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OUTCOME STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION ON VITAMIN D LEVELS IN PREGNANCY

Mehwish Naveed, Kanwal Naz, Dr. Anam

Introduction: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which comes primarily from exposure to sunlight and only few foods acts as a source of it. Vitamin D deficiency is a preventable health problem. Research shows that during pregnancy, adequate vitamin D intake is necessary for maternal, fetal and child health. This study was conducted to determine prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and neonates and will also help us to determine if 400IU daily recommended dose is sufficient to treat hypovitaminosis D. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out for 1 ½ years on 100 pregnant, divided in two groups in which one group was given supplementation and 2nd group was of unregistered patients. Results: The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency was observed as 82% in present study. On supplementing the subjects with 400IU vitamin D with calcium 1000 mg daily, the prevalence reduced to 14% while normal levels were achieved in 58% as compared to 8% during the first term which was significant with p value of <0.01. Conclusion: We recommend evaluation of the status of vitamin D in all pregnant women along with D3 supplementation. Routine supplementation of pregnant mothers with 400IU vitamin D with calcium 1000 mg daily resulted in significant improvement of vitamin D levels in study group, but sufficient levels were reached in just over half of the females. We thus propose further research on the daily dosage recommendations along with other factors affecting vitamin D levels in pregnant females like eating pattern, compliance to prescribed drugs and sun light exposure.

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