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Review
. 2009 Mar;2(1):2-5.
doi: 10.1258/om.2008.080013. Epub 2009 Mar 1.

Calcium metabolism in pregnancy and lactation

C P White  1
Affiliations
Review

Calcium metabolism in pregnancy and lactation

C P White. Obstet Med. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Homeostatic adaptation to maternal calcium metabolism is a prerequisite for optimal delivery of sufficient calcium to the fetus and neonate during pregnancy and lactation, respectively. This article outlines the major adaptations known to occur and the physiological regulators likely to be principally involved. Importantly, different adaptive responses are used in pregnancy and lactation. The rarity of calcium disorders in pregnancy underscores the successful implementation of these adaptations in most women. For those few women with either pre-existing or pregnancy-acquired disorders of calcium metabolism, a knowledge of normal physiology is essential to understand the implications for managing these disorders in pregnant women.

Keywords: calcium metabolism; hyperparathyroidism; lactation; osteoporosis; pregnancy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Normal calcium metabolism and its major homeostatic regulators
Figure 2
Figure 2
Increasing 1,25-D3 levels in an effort to optimize placental calcium availability
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mammary synthesis of PTHrP production
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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