Vitamin A Deficiency and Female Fertility Problems: A Case Report and Mini Review of the Literature

Abstract

We present a case of a vitamin A deficient woman who, presented to our clinic with secondary infertility to emphasize the importance of a good history and a multidisciplinary input in the management. This is a rare case of established vitamin A deficiency related to secondary infertility. Secondary infertility was quickly solved (30-45 days) after restoration of Vitamin A levels and the woman managed to get pregnant. It also illustrates that, though highly teratogenic, pregnancies on vita A replacement can be normal. Important fact here is that she was being replaced with vitamin A that her body was deficient in rather than supplementing leading to overdose of vitamin A (as in cases of treatment for Acne etc). Therefore, it may mean that for cases of vitamin A deficient women, termination should not be considered, as replacing normal vitamin A levels does not necessarily lead to hypervitaminosis and therefore increased chances of congenital malformations.