oa Vitamin D Status in Pregnant Women and their Babies in Qatar

Back ground and Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in pregnant women and the current guidelines for vitamin D intake during pregnancy of 200-400 IU has been challenged recently .We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women and to evaluate the safety weekly oral 50,000 IU vitamin D supplementation for the mother and the newborn.

Setting and design: prospective study, at Hamad Medical Corporation, outpatient unit and delivery room.

Patients and Methods: 97 pregnant women were recruited in their first trimester between December 2007 and March 2010. Weekly oral vitamin D 50,000 IU were prescribed after an initial testing for serum level of 25-hydroxyvitaminD, parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphorus, total protein and albumin. Other multivitamins supplementations were allowed during pregnancy. The same tests were repeated at each trimester. Umbilical cords Vitamin D levels were determined at birth. .

Results: Out of 97, 8 patients dropped out from the study for several reasons, and 19 patients had miscarriages.

Data were available for 97 women in the first trimester, 78 women in the second trimester and 61 women in the third trimester .The mean level of vitamin D in the first trimester and prior to starting vitamin D supplementation was 17.15ng/ml, 29.08 ng/ml in the second trimester, 27.3 ng/ml in third trimester and 22.36 ng/ml in newborns. There were no toxic levels of vitamin D in any of the women at second or third trimester or in the newborns. The mean levels of vitamin D in the second and third trimester were not significantly different in the women who were taking multivitamin supplementation versus those who were not.

Conclusion: Weekly dose of 50,000 vitamin D during pregnancy is safe in our population, maintains acceptable vitamin D level during pregnancy and the newborns' vitamin D level correlates with the mother's levels.