Effects of low vitamin D on pregnancy and neonate – review

Created January 2015

Maternal–Fetal Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency: A Critical Review

Maternal and Child Health Journal, January 2015, Volume 19, Issue 1, pp 94-101

Letícia Schwerz Weinert, Sandra Pinho Silveiro (Brazil)

Table of Contents

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Research into the extra-skeletal functions of vitamin D has been expanding in recent years. During pregnancy, maternal vitamin D status may be of concern because of the key role of this vitamin in fetal skeletal development and due to the association between hypovitaminosis D and adverse maternal–fetal outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this manuscript was to review the maternal–fetal impact of gestational vitamin D deficiency and the benefits of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy. A literature search was performed in PubMed and Embase employing the following keywords: vitamin D deficiency, pregnancy, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and hypovitaminosis D. All relevant articles in English language published since 1980 were analysed by the two authors.

Neonatal complications derived from vitamin D deficiency include

  • low birth weight,

  • growth restriction, and

  • respiratory tract infection.

In the mother, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with

  • altered glucose homeostasis and

  • increased incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus,

  • pre-eclampsia, and

  • bacterial vaginosis.

However, the current state of the evidence is controversial for some other endpoints and the actual benefit of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy remains unclear.

Additional longitudinal studies may clarify the actual impact of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, and randomised trials are required to define the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the incidence of adverse outcomes in the mother and infant.

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