Association between the Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood Vitamin D: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D has multifaceted effects on the mother’s health and fetus. Since its deficiency can cause numerous maternal and fetal complications, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the maternal and umbilical cord blood vitamin D. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 48 pregnant mothers and their 48 babies in Hafez Hospital, Shiraz, in 2021. First, 5cc the blood clot was taken from the mother and the baby's umbilical cord after delivery. Also, a checklist included the mother's age, pregnancy conditions, gender, weight, height, head circumference, age of baby teeth eruption, and the first and fifth minute Apgar score of their babies was filled. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26. Results: The mean of vitamin D from the umbilical cord blood (35.95±11.97), and from mothers' serum (21.85±7.3); were correlated significant (r=0.80, P<0.001). The mean vitamin D serum level of mothers who received supplements during pregnancy (23.72±6.04) was higher than mothers who did not use them during pregnancy (8.29±19.45) (P<0.05). There was a significant relationship between the mother's vitamin D and umbilical cord vitamin D with the sprouting of the first milk tooth. Conclusion: In this study, most mothers reported vitamin D deficiency, and their vitamin D levels were directly correlated to the umbilical cord vitamin D. These findings show the importance of monitoring the mother's vitamin D to indicate the vitamin D status of the fetus and encourage mothers to make effective use of sunlight and the enrichment food with vitamin D.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• infant
• mothers
• umbilical cord blood
• vitamin d deficiency