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The Relationship between First Trimester 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Levels and Second Trimester Femur Length and Their

Elif Ganime Aydeniz1, Umut Sari2, Isil Tekin3

  • 1Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University Atakent Hospital Assisted Reproductive Techniques Unit, Istanbul, Turkey.

Obstetrics and Gynecology International
|October 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Maternal vitamin D levels in early pregnancy show a link to infant birth weight. Both very low and very high vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D3) levels were associated with altered fetal growth, but not birth length.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maternal and fetal health.
  • Understanding the impact of maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy is essential for optimizing fetal development.
  • Existing research indicates potential links between vitamin D and various pregnancy outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between first-trimester 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and infant birth weight and length.
  • To determine if maternal vitamin D status influences fetal growth parameters at birth.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of medical records from 154 live-term births at Acibadem Atakent Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels were categorized into five groups.
  • Infant birth weight and length were recorded and analyzed in relation to maternal vitamin D status.

Main Results:

  • A statistically significant difference was observed in neonatal birth weight across the different maternal vitamin D level groups (p=0.048).
  • Infant femur length showed a trend towards being longer in certain groups, though this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.054).
  • Associations were found between both low and high maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels and fetal growth.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels in the first trimester are associated with variations in infant birth weight.
  • No significant association was found between maternal vitamin D levels and infant birth length.
  • Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the effects of vitamin D deficiency and sufficiency on fetal development and to establish optimal maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy.
Abstract

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