Vitamin D deficiency in maternal populations and its potential association with postpartum depression: A comprehensive review

Postpartum depression (PPD) constitutes a prevalent psychiatric disorder with profound psychological, emotional, and social ramifications for both mothers and their infants. Recent research has increasingly implicated vitamin D deficiency as a potential biological contributor to the etiology of PPD. This review synthesizes the extant scientific literature examining the association between maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and subsequent risk of postpartum depression. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO databases, focusing on peer-reviewed articles published from ۲۰۱۰ to ۲۰۲۴. The accumulated evidence indicates that lower serum concentrations of ۲۵-hydroxyvitamin D [۲۵(OH)D], the standard biomarker for vitamin D status, are correlated with heightened vulnerability to PPD. Furthermore, preliminary interventional studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may mitigate depressive symptoms, although methodological heterogeneity limits definitive conclusions. Given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant populations, routine assessment and correction of deficiency may represent a feasible, cost-effective strategy for the prevention of PPD.

کلیدواژه ها:

postpartum depression ، vitamin D ، pregnancy