How long does alkaline phosphatase stay elevated after pregnancy?

How long does alkaline phosphatase stay elevated after pregnancy?

Placental ALP appears 16th to 20th week of gestation. Then it keeps on increasing, two times the normal at the time of labor, and finally, disappears 3 to 6 days after the delivery (5).

An alkaline phosphatase (ALP) test measures the amount of ALP in your blood. ALP is an enzyme found in many parts of your body, mostly in the liver, bones, kidneys, and digestive system. It helps break down proteins in the body and exists in different forms, depending on where it originates (1,2).

Many conditions may affect ALP levels, so the test performs with other blood tests in a comprehensive metabolic panel. These other tests include a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) or liver function tests that check how well your liver is working (1).

Normal range

The normal range of ALP varies from person to person and depends on your age, blood type, gender, and whether you’re pregnant. One common reference range for a serum ALP level in healthy adults is 20 to 140 international units per liter (IU/L), but this can also vary from laboratory to laboratory (3).

The reference range is different for pregnant women and levels up to twice that upper limit can still be normal (because of ALP existence in the placenta) (3).

What do the results mean?

Higher-than-normal levels of ALP in your blood may show a health concern with your liver or bones. Your doctor may have you take another test, called an ALP isoenzyme test, to determine the origin of this increase (2).

ALP levels may also be higher in pregnant women and there is no cause for concern. But severe and abnormal increased alkaline phosphatase may be a potential marker for placental dysfunction, HELLP syndrome, intrahepatic cholestasis, and malignancy (4).

Lower-than-normal ALP can show a protein deficiency or Wilson’s disease. It may also signal malnutrition, pernicious anemia, thyroid disease, Wilson disease, or hypophosphatasia (2).

* You can enter your lab test results online and get a personalized interpretation, including your condition in each test, definition, reasons for increased or decreased results, dietary and lifestyle recommendations, potential treatments, drug interactions, etc.

References:

1. https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/alkaline-phosphatase/#:~:text=An%20alkaline%20phosphatase%20(ALP)%20test,%2C%20kidneys%2C%20and%20digestive%20system.
2. healthline.com/health/alp
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214911220300448?via%3Dihub
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18304940/
5. https://labpedia.net/alkaline-phosphatase-level-alp/#:~:text=This%20is%20usually%20seen%20in,6%20days%20after%20the%20delivery.