Is Maternal Selenium Status Associated with Pregnancy Outcomes in Physiological and Complicated Pregnancy?

Selenium is essential for the synthesis and function of various selenoenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidases, selenoprotein P, and thioredoxin reductase. These enzymes play a critical role in both antioxidant defense and in limiting oxidative damage. Numerous studies have reported associations between serum selenium concentration, obstetric complications and pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the dietary intake of selenium, its serum concentration, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase in subsequent trimesters of pregnancy affect the birth condition of newborns. This was assessed based on the APGAR score in the 1st and 5th minute of life, birth weight, body length and head and chest circumference in both physiological and complicated pregnancy courses. Twenty-seven pregnant women, with a mean age of 29.6 ± 4.8 years from the Lower Silesia region of Poland, participated in the study. Fifty-five percent of the study group experienced pregnancy complications. The median reported selenium intake and serum selenium content for Polish pregnant women in the first trimester was 56.30 μg/day and 43.89 μg/L, respectively. These figures changed in the second trimester to 58.31 μg/day and 41.97 μg/L and in the third trimester to 55.60 μg/day and 41.90 μg/L. In the subgroup of pregnant women with a physiological pregnancy course, a weak, positive correlation was observed in the first trimester between Se intake and the length (R = 0.48,