Maternal and fetal complications are more likely to occur in pregnant women with preexisting hypertension. Alterations in calcium metabolism, the renin angiotensin system, and intracellular free calcium concentration have been identified in this high risk population. The beneficial effects of calcium supplementation on blood pressure and the incidence of superimposed pre-eclampsia may be due to correction of the hormonal and cellular basis for vasoconstriction. The trial sought to prove that oral calcium lowered parathyroid hormone, reduced intracellular free calcium, and decreased vascular endothelin production, resulting in vasodilation and compensatory stimulation of the renin-angiotensin system.