PREDIN: Pregnancy and Vitamin D Intervention Study

The effect of maternal vitamin D in pregnancy for maternal and offspring health needs to be clarified. In observational studies, the investigators and others show associations between poor maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy and an increased risk of pregnancy complications. Poor maternal vitamin D status is also linked to impaired growth in the first year of life, and potentially also to higher risk of developing obesity in childhood. Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in Swedish pregnant women are related to lower intake of vitamin D and to less sun exposure.

Since the evidence for positive effects of maternal vitamin D status or intake is limited, vitamin D interventions in pregnancy are warranted to clarify the causal effects of vitamin D in pregnancy and the doses required to achieve sufficient vitamin D status in deficient women. In the first trimester, pregnant women will be screened at a routine visit in the antenatal care for the risk of vitamin D deficiency using a validated questionnaire. Women who are classified as having a high risk of vitamin D deficiency will be randomized to one of three study arms: usual antenatal care, 20 µg vitamin D per day or 40 µg vitamin D per day. The participants will be followed up until delivery. Blood will be collected for analysis of vitamin D status (25OHD) at screening and in the third trimester of pregnancy. Information regarding pregnancy, gestational complication and fetal growth will be retrieved from medical records after delivery. About 500 women will be screened and their vitamin D status and vitamin D intake will be compared to a previous population-based cohort study, to investigate if the status or intake of vitamin D has increased since the expanded food fortification program was introduced.

The study hypothesis is that vitamin D status and/or vitamin D intake is related to risk of developing complications during pregnancy or delivery and that maternal supplementation with vitamin D during pregnancy will be effective in achieving vitamin D sufficiency in pregnant women at risk of vitamin D deficiency. In addition, the investigators hypothesize that the expanded vitamin D food fortification program has increased the vitamin D status and vitamin D intake of pregnant women in Gothenburg since 2013-2014.