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Vitamin D testing may predict need for caesarean

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Caesarean sections are one of the most common operations in the U.S., having risen drastically in number since the 1960s. According to the latest data available from the CDC, caesarean sections are performed in 31 percent of births in this country, substantially higher than the World Health Organization's recommended maximum rate of 15 percent.

A new study by researchers in Boston shows a potential link between the levels of vitamin D found in blood tests of pregnant women and the likelihood of birth by caesarian section.

Studying the results of vitamin D testing in 253 women found that those women who showed a deficiency in the nutrient were four times more likely to have a c-section than those with normal levels of the nutrient.

"Vitamin D is critically important for muscle function," Dr Michael F. Holick, of Boston University School of Medicine, told Reuters Health.
Vitamin D deficiency, which has been on the rise in the U.S., has been linked to an increasing number of systemic health problems ranging from decreased immune system function to higher cardiovascular and stroke risk.