Higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in German pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women

Adequate vitamin D status is crucial for normal development of the fetus and for maternal health. As data on vitamin D status (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D) in German women of different states of pregnancy were not available, this study compared the vitamin D status of German women in all trimesters of pregnancy with that of non-pregnant women. The study sample of 858 women (18-45 years) was recruited from April 2013 to March 2015 as a part of the cross-sectional Germany-wide VitaMinFemin study. Serum 25(OH)D levels were determined using chemiluminescence immunoassay. A total of 78.1% of the pregnant women and 53.9% of the non-pregnant women had a vitamin D status < 50.0 nmol/L (p < 0.001). In pregnant women, the multivariate binary analysis showed that winter [odds ratio (OR) 13.5], longitude of residence between 6.3A degrees E and 8.9A degrees E (OR 2.0) or 9.0A degrees E and 10.9A degrees E (OR 2.3) and third trimester (OR 2.3) were associated with a higher risk of vitamin D status < 25.0 nmol/L, whereas increasing age per one year (OR 0.9) with a lower risk. Compared with non-pregnant women, pregnant women were 3.7 times more likely to have a vitamin D status < 25.0 nmol/L. A low vitamin D status is prevalent among German pregnant women and should be improved to supply mother and fetus adequately.