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Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant

by Mrs. A
(UK)

Greetings Wray!

I wanted to chat with you about Vitamin D and pregnancy and hopefully this page will be useful to other expecting mothers to be who are confused about the facts regarding dosage and safety limits.

From what I understand the general advice for Vitamin D requirements are totally off. I was taking 6,000 IU's for a while and then 10,000 IU's the month I conceived. My current Vit D level is 86.8 nmol/L. On your pregnancy page you have 5,000-10,000IU's as a recommendation. The Weston A. Price guidelines recommend between 2,000-4,000IU's for pregnant and nursing women. Dr. Bruce Hollis in his incredibly informative video titled 'Vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy & breastfeeding - effectiveness and safety' recommends 4,000IU's for all pregnant women.

My question is, I am comfortable with taking mega doses short term to get my serum levels up and then reducing to whatever dose can maintain a serum level of between 175-250 nmol/L (thank you for the suggestion!). Now that I am pregnant, how safe is it to do this? Is Vitamin D (like progesterone) harmless for baby if mom is taking very high amounts? I know there is a lot of misinformation surrounding Vitamin A (Weston A. Price say 20,000IU's for pregnant/nursing women totaling around 50,000IU's after you add the foods recommended) and the government says no more than 10,000IU's to be safe). Do you have a Vitamin A recommendation based on your research too. I took this from the Weston A. Price site:

"A 1999 study carried out in Rome, Italy found no congenital malformations among 120 infants whose mothers consumed an average of 50,000 IU of vitamin A per day.7 Some participants consumed up to 300,000 IU vitamin A daily during pregnancy with no birth defects in the offspring. An average of 50,000 IU vitamin A per day is consistent with our recommendation of cod liver oil to supply 20,000 IU per day plus additional vitamin A in liver, butter, seafood and egg yolks."

Thank you very much!!
xXx

Comments for Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant

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Feb 13, 2012
 Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant
by: Wray

Hi Mrs A The Hollis/Wagner video is the best, as you say so informative. They do mention giving 6000iu's to some women with no adverse side effects only good. The concerning thing is a lack of vitamin D while breastfeeding. It was once believed that humans do not produce vitamin D in breast milk, unlike animals! But then it was found that levels were so low there was insufficient to get into the milk. About megadoses while pregnant, if you lived in the tropics, and went into the sun between 10am to 2pm, you would make 20,000iu's within 20-30 mins of being out there! It's just so vital for the foetus, and not just for bones. It's particularly important for brain development. As for vitamin A, I never recommend it, beta carotene yes. Vitamin A inhibits vitamin D, and there are reports on it's teratogenic actions on foetuses, not worth the risk to my mind, see here, here here here and here. And then there's this meta analysis which contradicts the one above! See here You might like to see what Dr Cannell has to say about it, see here. He co-authored a paper with Hollis, Vieth, Grant et all on vitamin A toxicity, but unfortunately there is not even an abstract! See here But he did give an extract from it in his newsletter…"Retinoic acid antagonizes the action of vitamin D and its active metabolite. In humans, even the vitamin A in a single serving of liver impairs vitamin D's rapid intestinal calcium response." xxx Take care Wray
Feb 13, 2012
 Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant
by: Mrs. A

Hi Wray!

Thanks so much for you response and all of the great info. Going through those links will be my project today!

I've been doing a little more reading and I wanted to ask about the vitamin D and the sun that you mentioned. The toxicity page on the vitamin D council website says that the body knows how to deal with large doses of vitamin D if it is coming from the sun (produced in the skin) but not so with supplemented vitamin D, which bypasses our body's built in protection. I don't know if this information has is inaccurate or otherwise. They do say that it is difficult to reach toxicity though so I guess I shouldn't worry too much about this happening.

I will read over those links about the vitamin A. Thanks so much for those!!!

Love and Hugs to you!
xXx
Feb 13, 2012
 Hello There Mrs. A
by: Chrystie

Hello Mrs. A and Wray,

Thank you for this information. I am going to have a read of this too (hope you don't mind lol).

