Vitamin D and Fertility

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that the human body needs to help create sex hormones and to regulate cell growth. This is why Vitamin D is so important for getting pregnant. Vitamin D provides various health benefits, including reducing the risk for certain types of cancer, treating depression, building strong bones, and improving fertility. According to a study performed by Yale University School of Medicine which involved 67 infertile women, only 7 percent of the women who participated in the study had healthy Vitamin D levels. The remaining women in the study were Vitamin D deficient.

In fact, women who are Vitamin D deficient often suffer from PMS and PCOS, in addition to infertility; 39 percent of the women with infertility had ovulatory disturbance and 38 percent had PCOS. Therefore, researchers concluded that maintaining healthy Vitamin D levels could help women get pregnant.

How to Increase Vitamin D Levels

You can naturally increase Vitamin D levels by simply sitting out in the sun for 15 to 20 minutes each day if you live in a climate where this is feasible. This amount of time allows the female body to create between 10,000 and 25,000 IU of Vitamin D.

For the women who do not live in a climate where sun exposure is possible, eggs, fish, and dairy products are great sources of Vitamin D, as are fish oil or cod liver oil supplements. But what about women with dairy allergies or who are vegan or vegetarians? This is where vitamin supplements can help. Most Vitamin D supplements can be purchased over the counter at any grocery store or pharmacy, but be sure to read the label carefully to make sure that you purchase Vitamin D3, not Vitamin D2.