Vitamin D and Female Reproduction

Heba Elhusseini, Daria Lizneva, Larisa Gavrilova‐Jordan, Noura Eziba, Mohamed Abdelaziz, Soumia Brakta, Sunil K. Halder, Ayman Al‐Hendy
In: A Critical Evaluation of Vitamin D - Basic Overview · 2017 · doi:10.5772/64502 · W2606156764
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 ⓘ

This review examines vitamin D's roles in female reproduction, including its effects on fibroids, endometriosis, PCOS, obstetrical outcomes, ART success, overactive bladder, and cancer risk.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-10 ⓘ

This review discusses vitamin D’s roles in female reproduction, synthesizing evidence that vitamin D deficiency is common globally and may be linked to several gynecologic and reproductive outcomes, including uterine fibroids, endometriosis, obstetrical complications, and effects relevant to assisted reproduction. It summarizes data showing lower serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels associated with increased risk and severity of uterine leiomyoma, alongside in vitro and animal findings that vitamin D3 can suppress leiomyoma cell proliferation and apoptosis-related markers and modulate growth- and fibrosis-related pathways; a key limitation explicitly noted across the field is that causal relationships and supplementation benefits remain unclear and more clinical trials are needed. The paper also reviews evidence that the relationship between vitamin D status and pregnancy rates in ART remains debatable. Relevance to endometriosis: the review cites “a growing evidence” linking vitamin D deficiency to endometriosis via overexpression of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and α-hydroxylase, though it states it is still unclear whether endometriosis patients benefit from vitamin D supplementation, while its main focus is broader female reproductive biology and vitamin D’s links to fibroids and other conditions.

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Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency has an impact on the reproduction of more than 40% of reproductive age women globally. Fibroids are more common among African-American females owing to their decreased milk consumption and reduced absorption of ultraviolet rays, supporting the relation between vitamin D deficiency and fibroid development. Vitamin D has an inhibitory effect on leiomyoma cells by suppression of proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), BCL-2, BCL-w, CDK1, and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) protein levels. A growing evidence support the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and endometriosis through overexpression of vitamin D recseptor (VDR) and α-hydroxylase enzyme, however, it is still unclear if the endometriosis patients could benefit from vitamin D supplementation. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on the metabolic outcomes of polycystic ovary (PCO) has been studied and reveled that it is negatively correlated with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, free androgen index, and Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS) and positively associated with quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and sexual hormone binding globulin (SHBG), whereas its impact on the ovarian function is still unclear. Vitamin D deficiency may worse the obstetrical outcomes, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight, increased cesarean section rate, neonatal asthma, seizures, and preterm labor. The relationship between serum levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH) D) and pregnancy rates in ART is still debatable, with the need to conduct more clinical trials toward it. The in vitro antiproliferative and prodifferentiative effect of vitamin D might find a role in control of hyperplastic overactive bladder. Several studies support that vitamin D deficiency constitutes a risk factor for development of many types of cancer such as breast, ovarian, and colorectal.

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endometriosis

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