Plasma copper and zinc levels were studied in 15 non-pregnant,176 normal pregnant, 19 pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and 7 eclamptic women in different trimesters of pregnancy and also in 89 pairs of cord and maternal blood samples. Plasma zinc levels showed a progressive decrease with copper levels showing an increase with increasing gestational age. Plasma copper and zinc levels were low in both PIH and eclampsia. While both maternal and cord plasma levels of copper showed a decrease, maternal plasma zinc levels showed an increase with increasing birth weight, with higher percentage of low birth weight (LBW) mothers having zinc levels below 50 μg/dl. The mechanism of high plasma zinc level in cord blood of LBW infants is not clearly understood.