Does Vitamin D Deficiency Cause PCOS?

Not getting your period regularly? That could be because you're not getting enough sun. I'm not kidding you.

According to the latest research on vitamin D, presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in San Francisco, women with ovulation problems or PCOS were far more likely to be lacking in vitamin D than the other women.

The study, led by researchers at Yale University, involved 67 women, of whom 18 had problems ovulating.

Apparently, 93 percent of women who are infertile are deficient in Vitamin D. Yikes!

"Of note, not a single patient with either ovulatory disturbance or polycystic ovary syndrome demonstrated normal Vitamin D levels; 39 per cent of those with ovulatory disturbance and 38 per cent of those with PCOS had serum 25OHD levels consistent with deficiency." -- Dr. Lubna Pal of Yale, quote in the Telegraph

Not surprised on this one. Vitamin D is super important for our health. And few of us get enough of it.

So how can us PCOS gals get more Vitamin D?

(On a side note, I find this subhead about the vitamin quite comical: "Getting enough of this nutrient could help lower your risk of death" - as if there was a way to lower your risk of death.)

• Eat D. A whole lot of Vitamin D. You can get it in wild salmon, atlantic mackerel, sardines, shrimp, skim and 1% low-fat milk, shittake mushrooms, fortified yogurts and cereals

• Supplement D. Yea, that's an obvious one. MSNBC recommends taking a multivitamin which provides at least the Daily Value, 400 IU.

• Sun D. It's good for you. Forget going on an all-seafood, all supplement diet (though that's not a bad idea regardless.) Did you know that our bodies produce enough vitamin D through exposure to sunlight? Given the current state of the economy, would you rather buy a vitamin D supplement or go out in the sun a few times a week? Just enjoy the sun for about 15 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week. Any longer than that and it may feel good, but it's no longer good for you.

Some other things you should know about vitamin D...

Vitamin D...

Regulates the calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood by promoting their absorption from food in the intestines, and by promoting re-absorption of calcium in the kidneys, which enables normal mineralization of bone and prevents hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth. It also inhibits parathyroid hormone secretion from the parathyroid gland. [via wikipedia]

Remember, I'm no doctor, I just make educated guesses based on the research posted on the Internet, and my own diet and health experiments with my PCOS body.

There have been multiple studies abut the role of calcium in ovulation and fertility.

Calcium appears to improve insulin sensitivity. In one study, people taking calcium supplements had reduced insulin levels and improved insulin sensitivity as compared to people who did not take the supplements. Looking at a related disorder, metabolic syndrome, a recent study claims that exercise and calcium helps control the disorder.

I often find that when I do have a period, I ate a meal of eggs with milk a day or two before. Seems tied to my once-in-a-blue-dotted-and-striped-moon-mensturation.

Have you had any positive results adding vitamin D and/or calcium to your diet?