A 2 year retrospective study of vegan patients and their pregnancy outcomes in a tertiary level Irish hospital

OBJECTIVE: Recent previous studies have revealed outcomes of higher risk of low birth weight, small for gestational age, and pre-eclampsia for vegan pregnant women compared to other diets. This review examined if patients with vegan diet in our tertiary hospital had similar outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted for 2022-2024 examining the factors of those who ate an unrestricted diet versus vegan diet (10 270 vs 68 women). Data included maternal demographics, clinical factors and pregnancy outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 29. RESULTS: Vegans demonstrated a lower body mass index (BMI) than those with an unrestricted diet (P < 0.05). There was no difference in reported anemia in vegans versus those with unrestricted diets (17.6% vs 16.1%, P = 0.73) and no significant risk for requiring a blood transfusion either (2.9% vs 3.4%, P = 0.84), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the outcomes of those with a vegan versus unrestricted diet in median birth weight (3390 vs 3410 g, P = 0.77) or rate of premature delivery <37 weeks (7.4% vs 9.5%, P = 0.55). There was also no statistically significant difference for developing gestational diabetes (8.8% vs 9.9%, P = 0.77), or gestational hypertension (0% vs 3.5%, P = 0.12) for vegans versus unrestricted diets, respectively. CONCLUSION: The outcome in pregnancy for women with vegan and unrestricted diets was equivalent in our cohort. There is limited research on the consequences of vegan diets in pregnancy and further observational longitudinal studies are required for more robust data. Socioeconomic factors should be taken into consideration.