Vitamin B6 nutriture during pregnancy and lactation II. The effect of long-term use of oral contraceptives

Abstract

Vitamin B₆ nutriture was assessed during pregnancy and lactation to determine whether previous use of oral contraceptive agents (OCA) resulted in reduced reserves of the vitamin. Vitamin B₆ levels were measured in maternal serum and urine at 5 and 7 months gestation and at delivery, in cord serum and in milk at 3 and 14 days postpartum. Long-term use of OCA (>30 months) resulted in low levels of vitamin B₆ in maternal serum at 5 months gestation and at delivery and in milk compared with values for short-term (1 to 30 months) and nonusers of OCA. Levels of vitamin B₆ were also lower in the cord serum of long-term users of OCA as compared to nonusers.