The Biochemical Changes in Bone Profile during Pregnancy

Background: Metabolic processes directly affect the bone skeleton in the human body; especially during pregnancy in females. A bone profile obtained from a blood test can reveal the changes on it. Objectives: The present study aims to estimate the changes that occur in some bone components during pregnancy and whether these changes are physiological or pathological. Patients and methods: Blood samples were collected from 126 females who attend to Al-Hadbaa primary health care center and Al-Khansaa Hospital in Mosul city during the period from January to April 2008. These females classified into two main groups; Group-1 consists of 87 normal pregnant females which are subdivided to 3 subgroups according to their gestational age. Group-2 consists of 39 non-pregnant healthy females (control group). The biochemical parameters measured were: serum calcium, serum albumin, serum inorganic phosphorus (iP), serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and corrected serum calcium, and the measured data for these parameters were analyzed using different statistical methods. Results: The total serum calcium, inorganic phosphorus and serum albumin decreased in pregnant female compared to the control group, while alkaline phosphatase activity was elevated in pregnant females compared to the non-pregnant females. Conclusion: The increasing in ALP during pregnancy is accompanied by decreasing serum calcium in the 2 nd trimester and decreasing in iP in the 3 rd trimester that could be a pathological changes related to the bone.