Do not test UK pregnancies for low vitamin D (since 800 IU does not help)
Should routine screening for vitamin D deficiency be performed in pregnancy?
Evidence-Based Practice Evidence-Based Practice Vol. 19 | No. 11 | November 2016
Abstract Should routine screening for vitamin D deficiency be performed in pregnancy?
Evidence-based answer: No. Low vitamin D levels in pregnancy are associated with worse outcomes than no vitamin deficiency; however, supplementation does not conclusively improve outcomes (SOR: B, meta-analyses of observational studies and RCTs). The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) recommends against screening for vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy (SOR: C, expert opinion)
The 2014 meta-analysis which they based their decision on generally used 800 IU of vitamin D
137 health problems associated with low vitamin D – meta-meta-analysis April 2014
Over 400 studies of Vitamin D during pregnancy have only rarely found a benefit at 800 IU.
Good benefits start at 4,000 IU – 5 times large dose than what the meta-analysis considered
If this had been aspirin instead of vitamin D the conclusion could have been:
Do not bother testing for headaches if you are only going to prescribe 1/5 of a tablet of aspirin, such a low dose does not help headaches
See also VitaminDWiki
* 3,800 IU Vitamin D during pregnancy did not help much – RCT Jan 2017
* Gestational Diabetes treated with 50,000 IU every two weeks – RCT Sept 2016
* Preeclampsia reduced by Vitamin D (50,000 IU bi-weekly) and Calcium – Oct 2015
* Preterm birth rate reduced by 43 percent with adequate Vitamin D supplementation – meta-analysis Feb 2017
1. Healthy pregnancies need lots of vitamin D has the following summary
{include}
1. Pregnancy category starts with
{include}
1. Meta-analyses of Pregnancy and Vitamin D
{category}