Are Phenotypes of PCOS and Vitamin D Levels Interlinked

Abstract

Aim:The present review is done to analyze the serum vitamin D levels in different phenotypes of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Objectives: To estimate the serum levels of vitamin D in women with PCOS and without PCOS. To find out the distribution of different phenotypes of PCOS. To compare the serum vitamin D levels in different phenotypes of PCOS. Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common heterogeneous multisystem endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. It is further divided into four phenotypes based on Rotterdam criteria. Vitamin D levels are known to be low among women with PCOS. Only limited literature is available related to vitamin D deficiency and the phenotypes of PCOS. This review has highlighted the phenotypes of PCOS and their correlation with vitamin D levels. Methods: An electronic search strategy was used to select the studies from different databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, SciELO, and ResearchGate. A combination of keywords like vitamin D, PCOS, and phenotypes of PCOS were used to select the studies. Inclusion criteria were studies in English, duration of search of 18 months, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies only. Results: Phenotype A was the most frequently found phenotype among the different phenotypes of PCOS. After analyzing the data, there was a positive association between vitamin D and PCOS. Obese women were more prone to have vitamin D deficiency. Women with vitamin D deficiency were found to have ovarian dysfunction and insulin resistance. But there was no strong consensus on the association between vitamin D and phenotypes of PCOS. Conclusion:We found a statistically significant difference in mean serum vitamin D levels among the women with PCOS and without PCOS. The most common phenotype was phenotype A and the least common was phenotype D. There was no significant difference in serum vitamin D levels in respect to different phenotypes of PCOS. Further studies with larger sample size in each phenotype are recommended to conclusively establish the variation of serum vitamin D level in PCOS, particularly related to phenotypes. Clinical significance: Vitamin D supplementation was found to be beneficial for women with PCOS.