Serum magnesium level among pregnant women in a rural community of Haryana State, India

Objective: Assessment of serum magnesium levels among pregnant women in a rural community. Design: A community-based cross-sectional study. Setting: Investigation was conducted in six villages of a rural block of District Faridabad, Haryana State, India. Subjects: In total, 283 pregnant women with pregnancy duration of 28 weeks and more were enrolled for the detailed study. Blood from the antecubital vein was drawn and serum magnesium levels were estimated by the atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. Results: In all, 44% of the pregnant women had serum levels less than the normal level (1.80 mg/dl). There was a significant decrease ( P = 0.01) in serum magnesium levels with the increase in parity. Conclusion: A high prevalence of magnesium deficiency was found among the pregnant women. Sponsorship: Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi.