Though pregnancy should be a time of joy, the reality is that depression is common in the time just before and just after giving birth. But simply getting enough of a common vitamin could help bring back the joy.
During pregnancy, adequate vitamin D is needed by both the fetus and the mother. But vitamin D deficiency is quite common during pregnancy. That deficiency could increase the risk of depression for the mother.
A potentially important new systematic review and meta-analysis for pregnant women put together 25 studies of maternal levels of vitamin D during pregnancy and depression.
It found clear evidence that low vitamin D is associated with pre- and postpartum depression. During the postnatal period, vitamin D levels were 2.36 ng/mL lower in women with postnatal depression than in women who were not depressed. That difference translated into a 2.08 times greater risk of depression for the women with the lower vitamin D.
In the period just before giving birth, vitamin D levels were a significant 4.63 ng/mL lower in the women who were depressed than in the women who were not.
This study reveals a significant relationship between low levels of vitamin D and pre-and postnatal depression. The study is important because it could allow women to predict and prevent depression around pregnancy.
Nutrients. 2024;16(21):3648.
