How low is this (my) Vitamin D level?!

[LBMarie9]

got my vit d (blood test-hopefully accurate!?!) test back. levels are "slightly" low says the nurse. 28.5 apparently the preferred range is 32-100. howevever I wonder what is satisfactory! I am barely pregnant (8 weeks along) and am pretty sure I should supp for my unborn child too right?

p.s. over the winter I was supping here and there with carlson's vit D drops so this may be a number with my supplementing. 2,000-here and there.

[kjbrown92]

I thought target range was 50-100.

[balancedmama]

That's low. My HCP likes to see 55-100, even 110. Mine were 17. I'm supping w/ 7000 a day. I think 2000 a day might not be quite enough, but if you at least did that consistently I'm sure it would make an impact, along with getting some regular sun exposure. Somewhere in this forum recently there was a little calculator posted.

[sbgrace]

You want 50+ for ideal levels (my hcp says 50 to 80). Forty is sub-optimal and below that low.

The rule of thumb I've seen is 1000 IU per 25 pounds to maintain existing levels. So you need more than that to raise a low level. I did 9,000 IU per day and a typical dose is 50,000 IU per week. Whatever dose you use make sure it's D3.

[KatWrangler]

Back in December mine where 16. I just had it re-tested and I am at 22.

[LBMarie9]

thanks----so a 7,000 dose would keep my levels the same? what about during pregnancy? are high doses safe? have there been any studies? thanks for the responses--should I just tell my dr I "heard" 50 is a good place in case he's thinking I am almost to a good level at 32? or just supp what I want and think? I guess I'll see what amount he thinks I shoudl supp first..though I won't talk to him until my next appointment 2 week in may. I bet my levels will go up in the summer like a lot right? so still supp 7,000 plus lots of sun? (we walk everyday for atleast an hour outside when it's warm enough)

[Ammaarah]

Your level is very low. I don't know how much D is safe in pregnancy, but I have never heard of it being teratogenic.

Some people don't synthesize much D from the sun. I went to South Asia and was in the sun daily and just a few weeks later, my D level was 23. I don't know if you are overweight at all, but just anecdotally, I have noticed that most people who carry a few extra pounds have a hard time getting their D levels up. I'm shooting for the 90s, personally (I'm in the high 40s/low 50s now.)

I would talk to an OB about how much D supplementation is safe, but what I have heard is that up to 10K daily is safe for most people. I don't know if that includes pregnant women, though, so get a pro opinion.

[balancedmama]

I'm sorry - I said the wrong number. I take 14,000 a day. I thought the drops were 1000 but they're 2000 for each drop, and i take 7 a day.

You can have a toxic level of D, but you're so deficient that it would take awhile to get there. I would check with your HCP about fetal health, but typically when supplementing with high doses of D, you just want to get rechecked in a few months. It's pretty important for your baby that you're not deficient.

[Shellie]

Mine was 19 (20 or > is normal according to the lab) and my HCP prescribed 50000miu supplements for a month. They hurt my stomach so I've been taking 4000miu OTC. Planning to retest soon but I sure feel a lot better. HCP's goal is to get me to 32 but I want to be at 50.

[Koalamom]

Pregnant mama, you have got to supplement. My midwife and all the midwives of NH now require all their patients to test for D and if they are low they must take it. This is because there is a study connecting women with low levels of Vit D and very long labors.