Abstract
BackgroundPregnancy is associated with significant changes in maternal cardiovascular system which regulates oxygen and nutrient supply to the growing foetus. Nitric oxide, a physiologic vascular smooth muscle relaxant regulates blood flow and therefore may play a role in the cardiovascular changes in pregnancy. The study aimed to determine the levels and changes in maternal serum nitric oxide levels during healthy pregnancy.MethodsA case-control study was conducted among 32 healthy non-pregnant women as controls and 100 healthy pregnant women (consisting of 33 first trimester, 37 s trimester, and 30 third trimester) as cases. Subjects were consecutively recruited into the study after obtaining an informed consent and meeting the inclusion criteria. Griess Reagent method was used to determine serum nitric oxide levels.ResultsThere were no statistically significant difference in the ages and parity of recruited cases and controls. Mean arterial blood pressures were significantly lower (p = 0.009) and serum nitric oxide levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in healthy pregnant women compared to healthy non-pregnant women. There was a non-significant progressive increase in serum nitric oxide levels during healthy normal pregnancy.ConclusionsThe finding of a significantly reduced blood pressures and a significant increase in serum nitric oxide levels in healthy pregnancy may suggest a role of nitric oxide in vascular adaptation in pregnancy.
Highlights
Pregnancy is associated with significant changes in maternal cardiovascular system which regulates oxygen and nutrient supply to the growing foetus
Nitric oxide has been implicated in other abnormal fetomaternal vascular adaptations such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus [16]
This study sought to find the serum nitric oxide levels among healthy pregnant women in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. This was a case-control study aimed at determining serum nitric oxide levels in women with healthy pregnancy using healthy non-pregnant women as controls at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
Summary
Pregnancy is associated with significant changes in maternal cardiovascular system which regulates oxygen and nutrient supply to the growing foetus. A physiologic vascular smooth muscle relaxant regulates blood flow and may play a role in the cardiovascular changes in pregnancy. Numerous changes in the cardiovascular system occur during normal pregnancy to reduce maternal vascular resistance thereby increasing maternal oxygen delivery which is necessary to meet the increased metabolic demand and higher oxygen consumption during pregnancy [1]. The mechanism underlying these changes is inconclusive. Nitric oxide has shown a beneficial effect in instances of abnormal vascular adaptation between the mother and the foetus, such as occurs in intrauterine growth retardation [15]. Some researchers have demonstrated that endothelial derived nitric oxide has a significant role in cardiovascular alterations in pregnancy [19]
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