Severe maternal vitamin D deficiency during labor and its correlation with umbilical cord vitamin D level

Background and objective: Prenatal vitamin D insufficiency has been linked to serious negative neonatal outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and compare maternal and umbilical cord vitamin D levels. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 women who gave birth vaginally at Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil city, Kurdistan region, Iraq from January to December 2021. Total serum 25(OH) vitamin D concentration was measured from each woman during labor and her newborn umbilical cord blood. To determine how strong the link between both levels is, the Pearson (r) correlation coefficient was used. Results: More than 98% of participants had a significant vitamin D3 deficiency, compared to 88.3% of their newborn children. There was A strong correlation between newborns’ and mothers’ vitamin D3 levels (r = 0.726, P <0.001).Thenewborns' mean D3 levels (15.8 ± 8.3 mmol/l) were not appreciably (P = 0.064) greater than their mothers' (13.2±7.0 mmol/l) mean D3 levels. There was a strong, significant correlation between newborns’ and mothers’ vitamin D3 levels (r = 0.726, P <0.001). The majorities of the women were either illiterate or only had primary education, and more than half of them lived in rural areas. Conclusion: Regarding severe vitamin D3 deficiency, no discernible differences between mothers and their offspring were found, and newborns' vitamin D3 levels correlated strongly and significantly with their newborns. Keywords: Labor; Preterm delivery; Umbilical cord; Vitamin D deficiency; Illiterate.