RRB Nsg. Superintendent-20 July 2019 (Shift-2)
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Easy
How much calcium is approximately required during pregnancy?
Appeared in: RRB Nsg. Superintendent-20 July 2019 (Shift-2)
Explanation
- The recommended daily dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium in pregnant women aged 19-50 years is 1000 mg.
- This requirement is the same as for non-pregnant women in the same age group, as confirmed by the Institute of Medicine and Williams Obstetrics.
- The maternal body adapts to the fetus's calcium needs by increasing the efficiency of intestinal calcium absorption, which makes a higher dietary intake unnecessary.
- Adequate calcium is crucial for the development of the fetal skeleton, and the mother's body can readily mobilize calcium from her own bones if dietary intake is insufficient.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: 1200 mg is higher than the current recommendation of 1000 mg for pregnant adults (19-50 years).
- Option C: 1500 mg is an excessive amount for routine daily calcium supplementation during pregnancy and is not supported by current guidelines.
- Option D: 1800 mg is a significantly excessive daily dose for a pregnant woman and increases the risk of adverse effects like constipation and kidney stones without providing additional benefits.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium during pregnancy as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Calcium is vital for the development of the fetal skeleton, heart, nerves, and muscles. Adequate intake helps prevent the mother's body from drawing calcium from her own bones, thus preserving her bone density.
- Nurses should educate pregnant patients on dietary sources of calcium (e.g., dairy products, fortified cereals, leafy greens) and the correct way to take supplements if prescribed.
- It is crucial to advise patients to separate calcium and iron supplements by at least two hours, as calcium can significantly inhibit iron absorption, potentially leading to or worsening anemia.
How to Approach the Question
- Identify the core of the question: It asks for a specific nutritional value, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium during pregnancy.
- Recognize this as a factual recall question based on established health guidelines.
- Access your knowledge of prenatal nutrition. Recall that for adult women (19-50 years), the calcium requirement does not increase during pregnancy due to enhanced absorption.
- The standard RDA for this group is 1000 mg per day.
- Compare this value to the given options. Option B matches the correct value.
- Eliminate the other options: 1200 mg is close but incorrect for adults (it's nearer the adolescent requirement), while 1500 mg and 1800 mg are excessively high.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium during pregnancy.
- Stem keywords: calcium, required, pregnancy
- Lead-in keywords: How much
Question ID
QdbyUq0uVmIczBQVMVJ7XQ
Reference Book
E6 Obstetrics Williams p. 80-94
E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 2 p. 1205-1207
Practise the full RRB Nsg. Superintendent-20 July 2019 (Shift-2)
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
More Diagnosis of Pregnancy Questions
- Dark purplish discoloration and congestion of vulva and vaginal mucus membrane is termed:
- Calculate the Expected date of delivery (EDD) using Naegele's rule, if a woman's first day of last menstrual period was February 11th, 2018.
- The bluish discoloration of the cervix, vagina that is observed as early as 6-8 weeks after conception is called:
- Which is the primary assessment done when patients BP fall during labor?
- Which rule is used to calculate the Gestational age of a pregnant lady?
- A pregnant woman should start the IFA tablets from?
- In a pregnant woman, the hegar's sign occurs at?
- What does "P2+1" signify?
- Pregnancy resulting from Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) calculate gestational age from:
- Calculate the EDD (Expected Delivery) of antenatal mothers whose LMP (Last Menstrual Period) is 10 June 2024.
More RRB Nsg. Superintendent-20 July 2019 (Shift-2) Questions
- The formula for calculating the crude death rate is
- What is pulse deficit?
- Channelling of a strong and socially unacceptable drive or urge into a form that is acceptable to society is called as
- What is the normal length of the neonate body?
- The proportion of clinical cases resulting in severe clinical manifestations is known as
- Enterotoxin food poisoning is mainly caused by
- What is the nurse-patient ratio for teaching hospitals?
- Which is the plasma proteins that constitutes about 40 to 60 % of total plasma proteins?
- The congenital absence of parasympathetic ganglionic nerve cells of the colon and rectum is called as
- What is choanal atresia?