ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Reproduction
This article is part of the Research TopicVitamin D and Women’s Health Across the LifespanView all articles
Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency on Clinical Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization
Provisionally accepted
- 1Reproductive Medicine Center, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Henan, China
- 2People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- 4Reproductive Medical Center, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- 5People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- 6Reproductive Medical Center, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Henan, China
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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of serum vitamin D levels on in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with PCOS who underwent IVF therapy and received fresh embryo transfer for the first time. The enrolled cohort was divided into two groups based on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels: Vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL) and vitamin D replete-insufficiency (25(OH)D ≥20 ng/mL). The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy. The secondary outcomes were the number of oocytes retrieved, MII oocytes, fertilized embryos, available embryos, high-quality embryos, blastocysts formed, and live birth rates. Results: This study included 613 patients who underwent their first IVF-ET cycle. Clinical pregnancy rates were significantly lower in patients with PCOS who had vitamin D deficiency than in those who had vitamin D replete-insufficiency [58.3% (211/367) versus 67.1% (163/246); P = 0.029]. Logistic regression, adjusted for endometrial thickness, progesterone, and vitamin D levels, demonstrated that serum vitamin D ≥20 ng/mL was independently associated with higher clinical pregnancy rates than the vitamin D deficiency group (odds ratio 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.32; P = 0.032). However, vitamin D deficiency did not significantly affect live birth rates (P = 0.57). We found no significant differences in the number of oocytes, MII oocytes, fertilized embryos, and the percentage of top-quality embryos between the two groups. Conclusion: This study suggests that vitamin D deficiency leads to lower clinical pregnancy rates in patients with PCOS undergoing IVF-ET. Furthermore, the serum vitamin D level is independently associated with clinical pregnancy rates in patients with PCOS undergoing IVF-ET.
Keywords: Vitamin D, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), Infertility, IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), Fresh embryo transfer (ET)
Received: 21 Sep 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yu, Hu, Kong, XU and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cuilian Zhang, luckyzcl@qq.com
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