Association of Maternal Serum Vitamin D Level with Risk of Pregnancy-Related Complications and Neonatal Anthropometric Measures: A Prospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND: Body of evidence is increasing about the importance of Vitamin D (VD) for normal development of the fetus and for maternal health. As limited data are available regarding the association between maternal VD level and pregnancy-related complications and neonatal anthropometric measures, the present study aimed to evaluate the neonatal anthropometric measures including weight, high, and head circumference and pregnancy-related complications such as preeclampsia, blood pressure, gestational diabetes mellitus, and nausea and vomiting in pregnancy with 25(OH)VD level. METHODS: The current prospective observational study was conducted among 812 Iranian pregnant women during the first trimester in Isfahan, Iran. Needed data were collected using validated questionnaires and biochemical examinations. RESULTS: Overall, this study demonstrated an inverse significant association between VD level and chance of having low-weight infant in the adjusted model (odds ratio [OR]: 0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.004–0.26, P < 0.001) in the first VD assessment. The same results were obtained in the second VD assessment (OR: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.01–0.40, P < 0.01). However, such associations were not seen about other neonatal measures and pregnancy-related complications. CONCLUSIONS: We found that low maternal VD level might be associated with risk of low-weight infant. Such findings could be considered to implement informative interventional programs to control newborn adverse outcomes. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.