Written by Patrick B. Massey, MD, PH.D. Women with polycystic ovarian disease are at a greater risk of infertility, cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease and should, therefore, have vitamin D blood levels checked and supplement accordingly.
There is an accumulating body of research demonstrating that vitamin D is important in reducing the risk of a number of medical conditions such as high blood pressure, type II diabetes, coronary artery disease and most possibly Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
Recent medical study demonstrated that a significant percent of women with PCOS are profoundly deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency may account for some of the metabolic disturbances found in PCOS such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance and ultimately a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
PCOS is surprisingly common. It is diagnosed in about 10 percent of reproductive age women but accounts for more than 50 percent of infertility. Although there are no specific blood or imaging tests, the most common diagnostic criteria for PCOS is male pattern hair growth and irregular menstrual cycles.
Early on, because of infertility, PCOS was generally considered to be a gynecologic issue. More recent research has demonstrated that the infertility associated with PCOS is primarily the end result of insulin resistance and hormone imbalances such as testosterone, androstenedione and estrogen. It is a complex problem that increases the risk of infertility, endometrial cancer, type II diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and ultimately cardiovascular disease.
In treating the symptoms of irregular menstrual cycles, patients are often put on birth control pills. However, this does little to reduce the cardiovascular and diabetes risk.
One recent medical study published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research demonstrated that a significant number of women with PCOS had impressive vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D was measured in 44 women with PCOS and 45 healthy women without PCOS. Other cardiac risk factors such as insulin resistance, high cholesterol as well as blood markers of inflammation were also evaluated. Those women with PCOS and low levels of vitamin D also had an increase in cardiac risk factors.
Although the study did not evaluate the effect of correcting low vitamin D levels in women with PCOS, there is a large amount of medical research suggesting that low vitamin D levels increase the risk of high blood pressure, type II diabetes and heart disease.
It is well-known that coronary artery disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. Women with PCOS are at an even greater risk. It would seem prudent for women with PCOS to make sure that they have robust levels of vitamin D in their blood.
For people living in the northern climates, like Chicago, getting enough vitamin D from the sun is almost impossible and the usual recommended amounts of vitamin D are often inadequate. The best way to determine if you’re taking enough vitamin D is to have your physician annually check the level of vitamin D in your blood and supplement accordingly.
- Patrick B. Massey, MD, PH.D., is medical director for complementary and alternative medicine at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network and president of ALT-MED Medical and Physical Therapy, 1544 Nerge Road, Elk Grove Village. His website is www.alt-med.org.
Posted September 12, 2016.
