This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Calcium supplementation (reduction of risk of preeclampsia)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • dietary supplementation with at least 1 g of calcium a day reduces the relative risk of pre-eclampsia - however there is no clear effect on the risk of stillbirth or the baby dying before discharge from hospital (9 trials, 6763 babies; relative risk 1.04, 95% confidence interval 0.65 to 1.66)
  • calcium supplementation effects seemed strongest for high risk women and those with low dietary calcium
    • data from the World Health Organization trial of women with low calcium intake support a modest reduction in the risk of pre-eclampsia associated with calcium supplementation rather than placebo (171/4151 v 186/4161; relative risk 0.91, 0.69 to 1.19)
      • relative reductions in risk also seen were:
        • severe gestational hypertension (relative risk 0.71, 0.61 to 0.82)
        • eclampsia (0.68, 0.48 to 0.97)
        • delivery before 32 weeks (0.82, 0.71 to 0.93)

A meta-analysis of 14 trials involving 2459 women was undertaken (2). This evaluated the effect of calcium supplementation during pregnancy on blood pressure and preeclampsia. The pooled analysis of all studies revealed a reduction in systolic BP of -5.40 mmHg and in diastolic BP of -3.44 mmHg. There was a reduction in the incidence of hypertension and preeclampsia in women who had undertaken calcium supplementation.

A systematic review concluded that calcium supplementation during pregnancy reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia by about half (3)

  • the greatest benefit occurs in women at high risk and those with low dietary calcium intake

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.