What does fact checked mean?
At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- “Reproductive Toxicology”; Developmental Toxicity of Ethanol in Chick Heart In Ovo and In Micromass Culture Can Be Prevented by Addition of Vitamin C and Folic Acid; S. Memon, et al.; September 2009
- “Reproductive Toxicology”; Developmental Toxicity of Ethanol in Chick Heart In Ovo and In Micromass Culture Can Be Prevented by Addition of Vitamin C and Folic Acid; S. Memon, et al.; September 2009
- Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews; Vitamin Supplementation for Preventing Miscarriage; Alice Rumbold, et al.; January 2011
- Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews; Vitamin Supplementation for Preventing Miscarriage; Alice Rumbold, et al.; January 2011
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
Will Vitamin C Cause a Miscarriage?
Multivitamin supplementation during pregnancy may be beneficial to prevent a miscarriage, but vitamin C, in particular, does not appear to have any affect on the outcome of pregnancy in women. Indeed, vitamin C supplementation may be helpful to improve the sperm quality of men whose spouses with repeated miscarriages. You should always consult your physician before taking vitamin C or any dietary supplement, particularly if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
Vitamin C and Miscarriage
Vitamin supplementation does not reduce the frequency of miscarriage in women, according to research published in 2011 in the online Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2. The authors reviewed 28 clinical trials to assess the effects of several types of vitamins on pregnancy outcomes. They reviewed more than 60,000 cases and that found vitamin supplementation of any kind, including vitamin C, did not have any significant effect on fetal loss. The authors did, however, conclude that women taking vitamin supplements were more likely to have a multiple birth.
- Vitamin supplementation does not reduce the frequency of miscarriage in women, according to research published in 2011 in the online Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2.
- They reviewed more than 60,000 cases and that found vitamin supplementation of any kind, including vitamin C, did not have any significant effect on fetal loss.
Preeclampsia
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A 2005 study conducted at the University of Adelaide in Australia investigated the effects of vitamin C on preeclampsia, a condition resulting in hypertension of the fetus and mother, which has been associated with an increased rate of miscarriage. The authors reviewed five clinical trials, involving 76 women, and found no association between the frequency of preeclampsia or stillbirth and vitamin C intake. The authors also found that vitamin C was associated with preterm births, but, they cautioned in the Cochrane Database, the study size was too limited to draw defendable conclusions.
Sperm Quality and Miscarriage
The quality of a man’s sperm has been liked with the incidence of miscarriages in their spouses before 12 weeks of gestation. An article in the August 2009 issue of the journal “Fertility and Sterility” explored the effects of vitamin C supplementation in men on the pregnancy outcomes of their spouses. The researchers recruited 17 men with a condition causing the fragmentation of their DNA in sperm, and whose spouses had miscarried two or more times. The men were given supplements of beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc for three months. The study found that the spouses of 53 percent of the men became pregnant and had a successful outcome.
- The quality of a man’s sperm has been liked with the incidence of miscarriages in their spouses before 12 weeks of gestation.
- An article in the August 2009 issue of the journal “Fertility and Sterility” explored the effects of vitamin C supplementation in men on the pregnancy outcomes of their spouses.
Vitamin C, Miscarriage and Alcohol
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Vitamin C supplementation may have beneficial effects in preventing damage to an embryo due to alcohol ingestion. Research published in 2009 in the journal “Reproductive Toxicology” assessed the effects of vitamin C on chicken cardiomyocytes, or precursor heart cells, previously exposed to ethyl alcohol. The researchers found that cells exposed to alcohol then supplemented with vitamin C had the same viability as control cells, which were not treated with alcohol.
