Vitamin D 'could boost fertility'
Updated on 11 November 2008
A vitamin found in oily fish and eggs could improve fertility in some women, a new study found.
Vitamin D helped to restore regular periods, thereby boosting the chances of conception.
The women in the study suffered ovulation problems or were diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), where cysts form on the ovaries.
A second study found that taking cholesterol-lowering statins also helped regulate periods in women with PCOS.
The condition is thought to affect around one in five women in the UK and symptoms include irregular or no periods, problems getting pregnant, excess body hair and being overweight.
The latest research on vitamin D, presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in San Francisco, involved 67 women, of whom 18 had problems ovulating.
Of these, 13 suffered from PCOS, which was the main reason for their infertility. Only 7% of the 67 women were found to have normal vitamin D levels while 66% had low levels of vitamin D and 27% were clinically deficient.
The researchers, led by a group from Yale University School of Medicine, said those with ovulation problems or PCOS were far more likely to be lacking in vitamin D than the other women. They suggested that women with these conditions should be given vitamin D to help restore their periods.
People get most of their vitamin D from the sun but it can be a struggle to get enough in the winter months. The vitamin is also found in liver, fortified breakfast cereals and margarine, and can be taken as a supplement.
A lack of vitamin D can lead to weakened bones and, in the most extreme cases, to rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
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