Authors
Lianshuai Zheng, Xiaolun Xu, Xueyuan Rong, Jian Luo, Guoqing Chen, Cheng Zhao
Published in
PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 10. Pages e0360813. Epub Oct 16, 2026.
Abstract
Pregnancy is accompanied by substantial physiological adaptations that may alter maternal micronutrient concentrations. A prospective longitudinal pregnancy-neonatal cohort of 51 healthy pregnant women was established at 6-8 weeks of gestation in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China, confirmed by fetal heart and bud on B-ultrasound. Pregnancy complications, outcomes, and neonatal health at day 42 were confirmed. Forty-three women who completed all assessments and had uncomplicated pregnancies with favorable maternal and neonatal outcomes were included in the final analysis. Whole-blood trace elements and serum vitamins were quantified during the first trimester (12.3 ± 0.9 weeks), second trimester (25.6 ± 1.2 weeks), and third trimester (32.7 ± 2.3 weeks) using ICP-MS and UHPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that copper, calcium, and vitamin D peaked in the second trimester, whereas iron, zinc, magnesium, and lead reached their nadir in the second trimester. Meanwhile, manganese and vitamins E and K increased progressively throughout gestation. In contrast, several B vitamins showed an overall downward trend, while vitamin B12 remained relatively stable. These findings demonstrate clear trimester-specific changes in maternal micronutrient levels during healthy pregnancy. Given the relatively small sample size, these longitudinal data provide preliminary evidence to inform the establishment of region-specific and trimester-specific reference intervals and deficiency thresholds for micronutrients in healthy pregnant women.
PMID:
42886660
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Oct 2026.
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