Evidence of an Association Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Preterm Birth and Preeclampsia: A Critical Review

AbstractVitamin D deficiency has been associated with adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes such as increased risk for preterm birth and preeclampsia. This state of the science review analyzed recently published meta ‐analyses and relevant studies that have evaluated the association between vitamin D deficiency and preeclampsia or preterm birth. The results suggest that a positive association between vitamin D deficiency and preterm birth exists. However, the findings of the relationship between vitamin D defi ciency and preeclampsia were inconclusive, possibly because of the need for supplementation to occur prior to placentation. This may be because of a lack of studies with ethnic minority populations, who are more likely to experience vitamin D deficiency, and inadequate supplementation doses used for treatment of vitamin D deficiency. Health care providers should screen pregnant women at risk for vitamin D deficiency and supplement women accordingly based on their vitamin D status. Lastly, well‐designed and standardized clinical trials need to include large cohorts of minority pregnant women to establish the impact of vitamin D supplementation on improving preterm birth and preeclampsia risk in pregnancy.

Source: Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health - August 13, 2019 Category: Midwifery Authors: Jennifer Woo, Carmen Giurgescu, Carol L. Wagner Tags: Review Source Type: research