Plasma albumin concentration during pregnancy?

• A. Increases
• B. Decreases
• C. No change
• D. Fluctuates

Answer: (B)

During pregnancy, plasma volume expands rapidly while red cell mass increases more slowly, producing a dilution effect. Albumin, produced by the liver, becomes more diluted in the larger plasma volume, so its concentration in plasma falls even though total albumin may stay the same or rise only slightly. This physiologic hemodilution is a normal adaptation of pregnancy.

So, the best answer is that plasma albumin concentration decreases. It’s not typically rising, remaining exactly the same, or fluctuating unpredictably; the dominant pattern is a gradual, dilutional decline as pregnancy progresses.