It is known that vitamin D is a key player in the absorption of calcium into the body to strengthen bones and teeth. However, it is found that vitamin D is not only vital to bone and teeth, but also plays an important role in pregnancy and is associated with infertility.
What causes vitamin D deficiency?
The study of vitamin D deficiency in Thai populations found that 45.2% of Thais have vitamin D deficiency, which causes various health problems such as osteoporosis, weak muscle, and high blood pressure. The causes of vitamin D deficiency are:
-People tend to spend most of day indoor
-Avoid staying under the sun, or wear sunscreen. These behaviors reduce UVB absorption, which therefore decrease vitamin D production.
-Inappropriate diet may lead to insufficient vitamin D intake to meet the needs of the body.
-Some diseases, such as liver disease, kidney disease, or excess body fat, may also be responsible for vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D and Infertility
For women who want to perform an assisted reproductive technology, it is important to take care themselves to prevent vitamin D deficiencies. Due to Vitamin D helps the reproduction, nourish eggs as well as embryo implantation. The effect of vitamin D levels on the success rate of assisted reproductive technology was studied. It has shown that women with high levels of vitamin D in blood and follicular fluid have a significantly higher successful pregnancy rate than those with lower levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D also plays an important role in the male reproductive system, which is involved in the process of spermatogenesis and sperm motility.
Although all studies have not yet reached a distinctive conclusion about vitamin D function and reproductive systems of both women and men, but it marks a promising beginning for various researches and helps people realize that vitamin D has more benefits than just osteoporosis prevention.
Written by
Dr.Sirisuk Ouitrakul