I believe what is worst for me living in Bermuda most people would love the sun...BUT not me I walk around with small umbrella to avoid the sun (hence wondering why I was the lightest in my family ha ha ha silly me). When I was younger I was a water-rat always in the sun and the ocean but as I got older in my twenties I started hating it. This is probable why I had a successful pregnancy at the age of 16yrs old.

Now with all this new information and taking those extra vitamins D's and now packing away my umbrella come April and onward when we try to conceive again my body has build enough to carry on a successful pregnancy.

Oh before I go! Congratulations on your pregnancy Mrs. A! Happy nine months! Wohoo!!
Feb 14, 2012
 Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant
by: Wray

Hi Mrs A I do give you an awful lot of info, but then you do ask for it! And read it too, which pleases me no end, as I know most women don't read it, as I get the same questions again, all answered in the papers! You are right about the body being capable of controlling vitamin D input from the sun. It is harder for it via supplements, which is why it's essential to have tests done every 6 months. Stress drops levels, as does the winter. My sister in law really overdid it though, her level went up to 350ng/mg. In UK terms that's 875nmol/l! But she feels wonderful, looks it too, and lost some weight, but now is off it for a bit, as you can imagine. The only real danger is too high a calcium level, and the calcium:creatine ratio. I told her to take lots of magnesium, and to have baths in Epsom Salts too, as it is absorbed that way. Vieth did a toxicity test, see here, and found it only became so at 200ng/ml or 500nmol/L. Taking 5000-10000iu's per day it will never reach that level. I've found that people with serious problems, ie cancer, need about 20,000iu's per day, and even that doesn't raise levels above 100ng/ml or 250nmol/L. Love and hugs to you too! Take care Wray
Feb 14, 2012
 Hello There Mrs. A
by: Wray

Hi Chrystie I'm delighted you want to read this page too, and I'm sure Mrs A is too! That's the whole point of this website, to share info. It really doesn't surprise me you had a successful pregnancy at 16, being in the sun all the time. When you do go out into it now, please do it slowly, ie no more than 5 mins each side if you sun bathe. Then work up slowly, the last thing you need is to burn. The more vitamin D in the skin, the longer we're able to tolerate the sun. And please keep in touch with us. Take care Wray
Feb 14, 2012
 Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant
by: Mrs. A

Hi Chrystie! Hi Wray!

Chrystie, I am so glad you found this page and I'm hoping that all of the ladies who are trying for a baby or pregnant finds it and reads the links too!

Thank you for the well wishes! I'm praying this baby sticks around and that all goes well as my last pregnancy was a tough one. This time around I am more informed about nutrition, I'm off of gluten and I'm eating more protein. Plus I have my Natpro!!!

Chrystie I'm so excited for your good news very soon!!!!!!!!

Wray, I think I've become bit obsessed with symptom spotting and progesterone dosage lol!!! Should I be a bit more tolerant of some symptoms, after all I am growing a baby, or should I be putting every episode of pain attacks in my uterus as a sign that I need to up the dose? I haven't had any pain except for last night when I pretty much couldn't do anything but lie down for the pain. I feel okay this morning except my energy levels have gone right down and I feel like I need to sleep all of the time. Again, I'm confused if it is all simply the demands on my body for a new life, low progesterone or because I'm dropping my glandular dosage too fast. Also last week my libido showed some signs of life again (wow!) but the past few days, it disappeared!

I haven't finished going through those links and I'm looking forward to combing through all of the info. I also bought a couple of K. Dalton books and I'm reading the Dr. Lee Menopause book. So interesting about the xenohormones!

Love to you ladies!!!

