CHANGES IN BODY-COMPOSITION AND EVALUATION OF THE NUTRITIONAL-STATUS DURING PREGNANCY

In 58 pregnant women without alimentary restrictions, aged 29 +/- 4.8 years, body composition was studied by the anthropometric fractionation ot the body mass method. Measures were obtained at 3, 8 and 9 months of pregnancy and at 10 and 30 days post-partum. Nutritional status was evaluated by the protein reserve (PR) and the caloric reserve (CR) and by its relation to the fetal weight (FW). Besides, the increase of body weight (% BW) at the end of pregnancy and the maternal height (MH) was related to the FW. The average increase of body weight was of 11 Kg, with an incease ot 1.32 Kg during the first trimester, 8.21 Kg during the second and 1.52 Kg during the third. Previous to delivery, the fat mass increased in 2.94 Kg and the muscular mass in 1.51 Kg. At 10 days post-partum real body weight decreses a 70.5 %, maintaining a fat overweight of 1.75 Kg at 30 days. The PR (n = 42; X 2.31 +/- 0.24) vs FW (n = 42; X 3.15 Kg +/- 0.4) showed an r = 0.35 p < 0.02, while the CR (n = 42; XBAR 2.06 +/- 0.63) vs FW showed an r = 0.03 pNS. The % BW (n = 42; X 20.95% +/- 8.9) vs FW showed an r = 0.38 p NS and the MH (n = 42; X(i)BAR 159.5 cm +/- 6.82) vs FW an r = 0.11 p NS. It is concluded that structural changes in pregnancy occur mainly during the second trimester returning to pre pregnancy values in aproximately 30 days post-partum. FW is independent of maternal CR and PR if their values are within normal limits or at least moderately abnormal.