1. Community
  2. Health promotion
  3. Dietary, Nutrition and Exercise Advice

very vitamin d deficient and pregnant

Posted , 4 users are following.

sofiamaria
sofiamaria

Hello 

I am pregnant (13 weeks) and very deficient my vitamin D level was 10! I am very worried about this. My doctor prescribed me a daily dose of 4000IU, is this enough? should I not be taking 8000IU at least (done my own research)? If so, how long should I take it, is two months about right and then lower the dose? Should I take calcium as well? Anyone have experience? I do not drink milk or eat dairy, there is calcium in my rice milk and in my multivitamin tablet and I eat a lot of green food with calcium. I appriciate your advice. Thanks!

0 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

Prev
  • wise_ocean
    wise_ocean sofiamaria

    Posted

    Hi,

    Yes, it would have been just over 7100iu per day, but thankfully I got it as a weekly dose so it was easier to take and gave me a larger concentration in one go, which I think really helped my aches and pains!  I'm not sure loading doses are given as a daily dose, but I could be entirely wrong.  

    Which measurement is your 10 in - is it nmol/l or ng/ml?  Were you having problems with aches or pains, or even cognitive issues before you were diagnosed?  I was having major lower back problems, heel pain, arm pain, and bouts of severe tiredness where I would feel like I would collapse, and I'm sure there were other issues, but I cannot remember them at the moment.  Since taking the tablets all these aches have disappeared and I think I've also got more mental sharpness/clarity.  

    For your information I was taking D3 Aciferol (Colecalciferol) high strength tablets (I've just copied this information from the packaging).  

    Why did you purchase your own prescription/decide on the dose with the pharmacist?   In the UK (I think you are in Australia?), the doctor will decide on the amount and write a prescription.  

    I actually think that I had been low in vitamin D for 3-4 years, at varying amounts, but my regular doctor did not want to do a blood test, and luckily for me I saw another doctor when he was on holiday, who ordered a test straight away.

    I've also just taken a look at my blood test form and it says:

                Investigations required: LIVBO, TVITDN, UE

                Liver and bone profile, vitamin D, Urea/Electrolytes

     

    I'll probably have this test at the end of September as that would be approx 10 weeks from my last tablet.  Once I get my results, I'll post them for your information.

    Re your decision not to have animal's milk, I totally see where you are coming from.  I stopped drinking milk 18 years ago as I suffered with stomach issues and just decided to eliminate it.  I only eat dairy cheese because I haven't tried a dairy free alternative yet, and also just for that added bit of calcium as I can sometimes be a bit lazy with preparing vegetables (although I've good with salads as these are quick/easy to prepare).  I have recently also started taking maca powder and baobab powder (I use the Organic Burst range).  Both of these provide high levels of vitamins/minerals. I will soon purchase a Nutribullet (nutrition extractor) so I can make healthy green smoothies, as it works really well with crushing/chopping spinach and kale, so it's an easy way to up my dosage of healthy stuff.

    Regards

     

    • sofiamaria
      sofiamaria wise_ocean

      Posted

      I lived in Ireland, UK, Finland for past 8 years and only now Australia (Ive been here for a few months only). So I think I have been deficient for ages since I am quite good weraing sunprotection too even in winter! my results were 10nmol/L and I had a bunch of other things tested too, thyroid amongst other things. I didnt experience any aches or pains really, unless I am just so used to it that I think it is normal? Sometimes I felt that my muscles ached a bit too much after exercise but.. and at one stage after running my knees/bones felt very sore for ages. Not sure if this had to do with the deficiency.. I was always quite dizzy easily anyway as I have very low blood pressure, so this i am used to.

      I did notice forgetting things at one stage and I even mentioned this to my other half. So I guess, all of this could have had to do with the deficiency. Overall though I thought I was feeling quite well to be honest! And I was surprised by my results! Back ache I have always had but not lower back so much, so not sure about that either. 

      If it was just me and if I wasnt pregnant then I would probably just have relied on what the doctor prescribed me, but since I am carrying a baby it led me to investigate this further as I am very worried. I found out a lot and I have reason to believe that the dose I was prescribed is fairly low, too low perhaps. In sweden for example the dose I was prescribed (4000IU) is a normal dose to take for ANY pregnant woman, but as I said I am waiting for a second opinion now from our family doctor back in Finland. Some doctors are very conservative still with vitamin D as there has only been research in recent years that the small doses that were prescribed/recommended in the past are way too small that is. In the US for example the doses are WAAAY higher. 

      Anyway, as far as Ive done my research it is very hard to get D vitamin toxification and one would have to consume massive amounts over a very long period of time in order for this to happen. Anything below 10000IU a day is considered very safe and even 10000 safe but that is I guess a "limit" that they have put on it. Anyhow, of course I am no doctor or anything but this is just from what I have been finding out when looking in to this.  

      The pills come in 1000IU so you can just take as many as required to reach the desired amount. They are bought over the counter and most of them are 1pill=1000IU. Anyway, I am going to hear what my family doctor says. I am hoping he will give me some clarification on this.

      Please do share your results with me end of September as I would be very inteterested to know and good luck with it!

       

    • sofiamaria
      sofiamaria wise_ocean

      Posted

      So turns out the amount my oroginal doctor prescribed me is HALF the amount my other doctor recommends. I am very happy I DID MY RESEARCH and questioned this. 8000IU per day is the amount that I am to take, not 4000IU which I thought sounded very low considering my deficiency. 
  • joy47826
    joy47826 sofiamaria

    Posted

    What I've read recently, the better levels of Vit D of the mother, the baby will have stronger bones too.,

    I was very low in 2006, 16, and took 4000 iu's of D3 for months and many months later finally got up to 80, and then after a hip replacement in 2010, levels dropped 40 pts which I knew could happen and it did.

    So now I take usually 4000 IU's on day, 8000 IU's some days alternate this amount usually.

    Latest research is that Vit K2 is needed for best Vit D absorption. J (76 yrs)

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.