Researchers reveal Vitamin D Deficiency could be behind women’s struggles to conceive

Researchers have revealed that vitamin D deficiency could be the reason behind some couples’ struggles to conceive using In vitro fertilisation injections.

Researchers at Curtin University tested the cells of 300 women undergoing the fertility treatment.

However, They found those who lacked sufficient levels of vitamin D were much less likely to develop a mature embryo.

Nikita Walz, a Curtin University researcher said “The women who had a sufficient level of vitamin D were actually 3.5-times more likely to develop a mature embryo,”

Although “These are much more likely to result in those clinical pregnancies.”

Doctors aren’t always able to determine the reasons behind a couple’s infertility, with around 15 per cent of couples who undergo IVF not knowing why they can’t fall pregnant without intervention.

Janita and Sam Burton were one such couple.

However, It took them six years of IVF treatments before they conceived their daughter, Marni.

Moreover she said “From the testing they did, they weren’t able to know why we were infertile,”

Australia Stats

One in six Australian couples require IVF to fall pregnant, researchers believe almost half of those women vitamin D deficient.

“Between the age of 36 and 40 years old, the chances of getting a clinical pregnancy from an IVF cycle (is) around 30 to 35 per cent,” said Ms Walz.

“So if we can have one cycle and have it successful, that would be absolutely amazing.”

Researchers, furthermore, will now be investigating whether adding vitamin D supplements to the IVF process will improve the outcomes for patients.

What is IVF Injection?

In vitro fertilisation a process of fertilisation where an egg combined with sperm outside the body, in vitro.

The process involves monitoring and stimulating a woman’s ovulatory process.

It removes an ovum or ova from the woman’s ovaries.

Then letting sperm fertilise them in a liquid in a laboratory.

IVF a type of assisted reproductive technology used for infertility treatment and gestational surrogacy.