Maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and postpartum depression: a systematic review

Background: To evaluate systematically the role of maternal vitamin D levels in postpartum depression (PPD). Methods: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched using the search words [vitamin D, cholecalciferol, calcitriol, 1,25 (OH)D] in combination with [postpartum depression, PPD, postnatal depression, PND] in the title, abstract, and keywords. The search was limited to publications in English. Criteria for inclusion in this systematic review were data on maternal 25(OH) D and PPD. Results: We identified 147 publications at first, from which five observational studies were selected for inclusion in the final review. In one study 25(OH) D was associated with PPD. In another one we found an association but in category with vitamin D lower than 47 nMol/L significant in p 0.05. In two studies the blood samples were obtained after childbirth and observed an increased risk of PPD associated with only serum 25[OH] D levels ≤ 25.46 nmol/L and ≤25 nmol/L. In one study no association was observed between vitamin D concentrations and risk of PPD and compared with women 50–79 nmol/L, women with higher 25(OH)D3 concentrations (79 nmol/L) appeared to have significantly increased risks of PPD. Conclusion: Seemingly, vitamin D plays a role along with other factors that might cause postpartum depression in a specific but unknown cut-off point. Further studies are necessary to explore more on the effect of vitamin D on PPD.