Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms During Pregnancy

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms During Pregnancy

Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy

Vitamin D is known to play an important role in bone metabolism through regulation of calcium and phosphate equilibrium. Vitamin D is produced by the body during exposure to sunlight, but is also found in oily fish, eggs and fortified food products.

Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be common among pregnant women in some populations, and has been found to be associated with an increased risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, and other tissue-specific conditions.

Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy improves maternal vitamin D status and may reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia, low birthweight and preterm birth. However, the evidence currently available to directly assess the benefits and harms of the use of vitamin D supplementation alone in pregnancy for improving maternal and infant health outcomes is limited.

Pregnant women should be encouraged to receive adequate nutrition, which is best achieved through consumption of a healthy balanced diet.

WHO recommendations

Oral vitamin D supplementation is not recommended for all pregnant women to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.*

* This recommendation updates and does not alter the respective WHO recommendation on vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy found in the 2016 WHO ANC guideline.

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Additional information for this recommendation can be found in the guidance summary and in the guidelines, under 'WHO documents' below.

• Guidance summary

WHO Documents

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GRC-approved guidelines

• WHO antenatal care recommendations for a positive pregnancy experience
  Nutritional interventions update: vitamin D supplements during pregnancy
  Publication date: 2020
• WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience
  Publication date: 2016

• Process for developing nutrition guidelines at WHO

Evidence

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Systematic reviews used to develop the guidelines

• Vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy
  Palacios C, Kostiuk LK, Peña‐Rosas JP.
  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019; Issue 7. Art. No.: CD008873.
• Vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy
  De-Regil LM, Palacios C, Lombardo LK, Peña-Rosas JP.
  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016; Issue 1. Art. No.: CD008873.
• Summary of this review
• Podcast (Cochrane)

Related Cochrane reviews

• Vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy
  Palacios C, Kostiuk LK, Peña‐Rosas JP.
  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019; Issue 7. Art. No.: CD008873.
• Regimens of vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy
  Palacios C, Trak‐Fellermeier MA, Martinez RX, Lopez‐Perez L, Lips P, Salisi JA, John JC, Peña‐Rosas JP.
  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019; Issue 10. Art. No.: CD013446.

Related systematic reviews

• Effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
  Pérez-López FR, Pasupuleti V, Mezones-Holguin E, Benites-Zapata VA, Thota P, Deshpande A, Hernandez AV.
  Fertility and Sterility. 2015; 103(5):1278-88.e4.
• Vitamin D during pregnancy and maternal, neonatal and infant health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  Thorne-Lyman A, Fawzi WW.
  Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 2012; 26(s1):75–90.

Clinical trials

• Current and ongoing clinical trials relating to vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy

Cost-effectiveness

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Implementation of this intervention is not recommended

• More about this feature

Implementation

Implementation of this intervention is not recommended

• More about GINA

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms During Pregnancy

Source: https://www.who.int/elena/titles/vitamind_supp_pregnancy/en/

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