Association between vitamin D deficiency and antepartum and postpartum depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

Purpose The two previous reviews performed on the association of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy with antepartum and postpartum depression were limited in reporting forms as they were both systematic reviews and the conclusions were also deemed to be inconclusive. Considering the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and depression during and after pregnancy as well as their numerous hazards to pregnancy outcomes, it is of great need to synthesize existing evidence in a more accurate statistical method, so that reliable guidance related to vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy could be provided for clinical decision making. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association of vitamin D deficiency with antepartum and postpartum depression. Results Nine longitudinal studies with 8470 participants were included in the meta-analysis. We found serum 25(OH)D levels