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Elevated vitamin D levels may increase chances of success of IVF
Women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) may improve their chances of getting pregnant by increasing their vitamin D supply, suggests a new study from Canada.
The observational study assessed the blood vitamin D concentrations and pregnancy rate of 173 women (aged between 18 and 41 years) undergoing IVF treatment (1). The study results showed that 55% of the participants had sufficient vitamin D levels (above 30 ng/ml) while 45% had insufficient levels (below
30 ng/ml). Women with sufficient levels had a significantly higher pregnancy rate (53%) than women with insufficient levels (35%). Additionally, the rate of implantation (when the embryo attaches to the uterus wall) was higher in the group with sufficient vitamin D supply (35%) than in the insufficient group (26%), although this finding was not significant.
The researchers concluded that vitamin D supplementation may be a cost-effective way for improving fertility and examining vitamin D levels as part of routine fertility assessment may be beneficial. More research is needed, as the mechanism by which vitamin D affects fertility is still unclear.
References
- Garbedian K. et al. Effect of vitamin D status on clinical pregnancy rates following in vitro fertilization. Canadian Medical Association Journal Open. 2013; 1(2):77-82.