Vitamin D reduces postpartum depression and fatigue among Iranian women

Background: Depression and fatigue have been recognised as common postpartum morbidities. One of the proposed well established aetiologies is vitamin D deficiency, which is prevalent among Iranian women.

Aim: To determine the efficiency of vitamin D supplement on postnatal depression and fatigue.

Method: In this double blind, randomised controlled trial, 80 primiparous women, who scored ≥13 and ≥20 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Fatigue Identification Form, respectively, were randomly distributed into the control and intervention groups over 4-10 months following birth. Groups received vitamin D3 1000IU and placebo pills daily for 6 months. Logistic regression tests assessed the relation between variables. Findings Vitamin D decreased depression scores and fatigue scores in the intervention group (P>0.001).

Conclusion: Considering vitamin D supplements as routine postpartum care among high-risk women would be useful. However, more studies are needed to support this conclusion.