Abstract / Summary
Constipation-related symptoms are common during pregnancy and may be influenced by hormonal, mechanical, dietary, and metabolic factors. Although magnesium contributes to neuromuscular function and intestinal motility, evidence regarding the relationship between serum magnesium levels and constipation-related symptoms during pregnancy remains limited. This study aimed to examine this association in pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2024 and March 2025 at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic of a research and training hospital in Central Anatolia, Türkiye. It included 306 pregnant women aged 18–35 years. Self-reported constipation-related symptoms were assessed through face-to-face interviews using a researcher-developed questionnaire. Serum magnesium and other biochemical parameters were obtained from routine venous blood analyses. Data were analyzed using the independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis. Of the 306 participants, 153 (50.0%) reported constipation. Serum magnesium levels did not differ significantly across the assessed constipation-related symptoms or symptom-frequency categories (all p > 0.05). Fasting blood glucose levels differed across the usual defecation-frequency categories ( p = 0.031). In exploratory analyses, pre-pregnancy BMI was weakly negatively correlated with HDL and weakly positively correlated with LDL. Gestational weight gain was positively correlated with total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL (all p < 0.001). Serum magnesium levels were not significantly associated with self-reported constipation-related symptoms in pregnant women. The glucose and lipid findings were secondary exploratory results and should not be interpreted as causal. Prospective studies using validated constipation assessment tools and multivariable analyses are needed.