Evaluation of the hormonal and biochemical changes in obese and non-obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Iraqi women before and after vitamin D supplementation

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is common in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Vitamin D plays an important physiologic role in reproductive functions of ovarian follicular development and luteinization through altering anti-müllerian hormone signaling, follicular stimulating hormone activity and progesterone production in human granulosa cells. Vitamin D is precipitated in adipose fat tissues, making it not able to be used for the body as a result; obese people with high body mass index are already highly expected to have low levels of serum vitamin D. Background: There are associations of Vitamin D deficiency with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in polycystic ovarian syndrome women. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association of vitamin D deficiency with sex hormones and metabolic markers, like fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin level and Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. This evaluation was done in obese and non-obese Iraqi women with polycystic ovarian syndrome before and after supplementation with vitamin D. Methods: Eighty polycystic women were enrolled in this study. Forty of them were obese with body mass index more than 30 and were considered as group A. The other 40 were nonobese women with a body mass index of less than 30 and were considered as group B. Physical examination was performed for all patients including height, weight and waist circumference, and blood pressure measurements. Five ml of blood were aspirated during the follicular phase in the early morning after overnight fasting for measuring follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, prolactin, thyroid function test, fasting insulin, fasting sugar and vitamin D3. Then, a supplement of vitamin D3 400 IU was given twice daily for six months to the patients with a low level of serum vitamin D3 and then reevaluated again for biochemical parameters. Results: There were no significant differences between two groups in hormonal assay before and after treatment with vitamin D3. There were significant differences before and after treatment with vitamin D3 in groups, improvement in vitamin level, decrease in serum insulin level, fasting blood sugar and Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Conclusion: Vitamin D plays a role in the improvement of biochemical variables like serum insulin level, fasting blood sugar and Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in both obese and nonobese polycystic ovarian Iraqi women.