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Lifestyle and Environment · Nutrition and Metabolic Health

Effects of Vitamin D on Fertility, Pregnancy and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-A Review

Várbíró S, Takács I, Tűű L, Nas K, Sziva RE, Hetthéssy JR, Török M

Published April 15, 2022 Nutrients, 14(8)
DOI 10.3390/nu14081649 PMID 35458211 PMC PMC9029121

RRM Academy Synopsis

Vitamin D Deficiency Is Common in PCOS and Linked to Worse Fertility

A 2022 review of vitamin D research in PCOS and pregnancy reports that vitamin D deficiency affects 67–85% of women with PCOS. PCOS is also called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). Low vitamin D is linked to poorer fertility and pregnancy outcomes. The authors searched PubMed through September 2021.

Key Findings

  • Vitamin D deficiency occurs in 67–85% of women with PCOS, and the authors report that its degree correlates with the severity of PCOS.
  • After ovulation induction, live births were lower by 44% (OR: 0.58) in women with PCOS and low vitamin D levels.
  • Women with severe vitamin D deficiency delivered almost four times as often by cesarean section (OR 3.48) as women with higher levels.
  • The authors associate vitamin D deficiency with a possible higher risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, spontaneous premature birth and bacterial vaginosis. Large observational studies did not confirm the preeclampsia link.
  • In animal experiments, female and male mice lacking the vitamin D receptor had impaired reproductive function.

Interpretation

The paper is a narrative review. The authors searched PubMed, included reviews and meta-analyses, added select articles and discussed animal studies. The review reports no new patient data and pools no results. Most human findings it cites are associations. The authors note that vitamin D studies often contradict each other because of small samples, varied doses and uneven measurement of vitamin D levels. The review does not test whether correcting low vitamin D raises the chance of a baby in women with PCOS.

RRM Context

The review calls the cause of PCOS multifactorial. The authors cite evidence that insulin resistance also plays a key role. Vitamin D status is one measurable factor among several. Restorative reproductive medicine looks for each contributing factor in a woman's own body. This paper adds vitamin D to the factors linked to PCOS outcomes.

Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine reproductive disorders in women. Vitamin D deficiency is also quite common in this condition. The degree of vitamin D deficiency correlates with the severity of PCOS. Both male and female vitamin D levels play a role in fertility and affect the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Moreover, fertility and IVF indicators are improved by vitamin D not only in healthy women but in those diagnosed with PCOS. Both vitamin D deficiency and PCOS increase pregnancy-related complications. Vitamin D supplementation and optimal vitamin D levels decrease both maternal and fetal risk for complications and adverse events. Furthermore, vitamin D supplementation may ameliorate or even prevent pregnancy-related reversible bone loss in mothers. This review emphasizes the roles of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D supplementation and their correlation with PCOS regarding reproductive health.

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By this author

Related research

Lifestyle and Environment › Nutrition and Metabolic Health › Dietary Patterns
Szabolcs Várbíró, István Takács, László Tűű, Katalin Nas, Réka Eszter Sziva, Judit Réka Hetthéssy, Marianna Török
S Várbíró, I Takács, L Tűű, K Nas, R Sziva, J Hetthéssy, M Török
PMID 35458211 35458211 DOI 10.3390/nu14081649 10.3390/nu14081649 Várbíró et al. 2022, Várbíró 2022

Keywords

PCOS, female fertility, in vitro fertilization, male fertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnancy, reproductive health, vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplementation

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