Abstract
The association between vitamin D deficiency and various adverse pregnancy outcomes has been extensively investigated in recent years. The pregnant woman is the only source of vitamin D for the foetus. The main sources of vitamin D for pregnant women are sunlight, fortified dairy products, oily fish and dietary supplements. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with some adverse neonatal outcomes as well as an increased risk of late pregnancy complications. The outcomes of the published studies investigating preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus vary with some large trials suggesting a potential positive effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on the decreased risk of these complications. Research also suggests a possible connection between lower vitamin D concentrations and increased risk of preterm labour. In our manuscript, we aim to review the existing literature regarding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency, and possible pregnancy complications arising from it.
Highlights
The association between vitamin D deficiency and various adverse pregnancy outcomes has been extensively investigated in the past years
Another recent meta-analysis of 27 randomized controlled trials showed that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of preeclampsia by 57% and calcium supplementation could reduce the risk by 51% [73]
They found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with bacterial vaginosis in black women but not in Caucasians [85]
Summary
The association between vitamin D deficiency and various adverse pregnancy outcomes has been extensively investigated in the past years. It has been postulated that vitamin D deficiency could be associated with increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, caesarean section and bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy [1]. With the aim of reviewing the existing literature on this subject, the PubMed/Medline electronic database was searched for studies published in the English language up to May 2018. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database was searched for the keywords ‘vitamin D’, ‘gestational diabetes’, ‘preeclampsia’, ‘preterm labour’, ‘bacterial vaginosis’ and ‘caesarean section’. In our review we aimed to include observational studies, supplementation studies and meta-analyses dealing with the effect of vitamin D on the occurrence of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, preterm labour, bacterial vaginosis and caesarean section
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