| Objective Vitamin D deficiency is very common and associated with various diseases, especially in pregnant women, which may affect the fetal health. At present, little is known about the vitamin D status in Chinese women. The aim of this study was to investigate the vitamin D status in healthy pregnant women (15~21 weeks) and a group of age-matched non-pregnant control women, and to observe the effect of the vitamin D status on the size of the newborns. Methods Sixty-three pregnant women and 35 non-pregnant women were selected. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH)D) level was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The serum 25-(OH)D level in 99% subjects was lower than 75 nmol/L (normal range). And 93% subjects had 25-(OH)D deficiency (＜50 nmol/L). The serum 25-(OH)D level in pregnant women (28.40±9.19 nmol/L) was significantly lower than that in non-pregnant women (38.46±10.77 nmol/L; P＜0.001). The rate of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and non-pregnant women was 96.8% and 85.7%, respectively. Near half of the pregnant women had severe vitamin D deficiency, while none in the control group. The height of the newborns was significantly positively correlated with the maternal 25-(OH)D levels (r=0.323; P<0.01). Conclusion Women, especially the pregnant women in the northern part of China, are high risk population of vitamin D deficiency. Fetal development may be influenced by maternal vitamin D deficiency. Measures should be taken to prevent women from vitamin D deficiency in China, thus reducing the effect of vitamin D deficiency on the health of population. |