Calcium metabolism in African primigravids.

Serum calcium inorganic phosphorus, protein and alkaline phosphatase as well as urine calcium were studied in fifty-five primigravid Nigerian women during pregnancy and postnatal period. Each patient was seen at the various stages of pregnancy and thus acted as her own control. Serum calcium levels fell with progressing pregnancy. Urine calcium showed a highly significant decrease throughout pregnancy and in the puerperium. Alkaline phosphatase showed a continuous rise with advancing gestation which was statistically highly significant, with a return towards normal values in the postnatal period. Serum inorganic phosphorus showed no significant alteration right through the pregnancy period. The normoproteinaemia seen in the group studied suggests that albumin did not make any contribution to the fall in the serum calcium levels seen during the study.