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Can vitamin D improve fertility?

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2 fertility expert(s) answered this question

Answer from: Xanthi Maragkoudaki, MSc, ANutr, PhD

Dietician / nutritionist, Lecturer in Nutrition and Public Health at University of Westminster
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The role of vitamin D in fertility is not the most straightforward one but it is related. Research shows as well that it’s very strongly related to Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome, a syndrome that actually causes infertility quite often in women – it’s one of the main causes of fertility in women. So, having an adequate vitamin D deficiency. As well vitamin D has to do with the depression, with a hormonal imbalance in general so, having sufficient vitamin D is very important and getting it through supplements as well in this occasion is very important as especially if you live in the country like the UK, in the winter months you don’t get enough sunshine and this sunshine to the skin is the main source of vitamin D. Other source of vitamin D is the eggs, the crustaceans food and oily fish, also mushrooms can also have an amount of vitamin D however, it is recommended to get a supplement of vitamin D – especially in the winter months.

Answer from: Stephen Davies, BSc MBBS DCH DRCOG

Gynaecologist, IVF specialist & retired NHS GP
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try and steer back towards that sort of diet where you’re using fresh produce and thinking about what you’re eating. If you do that it’s rare that you’re actually deficient in important vitamins and minerals with the possible exception of vitamin D which certainly in the northern part of Europe it’s difficult to get enough vitamin D in your diet and there’s rarely enough sunshine to actually generate vitamin D in the skin. So, I think as we’ve understood and started measuring vitamin D and the general population in northern Europe anyway I would advise all ladies of reproductive age alongside taking their preconception folic acid, to takes low-dose vitamin D approximately a thousand units per day which you can buy over the counter in the whole of Europe and that might be in the context of a broader nutritional supplement but as long as those two key features are within it the folic acid and vitamin D that they are I think just their their standard recommendations that all ladies should be thinking about.

About this question:

Can lack of vitamin D affect fertility?

Is supplementation of Vitamin D recommended when trying to conceive? Is there a limit of vitamin D, can it be harmful?

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