Vitamin D deficiency may make cesarean delivery more likely

Although quite a small study, this may be of interest to women who are trying to avoid needing a cesarean delivery. Researchers discovered that women with vitamin D levels less than 37.5 nmol/L were 3.8 times as likely to have a cesarean as women with levels greater than that.

Of 253 women, 43 (17%) had a primary cesarean, and the reasons for their cesareans included failure to progress, non-reassuring fetal tracing, malpresentation such as breech, a cephalopelvic disproportion, and variable fetal heart rate.

In addition, it was reported that caucasian women and those who reported any alcohol use during pregnancy were also more likely to have a cesarean. Other studies however, have found that women of other ethnicity are more likely to have a cesarean.