Mrs. A
xXx
Feb 14, 2012
 Vitamin D Supplementation Whilst Pregnant
by: Wray

Hi Mrs A Maybe you are, maybe you're not! I feel next time you have pain, lie down as you did, rub some cream on your tummy and relax! But things are changing now you're pregnant, there are bound to be ups and downs. I think your previous pregnancy is probably clouding your vision about this one. Forget those difficulties and concentrate on the good for this one. Pain would sap your energy, are you using the progesterone as and when you need it? For instance if you feel pain use it, if you feel low energy, use it, if you feel…. etc, use it. And why are you dropping the glandulars, did the doc who prescribed them advise you too? I'm glad the libido is looking up, or trying to! Dr Dalton's books are so good, Dr Lee too. If you really want to find out more about oestrogen mimics, then see this site Our Stolen Future Doesn't make happy reading. Take care Wray xxx
Feb 14, 2012
 Pregnancy Symptoms and Progesterone
by: Mrs. A

Hi Wray,

I wanted to run that by you actually (using cream as needed when pregnant). There are moments where I have a crash of energy or some pain or feeling a bit down and I want to get some cream and rub some on. I'm on 228.8mg per day right now. Am I right in thinking that if I rub some extra on whenever I feel, I should take note of the exact amount and I must keep that new level going - for example, if I rub on another 20.8mg extra on top of my usual daily 228.8mg, I should apply 249.6mg every day and only start reducing slowly once I'm symptom free? Sorry for being so pedantic but I don't want to mess things up for my little bean!

My physician told me I was on too much glandular so I'm reducing it until I can manage 800mg of adrenal glandular per day. I need to inform him that I'm pregnant and see if he changes his advice on that (he's not been in the office since I knew I was).

Our stolen future is on my reading list for sure! Thanks for reminding me about that.

Got my vitamin D in the post today! Yay!

Love and Hugs,

Mrs. A
Feb 15, 2012
 Pregnancy Symptoms and Progesterone
by: Wray

Hi Mrs A I don't think you have to be too exact in measuring. If you feel the 228mg is working for you, then split the amount so that you have some for occasions when you feel down, pain etc. In other words spread it over the day, using up the last bit at night. But if you do need more, and it's everyday you need more, then add that extra 0.625ml into your daily amount, and use it when you feel you need it. Any left at night, use it up, then you'll not be changing the amount. Now I understand why you're reducing the glandular. But don't do it too fast, as it's evidently helping you. Glad the vitamin D arrived, let us know how it goes. Love and hugs, take care Wray
Mar 07, 2012
 vitamin A
by: Chris

You know I am just curious regarding the research studies you gave links for. I had a quick glance and found that they either don't say what type of vitamin A they are using in the study or they say they used Retinol acetate, therefore the synthetic vitamin A. My understanding was that the synthetic vitamin A is the real problem regarding toxicity.

However if you are say eating vitamin A from liver which is a natural food source you are not likely to have these problems. But keep in mind that all of the cod liver oil on the market (bar one, green pastures) has removed the natural vitamin A and D and replaced it with synthetic versions...so cod liver oil is generally not a natural source of vitamin A or D but infact a synthetic source.

Synthetic vitamins are often the problem where as sourced naturally they seldom are, unless taken it insanely high doses. I didn't read all the comments on this page through lack to time so sorry if I missed something relevant written there.

I would be interested in your comments re the synthetic verse natural vitamin A and whether you think it is just as dangerous.
Mar 10, 2012
 vitamin A
by: Wray

Hi Chris Even retinoic acid, a metabolite of vitamin A can be teratogenic if taken in high doses. But people have differing ideas on what constitutes a high dose. Generally anything above 10,000iu's is not recommend if pregnant. This paper gives the vitamin A content of various livers, see here. The USDA food composition is an excellent resource. For instance I've entered here 'chicken liver' and each 100g of liver contains 3296mcg of vitamin A. The retinol equivalent is 3.33iu's vitamin A, this site here calculates the mcg to iu's. So 100g chicken liver contains 10975.68iu's vitamin A, right at the limit of the recommended amount. Taken together with the other sources of vitamin A in food, liver of any kind should be limited. The paper I quoted from said….."even the vitamin A in a single serving of liver impairs vitamin D's rapid intestinal calcium response". I would never recommend the vitamin A analogues, if natural vitamin A has this tendency to inhibit vitamin D. Take care Wray

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