Effects of nutrition and other factors on pregnant women’s serum vitamin A levels

Abstract

The serum vitamin A and carotenoid concentrations of 133 women have been estimated during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The physiological pattern showed a decrease in the first trimester, which was followed by an increasing trend in both vitamin A and carotenoids as pregnancy advanced. Toward the end of pregnancy, vitamin A levels again decreased, but rose again after delivery, almost returning to nonpregnant levels by 6 weeks postpartum. The season of the year, multivitamin intake, maternal age, parity, social class, lactation, and fetal sex were found to affect vitamin A status. These findings are discussed in the light of present day nutritional standards in developed and underdeveloped countries.