title: Maternal vitamin D, folate, and polyunsaturated fatty acid status and bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate associations among serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OH-D), folate, omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio and bacterial vaginosis (BV) during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biospecimens and data were derived from a random sample (N = 160) of women from the Nashville Birth Cohort. We compared mean plasma nutrient concentrations for women with and without BV during pregnancy (based on Nugent score ≥7) and assessed the odds of BV for those with 25-OH-D <12 ng/mL, folate <5 ug/L, and omega-6/omega-3 ratio >15.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean plasma 25-OH-D was significantly lower among women with BV during pregnancy (18.00±8.14 ng/mL versus 24.34±11.97 ng/mL, P = 0.044). The adjusted odds of BV were significantly increased among pregnant women with 25-OH-D <12 ng/mL (aOR 5.11, 95% CI: 1.19-21.97) and folate <5 ug/L (aOR 7.06, 95% CI: 1.07-54.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D and folate deficiencies were strongly associated with BV (Nugent score ≥7) during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. amlang@emory.edu
authors.forename: Anne L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.forename: Robert N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Vin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tangpricha
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fortunato
authors.forename: Ramkumar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000097:blood; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013714:Tennessee / Q000453:epidemiology; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D014807:Vitamin D; D005492:Folic Acid; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D