Vitamin D in pregnancy and lactation: maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes from human and animal studies

During pregnancy and lactation, mothers require significant amounts of calcium to pass on to the developing fetus and suckling neonate, respectively. Given the dependence of adult calcium concentrations and bone metabolism on vitamin D, one might anticipate that vitamin D sufficiency would be even more critical during pregnancy and lactation. However, maternal adaptations during pregnancy and lactation and fetal adaptations provide the necessary...