Recent research has revealed that deficiency of vitamin D in pregnant women doubles the chances of delivering a baby by caesarean section. The study focused on the relationship between maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and the prevalence of primary caesarean section. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) analyzed the data collected from 253 pregnant women.

The study revealed that 43 study subjects had a caesarean. Data analysis showed that out of 43, 28 percent of women with serum 25(OH) D less than 37.5 nmol/L had a caesarean section as compared to only 14 percent of women with 25(OH)D greater than 37.5 nmol/L.

Michael Holick, MD, PhD, director of the General Clinical Research Center and professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at BUSM and Anne Merewood assistant professor of pediatrics at BUSM said: "In our analysis, pregnant women who were vitamin D deficient at the time of delivery had almost four times the odds of caesarean birth than women who were not deficient."

Holick said that vitamin D deficiency has been associated with proximal muscle weakness as well as suboptimal muscle performance and strength. Weaker muscles around the abdomen could be the reason behind caesarean.