Published on June 9, 2016
June 9, 2016
…. the March of Dimes needs us to implement what is known about vitamin D while they continue to research the various biological causes of preterm births! Their work is certainly important in the scientific understanding field, but in the meantime, per a recent article published in the June 2016 issue of JAMA Pediatrics:
“Preterm birth, defined as birth prior to 37 weeks gestation, is now the primary worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality in the newborn period and the top cause of child mortality among those younger than 5 years, accounting for 1 million deaths every year. Nevertheless, it remains poorly understood.”
The top cause of child mortality!
Why don’t they mention vitamin D? They specifically don’t mention the randomized trial done by Hollis/Wagner which very clearly showed a decrease in the incidence of preterm births by 59% by achieving a vitamin D serum level of at least 40 ng/ml.
At present, the March of Dimes prevention plan is a set of progesterone shots (17P) given to women who are at risk of preterm birth. The shot sequence costs $50,000 and may reduce the probability of preterm birth by 30%. In contrast, the cost of vitamin D for the duration of a pregnancy is approximately $25.
Both approaches should be taken to help the women. With vitamin D added, the requirement for any progesterone treatment would decrease dramatically. Why wait?!