Vitamin D & Fertility- why it’s important. 

Vitamin D helps absorb calcium that we get from food or supplements to help maintain calcium in the bones.  This is important as we get older we become at risk for osteopenia or osteoporosis meaning her bones are not as tough as we need them to be, putting ice at risk for fractures of the bone.  This is why you may notice vitamin D is also in your milk because it helps with the absorption. Something else about vitamin D is that low vitamin D has been associated with increased risk for miscarriage and may be a missing factor pertaining to your fertility as well.

Vitamin D & Hormone

Vitamin D also works to influence hormones in your body.  It acts as a modulator and can help with maintaining insulin levels, thyroid hormone levels, reproductive hormone levels and keeps everything working together as it should.  This may contribute to hormonal symptoms feeling dysregulated but also can contribute to difficulty with trying to conceive.

Getting the Vitamin D

One of my favorite ways to get vitamin D is being in the sunlight;  however, due to my fair skin (okay, okay- pale) & wanting to slow my aging, I am usually lathered up in sunscreen.  The good news is that sunscreen will not completely block vitamin D levels so do not worry, you can continue to protect your skin, prevent your risk for skin cancer and also get a nice little boost of vitamin D by being in the sun.  For those who work indoors or in a limited climate where only part of the year we have access to the sunshine, it may be difficult for a portion of the year to get that adequate vitamin D.  I do not ever recommend being on supplementation without getting proper lab work first, it is easy to get a vitamin D lab drawn, usually covered by insurance and inexpensive.  But this can help determine whether or not you need to supplement and how to dose your supplement appropriately.  Then you can check again in 6 months as you may need to boost during the winter months and to drop down on your dosing during the summer months if you decide to take any supplementation. If you live in Chattanooga, Nutrition World offers Vitamin D lab work for only $45. Check out the dates and times they offer lab work here https://nutritionw.com/bloodwork/. 

Why is Vitamin D   deficiency so common in women?

Many women are lacking vitamin D across the country.  Some factors that may contribute are the climate, working inside, certain dietary choices may contribute, and generally as a country we do not spend much time outdoors.Dr. Casey Means's research shows that Americans been 93% of their days inside.  If you think about Revolution, this is such a small part of our days and thus directly affects vitamin D levels.CHeck out her interview on Andrew Huberman’s podcast, Huberman Labs https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-casey-means-transform-your-health-by-improving-metabolism-hormone-blood-sugar-regulation. 

Supplement with HIGH-QUALITY products

When you are choosing a supplement, you want to make sure you are getting proper dosing, knowing when to recheck lab work but also making sure that you are getting a supplement that is what it advertises that it is.  Supplementation is not regulated in the United States, no one is checking to see if the ingredients advertised are the ingredients that are actually what you are taking.  I have partnered up with Nutrition World in Chattanooga Tennessee because I really know that they only stock high-quality items.  They stand by the integrity of what they sell and are not afraid to pull things off the shelf if and when a company loses its integrity.  You can purchase supplements through their website and I would love to work with you to determine how much vitamin D you need and/or arrange for lab work to ensure he has got the proper dosing.  This is where working with a fertility consultant who has a background as a nurse practitioner will certainly serve in your favor.

Optimize Your Hormone Health 

Vitamin D can really affect other systems in our body. You likely do not know if you have a vitamin D deficiency because signs are often vague and show up in ways you may not predict. Make sure you are working with a healthcare provider that can direct you on ways to optimize your entire health by looking for deficiencies.