Staying Current: Physiology of nutrient intake and absorption during pregnancy

Pregnancy requires substantial maternal adaptations and increased function of maternal systems including cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems, to provide nutrients and remove wastes from the conceptus. How the increased nutrient requirements for conceptus growth and increased maternal metabolic rate are met is less well understood than adaptations in some other systems, however. This Staying Current review will therefore provide an overview of nutrient requirements, adaptations in food intake and adaptations in nutrient absorption during pregnancy, to support teaching of these concepts to undergraduate and postgraduate biology, physiology and health science students.