Assessment of Serum Levels of Magnesium and Manganese among Pregnant Women at Central Hospital, Agbor, South-South Nigeria

Pregnant women in developing countries have been reported to consume diets with low density of minerals and essential trace elements. Therefore, this study aims to assess the serum levels of magnesium and manganese and its trimester correlates among pregnant women in Ika community of Delta state, Nigeria. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the serum levels of magnesium and manganese among 64 apparently healthy pregnant and age matched 25 healthy non-pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at obstetrics and gynaecology unit of central hospital Agbor. The mean serum levels of manganese increased with increase in gestational age while hypomagnesaemia 12.24ug/dl was observed in 60 (93.8%) of the pregnant women with a larger preponderance in the second trimester There was significant difference between the serum level of manganese in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women (p<0.001). There were no statistical significance between the serum levels of these trace elements and occupation, nature of dietary intake, age of participants and trimester of pregnancy.We observed an increase in the mean serum levels of manganese with trimester progression while a high prevalence rate (93.8%) of magnesium deficiency among pregnant women was noted in this study. Maximal awareness (advocacy) should therefore be given to pregnant women on the need for adequate dietary intake and supplementation to avoid the complications associated with deficiency of this nutrient.