Pregnant women with Vitamin D deficiency may have a greater risk of having a Cesarean delivery, a new study shows.

The risk of Cesarean delivery may be almost 4 times higher for women with Vitamin D deficiency than those who have a sufficient level of Vitamin D, according to the study conducted by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center.

To find out the relationship between Vitamin D levels in pregnant women and Cesarean section, the researchers examined 252 pregnant women for two years.

The findings show that among the participants examined in the study, 43 Vitamin D-deficient women, or 17 percent of the total, had a Cesarean section, according to the study published online in the December Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"In our analysis, pregnant women who were Vitamin D-deficient at the time of delivery had almost four time the odds of Cesarean birth than women who were not deficient," study author Dr. Michael Holick said.

Previous research has linked Vitamin D deficiency with proximal muscle weakness and suboptimal muscle performance and strength, which may help support the new findings.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2008)