Sudanese Pregnant Women

Abstract

Calcium and phosphorus are needed to protect and preserve women’s bones. When pregnant, calcium intake is especially important. As a fetus’s skeleton develops, it needs a great amount of calcium. The baby gets its vitamins and nutrients from its mother, especially during the third trimester. If a mother does not take in enough calcium from what she consumes, she can get health problems and increase the risk of poor bone health. Case control study performed in Khartoum state during period from june to September 2013. The aim of this study to compare serum calcium and phosphate levels between pregnant women in different stages of pregnancy and healthy non pregnant women . Sixty blood samples were collected from healthy Sudanese pregnant women and divided in to first, second and third trimester as test group and twenty from healthy non pregnant women as control group for the comparison , and two groups were matched age . serum calcium and phosphate were estimated by auto analyzer called A25 it`s fully automation, then data were analyzed by statistical (SPSS) computer software . The study observed significant reduction in serum calcium levels in first and second trimester and insignificant reduction in third trimester in test group when compared with mean of control (7.7+ 0.34 mg/dl) , (8.0+0.39mg/dl) and (9.7+0.27) versus (10.2+ 0.43 mg/dl) respectively , (p.value=0.03,0.04 and 0.06) . While no significant change in serum phosphate levels in tests group when compared with mean of control group (3.16 + 0.36mg/dl) ,(3.17+ 0.31)and (3.16+ 0.31) versus (3.05 + 0.23mg/dl) respectively ,(p. value =0.331,0.318,0.318 ) . Also this result showed significant weak negative correlation with calcium in first and second trimester and very weak negative correlation in trimester third of pregnancy (Pvalue = -0.47, -0.58 and -0.22) . and insignificant correlation between phosphate and the duration of pregnancy ( p.value = 0.00,0.00 and 0.00 ) . From this study concluded that pregnancy is associated with significant reduction in serum calcium level that correlates weakly negative with the duration of pregnancy and insignific- ant change of serum phosphate level during pregnancy and has insignificant correlation with the duration of pregnancy . and recommend from this study measurement of serum calcium should be done regularly during pregnancy and pregnant women should take diet rich with calcium or calcium supple- ment if needed to compensate increase demand of fetus.