The Effect of Pregnancy on Gastric Secretion

Abstract

PREGNANCY is said to alleviate the symptoms of peptic ulcer, according to numerous clinical reports.1 2 3 4 5 The availability of an indirect measure of gastric secretion by the blood pepsin method6 , 7 offered an excellent opportunity for study of the effect of pregnancy on gastric secretion. Blood pepsin levels usually parallel gastric pepsin levels and are taken to be a reflection of gastric secretory activity. This study suggests that the alleviation of duodenal ulcer by pregnancy may be related more to diet and care than to the physiologic events.MethodTwenty-one pregnant women, from eighteen to forty-two years of age, were studied in . . .