It is often recommended to continue the use of prenatal vitamins during lactation.

Since prenatal vitamins do not include the total recommended daily amount of calcium, one must be aware of the need for additional supplementation of this important mineral References 1. Calcium Supplements for the Prevention of Colorectal Adenomas Baron, J.A., et al. N Engl J Med 1999; 340: 101-7. 2. Grau MV, Baron JA, Sandler RS, et al. Vitamin D, calcium supplementation, and colorectal adenomas : Results of a randomized trial. J Natl Cancer Inst 2003;23:1765-71. 3. McCullough ML, Robertson AS, Rodriguez C et al. Calcium, vitamin D, dairy products, and risk of colorectal cancer in the Cancer Preven See All Josie, this is outside ur OB-criteria but useful for the GYN population and the source is the NIH: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium/ Report 8:52pm I am trying to find the original source but it won't let me. Let me try the backdoor. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/news/calcium_intake_by_pregnant_women_reduces_offspring_ s_risk_of_high_blood_pressure.htm 1 attached file http://www.gfmer.ch/Endo/Course2003/Calcium_intake_during_pregnancy.htm After delivery, calcium absorption and urinary calcium excretion return to pre-pregnancy values. (7) No data showed that pregnancy causes a permanent negative effect on bone density. In fact, recent data show that human pregnancy and lactation are accompanied by physiological changes in calcium and bone metabolism that are sufficient to make calcium available for fetal growth See All 1 attached file Fetal Growth Maternal malnutrition has a major impact on fetal growth and birth weight, and hence on skeletal mass. Poor nutrition during pregnancy may reduce neonatal bone density as well as size. The question whether a low maternal intake of calcium can limit fetal growth or skeletal development in an otherwise healthy growing fetus has not been addressed. In an early study using radiographic densitometry, calcium supplementation of pregnant I See All Implications for the above programs: If the WHO calcium trial concludes that calcium supplementation reduces preeclampsia among women with low calcium intake and that their babies have a better fetal growth, public health policymakers may start health programs that will improve the calcium intake in pregnant women. These programs must take into account the lack of knowledge among populations about how deficient are their diets. So, if public hea See All http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14555265 1 attached file From above source: These results suggest that skeletal response to pregnancy may not be entirely independent of maternal calcium intake, especially in women with usually low calcium intake. In summary, not only hormonal changes in calcium metabolism that occur during pregnancy but

also other considerations, such as low dietary calcium intake, may lead to an increment in the biological activity of the skeleton. Additional studies must be conducte See All Aha, finally found it: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/7/15/ 1 attached file http://apps.who.int/rhl/pregnancy_childbirth/antenatal_care/nutrition/cd001059_penasrosaspj_co m/en/index.html 1 attached file This can be ur source of the CALCIUM BIOAVAILABILITY: This review authors conclude that calcium supplementation reduces the risk of hypertension and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. However, to determine whether this finding is applicable this to low- to middleincome countries several factors need to be considered. One issue is the bioavailability of calcium from supplements, which depends on whether the supplements are consumed with food, whethe See All Report 9:22pm POINT TO MAKE: While calcium supplementation during pregnancy will enable the mother to absorb more calcium, it is clear from clinical trials and observational studies that calcium supplements have little or no impact on the amount of bone lost during lactation. http://www.endotext.org/pregnancy/pregnancy3/pregnancy3.htm Report 9:29pm a better study: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937806001426 Randomized placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial in nulliparous normotensive women from populations with dietary calcium <600 mg/d. Women who were recruited before gestational week 20 received supplements (1.5 g calcium/d or placebo) throughout pregnancy. Primary outcomes were preeclampsia and preterm delivery; secondary outcomes focused on severe morbidity an See All Conclusion A 1.5-g calcium/day supplement did not prevent preeclampsia but did reduce its severity, maternal morbidity, and neonatal mortality, albeit these were secondary outcomes http://calciumtreatment.blogspot.com/2008/08/pregnant-women-with-calcium-deficiency.html 1 attached file http://www.faqs.org/abstracts/Health/Pregnancy-induced-hypertension-and-low-birth-weightthe-role-of-calcium.html 1 attached file http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595236/ 1 attached file The authors for the above: JULIE HERINGHAUSEN is a BSN student in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This paper was submitted as part of the requirements for her senior honors thesis. KRISTEN MONTGOMERY is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.