Comparative Investigation of Serum Vitamin D Level in Women with Unexplained and Male Factor Infertility

Abstract

Background: A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency exists in Iranian people. Vitamin D plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of infertility. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the serum levels of vitamin D in women with unexplained and male factor infertility admitted to the Infertility Center of the Ali ibn-e Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan, Iran, in 2018. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 155 women in two groups: a case group consisting of 105 women with unexplained infertility and a control group consisting of 50 women with male factor infertility admitted to the Ali ibn-e Abitaleb Hospital. Blood samples were taken from all the subjects and sent to the laboratory to determine the vitamin D level. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used to describe the data. Also, the mean serum vitamin D level was determined using an independent t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test, and the rate of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results showed that vitamin D levels were significantly lower in the case group than in the control group (P < 0.001). The mean vitamin D level was 23.68 ± 6.88 in the case group and 10.90 ± 11.11 in the control group. Conclusions: The vitamin D level was lower in women with unexplained infertility than in women with male factor infertility. Therefore, measures need to be taken to prescribe vitamin D supplementation to infertile women.