Pregnancy and Vitamin D
Posted by Admin
At this latitude we definitely do not receive enough vitamin D during the winter time. Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to a number of health issues throughout the years. At Whole Family Health, we are always striving to help our patients achieve balance and optimal levels of the vitamins they need if not available from food sources.
This is most important for those pregnant patients. Vitamin D deficiencies in pregnancy have been shown to be linked to pregnancy induced hypertension.
Pregnancy induced hypertension can lead to pre-eclampsia which can be a serious health issue for pregnant women.
An elevated blood pressure is higher than 140/90 and pre-eclampsia is defined as having an elevated blood pressure in combination with protein in the urine.
Having acupuncture treatments at the right time may decrease your blood pressure significantly.
Pregnant women should take 1000 – 2000 IU per day, to help prevent pregnancy induced hypertension.
A study was recently conducted by the University of Alberta. The purpose of the study was to determine if Vitamin D Deficiency is common, particularly in northern latitudes. They examined the association between vitamin D status and hypertension in late pregnancy.
The study found that there is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women recruited in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The study also found that women with low circulating vitamin D concentrations are more likely to have hypertension.