Many people with obesity face infertility issues and seek infertility treatment or procedures. A recent article linked Vitamin D status to improved success rate of IVF (in-vito fertilization) & ICSI (interacytoplasmic sperm injection) in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. It is important to check Vitamin D status for infertility treatment.

Here are the researchers results:

• Of the 252 females that completed the ICSI cycle, 42% became pregnant (n = 108).
• The mean vitamin D status was significantly higher in the pregnant group compared to the non-pregnant group (17.74 ng/ml vs 9 ng/ml, respectively; p = < 0.01).
• Vitamin D status was positively associated with both pregnancy (p = 0.001) and endometrial thickness (p < 0.01).
• Higher vitamin D levels was associated with a 21% increase odds of clinical pregnancy (p < 0.05).

The researchers concluded,

“Deficiency of 25-OHD in females hinders the accomplishment of optimal endometrial thickness required for implantation of embryo after ICSI.”

Following weight loss surgery (WLS) there can be improvement of fertility and for that reason we recommend two forms of birth control methods during the first 18-24 months following WLS or until weight loss has stabilized for several months. This helps to ensure the best outcome and health for the mother and infant.

In our office we continue to stress the importance of Vitamin D3 for bone and dental health, pregnancy, breastfeeding and several auto-immune diseases. Vitamin D has also been shown to reduce pre-term birth Duodenal Switch patients require a dry water miscible form of Vitamin D3 due to the fat malabsorption of the DS procedure. There are several past blog posts on the topic of Vitamin D and it’s associated nutrients.