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Vitamin D 'could boost fertility in women with ovulation problems'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:54 PM on 11th November 2008

Vitamin D could boost the fertility of women suffering from ovulation problems, a new study has found.

The vitamin - found in oily fish and eggs - helped to restore regular periods, thereby improving 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.

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 per cent of the 67 women were found to have normal vitamin D levels while 66 per cent had low levels of vitamin D and 27 per cent 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.

A second study found that taking cholesterol-lowering statins also helped regulate periods in women with PCOS.

It involved researchers from the University of California, who recruited 55 women with PCOS.

The women had had an average of around two periods each in the last six months.

They were randomly split into three groups, with the first given 20mg per day of the statin simvastatin.

The second group received 1,700mg per day of metformin (a drug prescribed for PCOS), while the third were given a combination of both drugs.

Over six months of treatment, those on the statin saw their number of periods boosted by 89 per cent. This compared with 36 per cent among those on metformin and 68 per cent among those on both drugs.

The researchers said: 'This study demonstrates for the first time that simvastatin improves menstrual regularity in women with PCOS.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...problems.html#

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