Fertility in both women and men improves with more vitamin D (but less than 50 ng for men) – Dec 2013

The role of vitamin D in impaired fertility treatment.

Neuro endocrinology letters (Impact Factor: 0.93). 12/2013; 34(8):756-62.
Barbara Grzechocinska, Filip A Dabrowski, Anna Cyganek, Miroslaw Wielgos

Vitamin D is currently in the scope of research in many fields of medicine. Despite that its influence on health remains uncertain.
This paper presents the review of the publications concerning the role of calciferol in reproduction processes and its significance in infertility therapy covering topics of

• polycystic ovary syndrome,
• endometriosis infertility,
• myoma infertility,
• male infertility,
• premature ovary failure and
• in vitro fertilization techniques.

The results of latest research articles in those fields has been discussed and summarized. The deficiency of vitamin defined as the concentration of 25-hydroxycalciferol <20 ng/ml is frequently noted in patients of fertility clinics. Serum vitamin D concentration in healthy women is higher comparing to PCOS patients. The supplementation with vitamin D should be applied in the schemes of PCOS treatment both due to an improved insulin resistance and the results of infertility treatment. The explanation of vitamin D activity mechanism in patients with PCOS requires further research. Vitamin D have direct effect on AMH production, and thus increase longer maintenance of ovarian reserve in the patients with its higher concentration. The occurrence of uterine myomas in the group with vitamin D deficiency was evaluated as much higher comparing to controls. On the other hand it is supposed that high concentration of calciferol may be related to an impaired elimination of endometrial cells passing to peritoneal cavity via ovarian reflux causing endometriosis.

In male infertility both low (<20 ng/ml) and high (>50 ng/ml) concentration of vitamin D in serum negatively affects spermatozoa number per ml of semen, their progressive movement and morphology.

Significant differences as a response on ovulation stimulation, number and quality of embryos depending on vitamin D concentration were not observed in none of the analyzed papers concerning the role of vitamin D in in vitro fertilization (IVF). Better results in patients without calciferol insufficiency are explained by reports about high concentration of vitamin D and its metabolites in human in decidua collected in the 1st trimester of pregnancy which suggests its contribution in proper implantation and local immunological preference of the embryo. It is accepted that the treatment requires vitamin D concentration below (VitaminDWiki suspects below should have been above) 20 ng/ml (up to 50 nmol/l), especially in obese women, these with insulin resistance and small ovarian reserve and in men with oligo- and asthenozoospermia.

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See also VitaminDWiki

• Fertility problem (PCOS) reduced by vitamin D, etc: many studies
• All items in category Fertility and Sperm 141 items
• Overview Conception and vitamin D
  Vitamin D increases fertility of BOTH the man and the woman.
  Each 1 ng increase in blood level of vitamin D increases fertility by 1%.
  You may not have heard much about it since Vitamin D was patented for fertility way back in 1990.
  Vitamin D has been used by zoos and vets for a long time to increase birth rate
• In-vitro Fertilization costs at least 10,000 dollars, Vitamin D costs 5 dollars
• Search VitaminDWiki for “U SHAPED” 303 items as of Oct 2014
• Is too much vitamin D bad – possible causes and cures
• Authors reference for less sperm if > 50 ng is on VitaminDWiki:
     Semen worse when vitamin D lower than 20 or higher than 50 ng – Oct 2012

 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki.