Decreased serum vitamin D levels in early spontaneous pregnancy loss

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Effects of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy have been associated with some adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between vitamin D deficiency in childbearing aged women and pregnancy loss (PL) in the first trimester. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. Plasma was collected from 60 nulliparous women with singleton at 7-9 weeks of gestation (30 with viable gestation and 30 with PL) and 60 non-gravid childbearing aged women (30 with a successful pregnancy history, and 30 with one or more spontaneous first-trimester PL history). Quantitation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1 alpha hydroxylase (CYP27B1) was assayed. RESULTS: By pregnancy/non-gravid, normal pregnant women had higher 25(OH)D (49.32 mu g/l) and CYP27B1 (82.00 pg/ml) than PL women (34.49 mu g/l and 37.87 pg/ml, both P < 0.01); the non-gravid women with a successful pregnancy history also had higher 25(OH)D (39.56 mu g/l) and CYP27B1 (39.04 pg/ml) than women with PL history (12.30 mu g/l and 12.35 pg/ml, both P < 0.01). The 96.7% of non-gravid women with PL history and 43.3% of PL women had serum 25(OH) D concentrations below 30 mu g/l. There was a strong association between low vitamin D levels and PL (odds ratio 1.71; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-2.4, P < 0.001). The regression analyses showed that PL was significantly inversely correlated with 25(OH)D (P < 0.01) and CYP27B1 levels (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency associated with PL in the first trimester of pregnancy. Decreased serum vitamin D levels among childbearing aged women with the failed clinical pregnancies history may predispose to increased risk for PL.