Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour (IVF Expert) Explaining How To Measure Vitamin D & Important for Women?

Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, Gynaecologist and IVF Expert, SCI Healthacare shares her views on how despite being sun abundant in India, Vitamin D deficiency is found in the country especially in women. She discusses the sources by which one can get Vitamin D, consequences and signs of deficiency and how one can measurement it. She further discusses the importance of Vitamin D for women. Vitamin D increases fertility, prevents breast cancer, make bones healthy and strong, prevents PCOD and support immune system. She suggests that one could obtain Vitamin D from three sources namely sun exposure, fortification of staple foods with Vitamin D and Vitamin D supplementation.

Inspite of India being a country of abandoned sunshine, it is estimated that more than 80% of healthy Indians especially women are Vitamin D deficient. Indian women both in urban and rural settings and of all socio economic strata are Vitamin D deficient and are not even aware of this deficiency and its consequences.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with high prevalence of

• Type2 Diabetes – Vitamin D is required to balance sugar levels in the blood by regulating the secretion of insulin. Hence, Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing Type2 Diabetes later in life.
• Tuberculosis
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Osteoporosis, osteopenia (thinning of bones) – as Vitamin D helps in absorption of Calcium from the food we eat in the intestine. Therefore, Vitamin D deficiency will lead to calcium deficiency as well which will lead to weak and achy bones causing osteoporosis and increased risk of fractures.
• Cancer
• Asthma
• Flu – as Vitamin D plays an important role in activating the cells of the immune system which helps to fight infections. Therefore, if deficiency leads to risk of recurrent infections.
• Anaemia
• Infertility – a daily morning walk of 20 minutes under the sun can help in boosting the reproductive system as Vitamin D stimulates the production of female hormone progesterone. Read more...