Nutritional assessment of the pregnant woman

To ensure adequate nutritional status during pregnancy, healthy mothers should visit the nutrition specialist at least once per trimester; in case there are some clinical reasons that justify it, other consultations can be scheduled.

In each of these visits, the specialist, through different methods, investigates the nutritional status of patients and outlines strategies to reaffirm or correct aspects of the diet that contribute to the proper development of pregnancy.

One of the most influential changes in the general condition of women during pregnancy is weight gain, causing fatigue, difficulty walking and breathing; for this reason, it is important to ensure sufficient nutrient intake levels, avoiding excessive weight gain.

Clinical and dietary history to be taken into account by the nutrition specialist when taking the history of the pregnant woman.

• The age and socioeconomic situation in which she lives.
• The number of pregnancies, their results and the intervals between them.
• Congenital diseases or malformations.
• Allergies or intolerances that prevent you from consuming any food group or specific food.
• History of diseases, which motivate the consumption of drugs habitually or sporadically.
• Consumption of toxic substances, such as alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
• Practice of dietary regimes for aesthetics or sports training that require it.
• Pre-pregnancy administration of vitamin supplements or any other type of food supplement.
• Possible nutritional disorders, characterized by the abnormal need to consume non-food substances.

Ways to determine the nutritional status of pregnant women

Dietary surveys:

• Dietary surveys, constitute a quick and practical method, which allows obtaining information on the nutrient intake of the pregnant woman. The data obtained on food composition can be compared with the recommended intakes and nutritional objectives for each specific period of pregnancy.

• Surveys of pregnant women are usually carried out by means of questionnaires, which are available in the nutrition office, in which all the food eaten during a week, five or three consecutive days, including a holiday, should be detailed.

• With the data obtained from the survey, on the quantities, qualities and distribution of food during the day, it can be determined, if the usual diet of the pregnant woman, covers the nutritional requirements for gestation, being a complete, balanced and sufficient diet, or if on the contrary, the diet is deficient, of any of the essential components, for the health of the mother and the fetus.

Physical examination:

• The physical examination allows the specialist to recognize clinical signs in certain organs or areas of the body, which could be manifestations of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Deficiencies detected at the beginning of pregnancy would cause fewer disorders than those discovered in later stages.

• The specialist should carry out an ocular inspection of the hair, gums, lips with cracks, soft or brittle nails, stained or scaly skin and an endless number of data, which allow him to discover possible deficiency states.

Biochemical analyses: These are based on the study of different biological samples, used to evaluate nutritional status. They are characterized by a high degree of objectivity, due to the rigorous quality control required in each laboratory. Among the most commonly used biochemical tests are the following:

• Total proteins.

• Blood albumin.

• Total cholesterol.

• Glucose in blood and urine.

• Blood urea nitrogen level.

With the analysis and monitoring of these parameters, during the different stages of pregnancy, the specialist can know the physiological state in which the pregnant woman is, to continue the good development of the pregnancy.