Extra Vitamin D To Boost Chances of Natural Delivery

According to a study by the University of Southampton, pregnant women who supplement their vitamin D intake are more likely to give birth to their babies ‘naturally’. The study, published in the Journal of Public Health, analysed results from the MAVIDOS trial, a multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy. In this study, 965 pregnant women were allocated to either a placebo or an additional 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily. The ladies were monitored by the researchers throughout their pregnancies and deliveries.

Analysis showed that 65.6 percent of women who took extra Vitamin D had a spontaneous vaginal delivery, or ‘natural’ delivery, compared to 57.9 percent in the placebo group. Fewer women from the vitamin D group had assisted delivery compared to the placebo group (13.2 percent vs. 19.4 percent). However, the number of women in each group needing a caesarean operation to deliver their baby was similar (vitamin D 21.3 percent, placebo 22.7 percent).

The investigation was directed by Dr. Rebecca Moon, a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Southampton, and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre’s MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre (MRC LEC).

She said, “Most women want to have a ‘natural delivery’ of their baby. Our work suggests that taking extra vitamin D during their pregnancy might help them to achieve this. Additionally, “The women taking the extra vitamin D also had less blood loss after delivery, highlighting why this is so important. Further evidence is now needed to more thoroughly inform public health policy and clinical practice.”

Mavidos is an extensive project, which examines the advantages of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy. Researchers from the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHSFT) were a part of the project. Professor Nicholas Harvey, MRC LEC Deputy Director and lead of MAVIDOS, said, “Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the UK. We have also shown that extra vitamin D in pregnancy can improve the mother’s vitamin D level and has benefits for their child’s skeleton. Importantly, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance recommends that all pregnant women take 400 IU vitamin D per day.”

Professor Cyrus Cooper, MRC LEC Director, Professor of Rheumatology, and Chief Investigator of the MAVIDOS Trial, added, “These findings add further to the knowledge generated through the MAVIDOS trial. This is informing the role of vitamin D in pregnancy for offspring bone development and underlying genetic and nongenetic mechanisms.

“This successful program has clearly demonstrated the immense added value through a nationally, collaborative approach to discovery science.”

The NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre also houses a large portion of the research team. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Southampton BRC is hosted by UHSFT in collaboration with the University of Southampton.

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