A new study from the University of Granada has for the first time confirmed that low blood levels of copper and zinc in pregnant women may be a factor associated with spontaneous abortion.
The hypothesis had not been confirmed to date, and had never been proven in humans before.
Jesus Joaquin Hijona Elosegui, a researcher at the Department of Pharmacology of the University of Granada, and his colleagues looked at 265 pregnant women, of which 132 suffered a spontaneous miscarriage during that year. All study participants underwent an ultrasound examination, and were taken a blood sample for laboratory tests. The results proved the existence of differences in maternal plasma concentrations of copper and zinc. The finding suggests that maternal deficiency of one or both trace elements may be associated with the occurrence of spontaneous abortion, which opens new and interesting lines of research in this area so far unexplored.