Vitamin D Boosts IVF Success

Check your vitamin D levels *before* your IVF is the take-home message from a new study on the impact of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ on IVF success rates. If your levels are low, swiftly replenishing vitamin D stores to reach optimal levels could give you the extra bit of help that you need to succeed. It’s just great when safe, affordable and natural remedies like this can make such a positive impact on pregnancy success.

This innovative new study analyzed the vitamin D levels within ovarian follicles and also in serum - a test not usually offered as part of an IVF work-up. Because vitamin D testing is not routinely offered women can sail through all the required pre-IVF testing and proceed with their IVF cycle while being chronically deficient in this critical fertility nutrient now known to impair success rates.

In this study eighty four couples undergoing IVF were followed, and at the end of ovarian hyper-stimulation the amounts of vitamin D (25 OH-D) within their follicles was measured. Blood levels of vitamin D were also measured and the results showed that vitamin D levels both in serum and within the follicles tightly correlated with IVF success. The researchers concluded that:

“Our findings that women with higher vitamin D level in their serum and FF (follicular fluid) are significantly more likely to achieve CP (clinical pregnancy) following IVF-embryo transfer are novel. A potential for benefit of vitamin D supplementation on treatment success in infertile patients undergoing IVF is suggested and merits further investigation.”

If you are pursuing *any* fertility treatments, ask your physician for a 25 OH-D (25 hydroxy vitamin D test) and get your levels checked. Many experts recommend optimal levels to be between 50 and 80 ng/ml which is higher than the normal range on most laboratory reports. 'Normal' is not necessarily optimal.

If your vitamin D levels are low, your physician may prescribe vitamin D and keep a check on your progress. If you are self-prescribing the best form of vitamin D to purchase is vitamin D3. Up to 4000 iu’s per day have been used in studies even in pregnancy.

Ask your physician for guidance on how much you should take and get your levels re-checked to make sure you are taking enough. Vitamin D can be replenished very quickly with super-high doses under medical supervision which your physician should be able to offer if you need results fast.

This study is great news for anyone pursuing infertility treatments - whether by IVF or any other means of producing follicles - vitamin D is a new essential nutrient to take along with your prenatal vitamin.


Reference: ‘Replete Vitamin D Stores Predict Reproductive Success Following In-Vitro-Fertilization.‘ Vol 94 Issue 4 p1314-1319 Sept 2010, Ozkan et al.