Metabolic changes, hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and oxidative stress after short-term starvation in healthy pregnant women.

Aim: To compare metabolic effects and oxidative stress in pregnant and non-pregnant women after 12 h of fasting.

Methods: Twenty-six healthy women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies between the 24(th) and 28(th) gestational week were recruited. After an overnight fast, venous blood samples and urine samples were tested for metabolic parameters characteristic for starvation, cortisol and oxidative stress products.