Plain language summary
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Literature suggests that vitamin D may have a role in improving reproductive and metabolic health in affected women. The aim of this study was to evaluate vitamin D status in 31-year-old women with self-reported PCOS symptoms and/or diagnosed PCOS, compared with non-PCOS controls. The study is a prospective population-based study which analysed the vitamin D sample of 1,246 31-year old women. Results indicate that women with PCOS had increased levels of metabolic risk factors such as high body mass index and insulin resistance. However, despite these metabolic derangements, women with PCOS have an adequate vitamin D status compared with the controls. Authors conclude that women with PCOS showed no greater tendency to vitamin D insufficiency than the controls.
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conflicting evidence supports a role for vitamin D in women with reproductive disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) but studies on large, unselected populations have been lacking. METHODS We conducted a general population-based study from the prospective Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). Serum 25-hydroksyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels were evaluated in women with self-reported PCOS (n = 280) versus non-symptomatic controls (n = 1573) at the age of 31 with wide range of endocrine and metabolic confounders. RESULTS The levels of 25(OH)D were similar among women with and without self-reported PCOS (50.35 vs. 48.30 nmol/L, p = 0.051). Women with self-reported PCOS presented with a higher body mass index (BMI), increased insulin resistance, and low-grade inflammation and testosterone levels compared to controls. The adjusted linear regression model showed a positive association between total 25(OH)D levels in self-reported PCOS (β = 2.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 4.08, p = 0.003). The result remained after adjustment for BMI, testosterone, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. CONCLUSION In this population-based setting, PCOS was associated with higher vitamin D levels when adjusting for confounding factors, without distinct beneficial effects on metabolic derangements.
Methodological quality
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