Effect of long-term oral contraceptive therapy before pregnancy on maternal and fetal zinc and copper status.

Thirteen pregnant women who conceived within six months after terminating oral contraceptive agent therapy of at least three years' duration participated in this study. Nine pregnant women with no history of oral contraceptive agent use served as controls. At delivery, erythrocyte counts were reduced, and during the first trimester and at delivery mean corpuscular hemoglobin and volume values were increased and erythrocyte zinc values were reduced in the oral contraceptive agent group as compared with controls. These changes appeared to be subclinical in magnitude and oral contraceptive agents may have induced a macrocytic erythrocyte population. Because no changes in maternal plasma zinc and copper levels were observed and no hematologic, biochemical, or anthropometric differences were observed in neonates, long-term oral contraceptive agent usage appeared to have little or no effect on zinc and copper metabolism in a subsequent pregnancy.