Vitamin D deficiency and depressive symptoms in pregnancy are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.
J Behav Med. 2018 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s10865-018-9924-9. [Epub ahead of print]
- Dark skin pregnancies and Vitamin D - many studies
- Depression in pregnant blacks strongly associated to vitamin D levels – Nov 2012
- Pregnant blacks 50 pcnt more likely to be depressed if 3 ng less vitamin D – July 2012
The articles in Pregnancy AND Depression are here:
- Post-partum depression and low Vitamin D - many studies
- Postpartum depression 3.6 X higher risk if low vitamin D – Jan 2022
- ADHD 3.7 X higher risk if depressed pregnancy (low vitamin D) – Dec 2020
- Depression after childbirth 5 X less likely if good Omega-3 index – April 2019
- Postpartum Depression 3.3 X more likely if low vitamin D – Oct 2018
- Vitamin D prevents pregnancy depression (US Prevention Task Force say it cannot be prevented) - Feb 2019
- Depressed black pregnant women should take vitamin D – April 2018
- Magnesium in Healthcare (Rickets, Stones, Pregnancy, Depression, etc.) with level of evidence – Sept 2017
- Perinatal depression decreased 40 percent with just a few weeks of 2,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT Aug 2016
- MAGNESIUM IN MAN - IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH AND DISEASE – review 2015
- Depression in youths associated with low vitamin D during pregnancy – Oct 2014
- Postpartum depression 7X more likely if less than 10 ng of vitamin D – Sept 2014
- Depression after pregnancy and vitamin D – Nov 2013
- Depression and Vitamin D during Pregnancy – Dissertation Aug 2014
- Depression during pregnancy twice as likely if consume little vitamin D – July 2014
- Antidepressants might increase infertility and pregnancy problems – Nov 2012
- Association between season of birth and suicide – perhaps vitamin D – Sept 2012
- Depression 50 percent more likely if low vitamin D in early pregnancy – Aug 2012
- Pregnant blacks 50 pcnt more likely to be depressed if 3 ng less vitamin D – July 2012
- Depressed mothers more likely to have small babies – Aug 2010
- An Exploratory Study of Postpartum Depression and Vitamin D - May 2010
- New York Times on Postpartum depression June 2014, No mention of Vitamin D
- Antenatal depression: Everything you need to know about depression during pregnancy July 2015, Vitamin D "is a proven mood booster"
Accortt EE1, Lamb A2, Mirocha J3, Hobel CJ4.
- 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Eynav.accortt@cshs.org.
- 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- 3 Cedars-Sinai Biostatistics Core, Research Institute, Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Calvin.Hobel@cshs.org.
Prenatal vitamin D deficiency and prenatal depression are both separately associated with adverse perinatal outcomes; however, to our knowledge no studies have investigated the effects of having both risk factors. Our objective was to determine to what extent vitamin D deficiency predicts adverse perinatal outcomes and whether elevated depressive symptoms in pregnancy places women at additional increased risk. This study was a secondary data analysis of prospective data collected from a cohort of pregnant women (N = 101) in an obstetric clinic of a large medical center. Maternal vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D ≤ 20 ng/ml) and depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS) were assessed in early pregnancy. A composite of four adverse perinatal outcomes (low birth weight, preterm birth, small-for-gestational age, and preeclampsia) were abstracted from medical charts.
Nineteen of the 101 women had one or more adverse perinatal outcome and 84% with an adverse outcome (16/19) were not White. Both prenatal and time of delivery vitamin D deficiency were associated with developing an
- adverse outcome compared to those vitamin D sufficient (prenatal relative risk 3.43; 95% CI 1.60-7.34, p = 0.004;
- delivery time relative risk 5.14, 95% CI 2.68-9.86, p = 0.004).
These both remained significant after adjusting for BMI. A higher rate of adverse outcome was found when women had both prenatal vitamin D deficiency and elevated depressive symptoms (EPDS ≥ 10). Sixty percent with both risk factors had an adverse perinatal outcome versus 17% with only one or neither risk factor (relative risk 3.60; 95% CI 1.55-8.38, p = 0.045), worthy of investigation with larger samples.
Together, prenatal vitamin D deficiency and elevated depressive symptoms in pregnancy may increase risk for adverse perinatal outcomes, especially in racial minorities. Obstetric providers should consider routine prenatal depression screening. The impact of vitamin D supplementation to reduce risk for adverse perinatal outcomes should be studied in prospective trials. Our results suggest that supplementation early in pregnancy might be especially beneficial for depressed women.