Vitamin D in human reproduction: the more, the better? An evidence-based critical appraisal.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2017 Sep;21(18):4243-4251.
Laganà AS1, Vitale SG, Ban Frangež H, Vrtačnik-Bokal E, D'Anna R.
Unit of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Human Pathology in Adulthood and Childhood "G. Barresi", University of Messina, Messina, Italy. antlagana@unime.it.
- Preconception vitamin D is great - every extra 10 ng associated with 10 percent more likely to have live birth – Aug 2018
- IVF 60 percent more successful if woman had sufficient vitamin D – Dec 2017
- Birth rates doubled with Vitamin D - 300,000 for infertile men – RCT Nov 2017
- Women with more than minimum vitamin D were 3.4 X more likely to achieve pregnancy and 1.6 X more likely to have live births – June 2017
- Ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby - take Vitamin D before conception
- In-vitro Fertilization costs at least 10,000 dollars, Vitamin D costs 5 dollars
Optimum
- Vitamin D - at least 4,000 IU to achieve 40-60 ng and reduce risk of early death – Holick June 2018
- Vitamin D sufficiency 10 to 30 ng, optimal 40 to 80 ng (no consensus)– May 2018
- Is 50 ng of vitamin D too high, just right, or not enough
Vitamin D greatly improves Fertility
- Vitamin D is needed for human fertility – goal is 50 ng – Sept 2018
- In-vitro Fertilization costs at least 10,000 dollars, Vitamin D costs 5 dollars
- Women were 50X more likely to be fertile if just 1 ng higher level of vitamin D – Nov 2024
- Infertile patients 1.7X more-likely to become pregnant if take Vitamin D – meta-analysis Feb 2023
- Live birth 1.7 X more likely after IVF if good level of vitamin D – meta-analysis Aug 2020
- If diagnosed infertile, more likely to have live birth if Vitamin D fortification – Feb 2020
- Preconception vitamin D is great - every extra 10 ng associated with 10 percent more likely to have live birth – Aug 2018
- Women with more than minimum vitamin D were 3.4 X more likely to achieve pregnancy and 1.6 X more likely to have live births – June 2017
- Assisted Reproduction – 5 studies concluded vitamin D repletion helps – Review March 2015
- Pregnancy success increased 30 percent if sunny (or vitamin D) one month earlier – June 2015
- IVF 4X more successful for white women with lots of vitamin D – many studies
Increased male Vitamin D increases fertility
- Birth rates doubled with Vitamin D - 300,000 for infertile men – RCT Nov 2017
- Higher vitamin D results in 22% fewer abnormal sperm (Mendelian analysis) – May 2024
- Conception was 3.7X more likely if the male had a good level of Vitamin D – July 2022
- Far better sperm in fertility clinic if more than 30 ng of Vitamin D - June 2022
- Fertility (sperm) associated with vitamin D – meta-analysis Sept 2019
- Infertility - 71 percent of the time of BOTH partners had less than 20 ng of Vitamin D – Aug 2017
- Male fertility 4 X higher if high Vitamin D – Nov 2015
- Vitamin D somewhat assists reproduction – both the mother and the father – May 2014
Decreased Fertility if decreased Vitamin D Receptor
Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
OBJECTIVE:
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble secosteroid hormone that regulates calcium, magnesium, and phosphate homeostasis and plays a pivotal role as antiproliferative and immunomodulatory mediator. Considering the different sources of synthesis and dietary intake as well as the pleiotropic actions in extremely diverse (micro) environments of the body, the supplementation of this Vitamin should be carefully evaluated taking into account the several pathways that it regulates. In the current brief review, we aimed to summarize the available evidence about the topic, in order to suggest the best evidence-based supplementation strategy for human reproduction, avoiding the unuseful (and sometimes hazardous) empiric supplementation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Narrative overview, synthesizing the findings of literature retrieved from searches of computerized databases.
RESULTS:
Accumulating evidence from in vitro fertilization (IVF) trials suggests that fertilization rate decreases significantly with increasing levels of 25OH-D in follicular fluid; in addition, Vitamin D levels in the follicular fluid are negatively correlated to the quality of embryos and the higher values of Vitamin D are associated with lower possibility to achieve pregnancy. Both low and high Vitamin D serum concentrations decrease not only spermatozoa count, but their progressive motility as well as increase morphological abnormalities. Finally, studies in animal models found that severe hypervitaminosis D can reduce the total skeletal calcium store in embryos and may compromise the postnatal survival.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the retrieved data, we solicit to be extremely selective in deciding for Vitamin D supplementation, since its excess may play a detrimental role in fertility.
From Conclusions
"Finally, Vitamin D should be supplemented at appropriate dosage and, according to the most updated recommendations [106], only if serum concentration falls below 50 ng/ml (equivalent to 125 nmol/L)"