Article ID: HRP2025-001
Introduction: Recently, pregnancy and lactation-related osteoporosis has been the focus of research because age at delivery has been increasing in developed countries and osteoporosis reduce a mother's quality of life. This study aimed to investigate bone mineral density (BMD) in women at delivery and one-month postpartum using radiofrequency echographic multi-spectrometry (REMS) and to determine the clinical factors affecting BMD.
Materials and methods: Seventeen women with singleton term pregnancies who cared at Keio University Hospital between November 1 and December 31, 2022, were included. We measured the estimated BMD (eBMD) of the right femoral neck using REMS at delivery and one-month postpartum. We evaluated the association between eBMD and maternal clinical characteristics.
Results: Postpartum eBMD (0.68±0.06 g/cm2) was significantly higher than antepartum eBMD (0.66±0.06 g/cm2) (P=0.02). There was a positive correlation between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and antepartum eBMD (ρ=0.85, P<0.01). Antepartum and postpartum eBMDs were significantly lower in multiparous women than in nulliparous women (both P=0.04). Calcium intake and breastfeeding did not affect postpartum eBMD.
Conclusion: eBMD increases at the one month postpartum compared to that at delivery. Pre-pregnancy BMI is crucial for maintaining BMD during pregnancy and lactation, emphasizing the importance of pre-conception care.
