In the UK alone, 25,000 pregnant women are affected by Pre-eclampsia every year. It is so common - with symptoms including high blood pressure and the presence of protein in urine - that it is tested for at every regular ante-natal check a pregnant woman has.
If it is noticed, it can be treated safely, but unnoticed, it can cause serious or even fatal damage to the baby and mother.
Tommy's, the Baby Charity which is set up to promote better understanding of health and care during pregnancy, have published some interesting results which support the use of calcium supplementation during pregnancy.
The study found that if an expectant mother included at least 1g of calcium supplement in her daily diet, the risk of developing pre-eclampsia was reduced by over 50 per cent. The risk of death was reduced by 20 per cent and the risk of developing high blood pressure was reduced by 30 per cent.
For more about the research and the work of the charity, go to Tommy's website.
