The Effects of Serum and Follicular Fluid Vitamin D Levels on Assisted Reproductive Techniques: A Prospective Cohort Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Animal Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran

3 Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center, Isfahan, Iran

4 School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Background: Based on studies on animal models, vitamin D plays an essential role in reproduction by controlling
Ca and Mg levels. Despite these findings, the effects of vitamin D deficiency and supplementation on the outcome of
assisted reproductive techniques (ART) remain controversial. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the
relationship between serum and follicular fluid 25-OH vitamin D levels on reproductive outcomes of infertile women.
Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study included 150 infertile women who underwent in vitro fertilization
(IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The participants were allocated to one of the three groups according
to their serum and follicular fluid 25-OH vitamin D concentrations (less than 10 ng/ml, between 10 and 30 ng/ml and more than 30 ng/ml), and fertilization, cleavage and biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates were compared among the groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS software and using Chi-square and Spearman correlation coefficient.
Results: Serum and follicular fluid vitamin D levels significantly correlated with biochemical (P=0.008), (P=0.003)
and clinical pregnancy (P=0.017), (P=0.001) rates respectively . However, the quality of embryos (P=0.125), (P=0.106)
and fertilization rate (P=0.082), (P=0.059) were not associated with the level of serum and follicular fluid vitamin D.
Conclusion: This study found that women with higher levels of vitamin D in their serum and follicular fluid are significantly more likely to achieve pregnancy but without affecting the quality of embryo and fertility rate.

Keywords

References

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International Journal of Fertility and Sterility
Volume 15, Issue 4 - Serial Number 60
October 2021
Pages 280-285

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