Caesarean birth much more likely if low Vitamin D - many studies

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C-section 3.8 X more likely when vitamin D less than 15 ng - 2009

Association between vitamin D deficiency and primary cesarean section.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar;94(3):940-5
Merewood A, Mehta SD, Chen TC, Bauchner H, Holick MF.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, Boston University School of Medicine, and Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.

BACKGROUND: At the turn of the 20th century, women commonly died in childbirth due to rachitic pelvis. Although rickets virtually disappeared with the discovery of the hormone vitamin D, recent reports suggest vitamin D deficiency is widespread in industrialized nations. Poor muscular performance is an established symptom of vitamin D deficiency. The current U.S. cesarean birth rate is at an all-time high of 30.2%. We analyzed the relationship between maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D] status, and prevalence of primary cesarean section.

METHODS: Between 2005 and 2007, we measured maternal and infant serum 25(OH)D at birth and abstracted demographic and medical data from the maternal medical record at an urban teaching hospital (Boston, MA) with 2500 births per year. We enrolled 253 women, of whom 43 (17%) had a primary cesarean.

RESULTS: There was an inverse association with having a cesarean section and serum 25(OH)D levels. We found that 28% of women with serum 25(OH)D less than 37.5 nmol/liter had a cesarean section, compared with only 14% of women with 25(OH)D 37.5nmol/liter or greater (P = 0.012). In multivariable logistic regression analysis controlling for race, age, education level, insurance status, and alcohol use, women with 25(OH)D less than 37.5 nmol/liter were almost 4 times as likely to have a cesarean than women with 25(OH)D 37.5 nmol/liter or greater (adjusted odds ratio 3.84; 95% confidence interval 1.71 to 8.62).

CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased odds of primary cesarean section PMID: 19106272

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539 citations of the study as of March 2025

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• Primary Cesarean delivery and future risk of maternal autoimmune disease: A population-based cohort study https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2025.103370 1.3X increased resk of MS after C-Section

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MSNBC : 1/3 of births in Asia, L.A., and US are now caesarean, 1/2 in China

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13+ VitaminDWiki Pregnancy pages have CAESAREAN etc in the title

This list is automatically updated

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Major health problems with C-sections - for both mother and infant - March 2025

Mercola, MidWestern Doctor

• 5% increased post-surgical infections
• Respiratory distress syndrome in 50% of very early C-sections,   C-sections increased hay fever by 37% and asthma by 24%
• 20% more likely to develop laryngitis, asthma, gastroenteritis, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, and juvenile arthritis

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See also web

• The unnecesarean.com number of cesarean sections increased by 71% from 1996 to 2007
• 8 in 10 births at private hospitals in Iraq are C-sections MSNBC 8/2011
• UnneCesareans: Documented Causes of a Disturbing Trend Green Med info Dec 2012
  Brazil: 97.8% in private hospital vs. 47% in public hospital
• UNITED STATES MATERNITY CARE FACTS AND FIGURES
  notice how C-section varies with mothers-to-be staying out of the sun: 23% in Alaska, 40% in Louisiana, 47% in Puerto Rico
  Six of the ten most common hospital procedures in 2009 were maternity-related

• AVERAGE U.S. FACILITY CHARGES FOR GIVING BIRTH has the following chart

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