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Cited by 13Body Composition Measurement TechniquesPregnancy and preeclampsia studiesElectrical and Bioimpedance Tomography

Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis (BIVA) for the monitoring of body composition in pregnancy

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Moroni, A., Vardè, C., Giustetto, A., Stagi, S., Marini, E., Micheletti Cremasco, M.·2022·European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
DOI 10.1038/s41430-021-00990-7
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Abstract

Background/objectives During pregnancy, body composition alterations can be considered as markers of complications and in this context, a non-invasive and low-cost method such as Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis (BIVA), can be employed to monitor such changes. This study aimed at identifying body compartments trend during physiological pregnancy. Subjects/methods Classic and specific BIVA variables have been measured in a sample of 37 pregnant women approximately every 4 weeks of gestation and once postpartum. Researchers used both longitudinal and cross-sectional approach. The first case included data of women from the 11th to the 15th week along with data from the 28th to the 32nd week of gestation. The cross-sectional approach regarded two more specific moments (11th-12th weeks and 30th-31st weeks) and data within two months postpartum RESULTS: The longitudinal approach showed a significant decrease in classic BIVA variables (R/H, Xc/H, Z/H p < 0.001) and a shortening of the vector, pointing out that TBW and hydration increased significantly. Specific vector length increased significantly, indicating a physiological gain of FM% (p < 0.01). The cross-sectional approach showed lower values of R/H, Xc/H, Z/H between 12th-13th and 30th-31st weeks (p < 0.01), while in the postpartum period values tended to those registered at the beginning of pregnancy. No changes have been found for the phase angle in both approaches, indicating that ECW/ICW ratio remained constant CONCLUSIONS: Among physiological pregnancies, bioelectric values showed a coherent trend and these results represent a first contribution to support routine exams, leading to an early detection of anomalous values potentially correlated to pathologies.

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  • BIA offers a non-invasive, safe, and highly reproducible method to estimate body fluid compartments and active tissue components.

    “Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) offers a non-invasive, safe, and highly reproducible method to estimate body fluid compartments and active tissue components [17-19].”

    From Trimester-Specific Bioelectrical Impedance Reference Curves in Physiological Pregnancy: Mapping Maternal Body Composition and Hydration Trajectories (2026) · cites this paper as [17]

    The Introduction (p. 4) calls BIA fast and reliable and says it is used to estimate body liquids. The Methods (p. 7) say BIVA vectors can indicate changes in cellular mass, and the Conclusions (p. 10) describe the approach as non-invasive. The paper does not establish that it is safe or highly reproducible, and it cautions in the Introduction (p. 4) that conventional BIA cannot quantify fat-free mass during pregnancy using standard hydration assumptions. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 21

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Authors
Moroni, A., Vardè, C., Giustetto, A., Stagi, S., Marini, E., & Micheletti Cremasco, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Turin (IT)
  • Ospedale Civile Edoardo Agnelli (IT)
  • University of Cagliari (IT)
ORCID
Venue
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-08-06
Volume
76
Issue
4
Pages
604-609
ISSN
  • 0954-3007 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-5640
DOI
10.1038/s41430-021-00990-7
OpenAlex
W3193141848
Cited by
13
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1
FWCI
1.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • UNICA IRIS Institutional Research Information System (University of Cagliari) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Electrical and Bioimpedance Tomography
Keywords
bioelectrical impedance vector analysis, body composition, pregnancy, total body water, extracellular water, intracellular water, fat mass, hydration, phase angle, postpartum period, physiological changes in pregnancy
MeSH terms
Body Composition, Female, Humans, Pregnancy, Electric Impedance

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