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Shedding new light on female fertility: The role of vitamin D

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Abstract

In the last decades several studies suggested that vitamin D is involved in the modulation of the reproductive process in women due to the expression of VDR and 1α-hydroxylase in reproductive tissues such as ovary, uterus, placenta, pituitary and hypothalamus. Vitamin D has also a role in the regulation of sex hormone steroidogenesis. Increasing evidence suggests that vitamin D might have a regulatory role in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-associated symptoms, including ovulatory dysfunction, insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism. Vitamin D deficiency also has been reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis due to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Although most of the studies supported a role of vitamin D in the onset of these diseases, randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation have never been performed. In this review we critically discuss the role of vitamin D in female fertility, starting from in vitro and in vivo studies, focusing our attention on the two most frequent causes of female infertility: PCOS and endometriosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ios and Coleman Medicina Futura Medical Center, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Section of Endocrinology, University “Federico II”, Via Sergio Pasini, 580121, Naples, Italy

    Giovanna Muscogiuri & Cristina de Angelis

  2. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Institute of Medical Pathology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

    Barbara Altieri

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, 42123, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Stefano Palomba

  4. Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Rosario Pivonello & Annamaria Colao

  5. Department of Sports Science and Wellness, “Parthenope” University Naples, Naples, Italy

    Francesco Orio

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  1. Giovanna Muscogiuri
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  2. Barbara Altieri
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  3. Cristina de Angelis
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Correspondence to Giovanna Muscogiuri.

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Giovanna Muscogiuri and Barbara Altieri contributed equally to this work.

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Muscogiuri, G., Altieri, B., de Angelis, C. et al. Shedding new light on female fertility: The role of vitamin D. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 18, 273–283 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-017-9407-2

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