Male Infertility: Another New Use of Vitamin D
Once known only for bones, vitamin D now seems to be involved in everything. Now there is yet another new use. Vitamin D may be crucial for male fertility.
It turns out that there are vitamin D receptors in the prostate and testes as well as on sperm. Does that suggest a potential role for vitamin D in male fertility?
Well, let’s find out. A new study looked at levels of vitamin D in 119 infertile men. Compared to men with vitamin D levels that were low, the ones with sufficient levels of vitamin D had significantly higher sperm volume, sperm count, sperm motility. They also had higher numbers of normally shaped sperm.
The men with healthy levels of vitamin D also had healthier hormone levels. They had lower levels of the female luteinizing hormone and estradiol and higher levels of testosterone. They also had higher levels of SHBG, a hormone that determines how much testosterone your tissue can use.
This novel study discovered a role for vitamin D and healthy, functioning sperm cells, suggesting the possibility that vitamin D could promote fertility in men.
Int J Reprod Biomed. 2022 Apr; 20(4): 331–338