Have you ever given attention to how much exposure to the sun you get daily? Is there a relationship between vitamin D and fertility in both male and female?
With the lockdown that the world experienced in 2020 as a result of COVID-19, there is likely increase in the number of persons with vitamin D deficiency.
A deficiency in vitamin D, which could occur as a result of low level of exposure to the sun, is a delicate situation.
Consider your activity and see if you deprive your body of sunlight unknowingly.
Fir instance, some person’s activities is a sign that they are likely to have vitamin D deficiency.
They wake up very early in the morning before sunrise and dash out to work. They do their best to beat morning traffic.
Work begins for them once they get to the office. Their air-conditioned office provide them a great working environment and till evening time, they hardly see the sun.
For people in reproductive age, this daily routine could be a dangerous road to walk.
Unfortunately, not many of them are away of any relationship between vitamin D and fertility.
One of the reasons is that they may not consciously add vitamin D supplements to their diet.
As a result, they lack this very important vitamin that plays a role in calcium absorption and bone health.
Indeed, this vitamin is one that people hardly get enough of.
In the United States for instance, an estimated 40% of adults have a vitamin D deficiency (1).
What Are The Sources Of Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is available in different foods that you see everyday.
Fatty fish, like tuna, mackerel, and salmon provide you vitamin D.
Also, other foods – dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, and cereals – are fortified with vitamin D.
You can also add beef, liver, cheese and egg yolks to your diet for this amazing vitamin.
Vitamin D From Sunlight
You may have heard people talk abut vitamin D as “the sunshine vitamin”.
The truth is that the sun is your best source of vitamin D.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol.
Basically, when the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, they provide the energy for vitamin D synthesis to occur.
While vitamin D is essential for optimal health it also helps the cells in your gut to absorb calcium and phosphorus.
These are 2 minerals that are essential for maintaining strong and healthy bones.
Also, we will not fail to mention that low level of vitamin D in your body could cause osteoporosis, cancer, depression, muscle weakness and even death.
Vitamin D And Fertility
One interesting thing about this vitamin is that it supports fertility in both male and female.
According to a study, vitamin D deficiency is a risk marker for reduced fertility and various adverse pregnancy outcomes (2).
The study further highlights that vitamin D deficiency is very common in pregnant and lactating women and is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes.
Another study compared clinical pregnancy and live birth between those who did or did not meet the vitamin D Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) intake.
The study among 132 women found that 37.1% did not meet the vitamin D EAR and.
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It reports that clinical pregnancies were significantly higher among women who met the vitamin D EAR (67.5% vs. 49.0%) and with sufficient serum 25(OH)D (64.3% vs. 38.9%) compared to those who did not.
Also, live births were higher among those who met the vitamin D EAR (59.0% vs. 40.0%) (3).
For men, another study says vitamin D is positively associated with semen quality and androgen status (4).
It suggests that vitamin D treatment might increase testosterone levels.
Basically, these studies highlight the need for every human of reproductive age to expose themselves to sunlight.
Since the sun is the most reliable source of vitamin D, it makes sense to once in a while expose your body to sunlight for few minutes.
Note that a longer period of time would pose adverse effect.
A woman that needs to conceive, requires adequate calcium for her body to be ready for conception.
Now, you have different sources of vitamin D to explore, as much as the sun offers you a lot on this.
Take advantage of them as much as you can, as you prepare your body for conception.