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References
- “Reproductive Toxicology”; Developmental Toxicity of Ethanol in Chick Heart In Ovo and In Micromass Culture Can Be Prevented by Addition of Vitamin C and Folic Acid; S. Memon, et al.; September 2009
- Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews; Vitamin Supplementation for Preventing Miscarriage; Alice Rumbold, et al.; January 2011
- Holick MF, Gordon CM. Patient Guide to Vitamin D Deficiency. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2011;96(7):1-2. doi:10.1210/jcem.96.7.zeg33a
- Sunyecz JA. The use of calcium and vitamin D in the management of osteoporosis. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2008;4(4):827-836. doi:10.2147/tcrm.s3552
- Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Hollis BW, Rimm EB. 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of myocardial infarction in men: a prospective study. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(11):1174-1180. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.11.1174
- Gorham ED, Garland CF, Garland FC, et al. Optimal vitamin D status for colorectal cancer prevention: a quantitative meta analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2007;32(3):210-216. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2006.11.004
- Lappe JM, Travers-Gustafson D, Davies KM, Recker RR, Heaney RP. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;85(6):1586-1591. doi:10.1093/ajcn/85.6.1586
- Prentice RL, Pettinger MB, Jackson RD, et al. Health risks and benefits from calcium and vitamin D supplementation: Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial and cohort study. Osteoporos Int. 2013;24(2):567-580. doi:10.1007/s00198-012-2224-2
- Urashima M, Segawa T, Okazaki M, Kurihara M, Wada Y, Ida H. Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(5):1255-1260. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.29094
- Salehpour A, Hosseinpanah F, Shidfar F, et al. A 12-week double-blind randomized clinical trial of vitamin D₃ supplementation on body fat mass in healthy overweight and obese women. Nutr J. 2012;11:78. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-11-78
- Carrillo AE, Flynn MG, Pinkston C, et al. Impact of vitamin D supplementation during a resistance training intervention on body composition, muscle function, and glucose tolerance in overweight and obese adults. Clin Nutr. 2013;32(3):375-381. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2012.08.014
- Marcinowska-Suchowierska E, Kupisz-Urbańska M, Łukaszkiewicz J, Płudowski P, Jones G. Vitamin D Toxicity-A Clinical Perspective. Front Endocrinol. 2018;9:550. doi:10.3389/fendo.2018.00550
- Ross AC, Manson JE, Abrams SA, et al. The 2011 report on dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine: what clinicians need to know. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(1):53-58. doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2704
- Bouillon R, Van Schoor NM, Gielen E, et al. Optimal vitamin D status: a critical analysis on the basis of evidence-based medicine. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;98(8):E1283-E1304. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-1195
- American Academy of Dermatology. Position Statement of Vitamin D. 2010.
- Taksler GB, Cutler DM, Giovannucci E, Keating NL. Vitamin D deficiency in minority populations. Public Health Nutr. 2015;18(3):379-391. doi:10.1017/S1368980014000457
- Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, et al. Evaluation, treatment, and prevention of vitamin D deficiency: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(7):1911-1930. doi:10.1210/jc.2011-0385
- Cannell JJ, Vieth R, Umhau JC, et al. Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D. Epidemiol Infect. 2006; 134:1129-40.
- Carrillo AE1, Flynn MG, Pinkston C, Markofski MM, Jiang Y, Donkin SS, Teegarden D. Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation During a Resistance Training Intervention on Body Composition, Muscle Function, and Glucose Tolerance in Overweight and Obese Adults. Clin Nutr. 2013 Jun;32(3):375-81. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2012.08.014. Epub 2012 Aug 31.
- Ginde AA, Mansbach JM, Camargo CA, Jr. Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169:384-90.
- Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Hollis BW, Rimm EB. 25-hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Men: a Prospective Study. Arch Intern Med. 2008; 168:1174-80.
- Gorham ED, Garland CF, Garland FC, Grant WB, Mohr SB, Lipkin M, Newmark HL, Giovannucci E, Wei M, Holick MF. Optimal Vitamin D Status for Colorectal Cancer Prevention: a Quantitative Meta-analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2007 Mar;32(3):210-6.
- Heaney, Robert P. “The Vitamin D Requirement in Health and Disease.” The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 97 (2005):13-9.
- Holick MF. Vitamin D. In: Shils M, Olson J, Shike M, Ross AC, ed. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1999.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet. University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center. Effectiveness and Safety of Vitamin D in Relation to Bone Health. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Aug 2007: 07-E013.
- Salehpour A1, Hosseinpanah F, Shidfar F, Vafa M, Razaghi M, Dehghani S, Hoshiarrad A, Gohari M. A 12-week Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial of Vitamin D₃ Supplementation on Body Fat Mass in Healthy Overweight and Obese Women. Nutr J. 2012 Sep 22;11:78. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-11-78.
- Urashima M, Segawa T, Okazaki M, Kurihara M, Wada Y, Ida H. Randomized Trial of Vitamin D Supplementation to Prevent Seasonal Influenza A in Schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 91:1255-60. Epub 2010 Mar 10.
- Wilkins, Consuelo H. and Yvette I. Sheline, et al. “Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated with Low Mood and Worse Cognitive Performance in Older Adults.” American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 14 (2006): 1032-40.
Writer Bio
Sam Lupica began scientific writing in 2007, specializing in physiology, toxicology and reproductive biology. He teaches chemistry and biology, and has published several journal articles in "Aquaculture Research" as well as informational articles in online publications. Lupica is finishing a Ph.D. in medical science and has a Master of Science in physiology and pharmacology from the University of Toledo College of Medicine.