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Vitamin D Deficiency and Fertility: An Overview

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Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutrient Deprivation

Abstract

In recent years the interest in vitamin D is steadily growing. Numerous scientific publications and health guidebooks for the public have been published. Besides the well-known effects on calcium and bone metabolism, a positive impact of the sunshine vitamin on human wellbeing and health has been proposed. A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency according to established optimal values has been described, although no increase of the classical diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency, e.g., rachitis and osteomalacia, has been observed. Besides infants and the elderly, populations at risk include women of childbearing age. The discovery that human tissues with a role in reproductive function, e.g., ovaries, endometrium, and placenta, express the vitamin D receptor and enzymes involved in vitamin D metabolism, has provoked studies on the role of vitamin D in reproductive health. While observational studies suggest an association between low vitamin D status and impaired reproductive outcomes, there are only few high quality randomized clinical trials available that could prove causality. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge on vitamin D metabolism, epidemiology, and treatment of vitamin D deficiency with focus on women’s reproductive health.

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Abbreviations

aOR:

Adjusted odds ratio

AFC:

Antral follicle count

AMH:

Anti-mullerian hormone

CI:

Confidence interval

DBP:

Vitamin D-binding protein

7-(DHC):

7-Dehydrocholesterol

DGE:

German Nutrition Society

FSH:

Follicle stimulating hormone

25(OH)D:

25-Hydroxyvitamin D

1,25(OH)2D:

1,25-Dihydoxyvitamin D

IL-8:

Interleukin-8

IR:

Insulin resistance

IOM:

Institute of Medicine

IVF:

In vitro-fertilization

LH:

Luteinising hormone

PCOS:

Polycystic ovary syndrome

PTH:

Parathyroid hormone

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

RDA:

Recommended dietary allowance

RXR:

Retinoic acid receptor

VDR:

Vitamin D receptor

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  1. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

    Bianca Schröder-Heurich & Frauke von Versen-Höynck

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  1. Bianca Schröder-Heurich
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  2. Frauke von Versen-Höynck
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Correspondence to Frauke von Versen-Höynck .

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  1. Diabetes & Nutritional Sci Div Sch, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor Preedy

  2. Clinical Biochemistry, University of Westminster, Westminster, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Schröder-Heurich, B., von Versen-Höynck, F. (2017). Vitamin D Deficiency and Fertility: An Overview. In: Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Handbook of Famine, Starvation, and Nutrient Deprivation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_44-2

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    Vitamin D Deficiency and Fertility: An Overview
    Published:
    25 October 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_44-2

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    Vitamin D Deficiency and Fertility: An Overview
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    21 July 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40007-5_44-1

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