Can vitamin D deficiency cause hormonal imbalance?

Author: Dr. Joseph Haley Sr.  |  Last update: Sunday, September 21, 2025

Without it, you can experience hormonal imbalances such as: Estrogen imbalance. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to lower estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings, and much more. Parathyroid hormone imbalance.

Does vitamin D deficiency affect your hormones?

Vitamin D influences estrogen and progesterone levels that impact menstrual regularity, menopause, fertility, and pregnancy. Animal-based experiments revealed that 25(OH)D deficiency reduced fertility rates, compromised mating behavior, and impaired neonatal growth.

What happens when vitamin D is low in females?

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases: In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.

Can low vitamin D cause PCOS?

Vitamin D deficiency is commonly diagnosed in women with PCOS and is significantly correlated with insulin resistance. Although the cause of PCOS and its connection with women deficient in vitamin D remain unknown, there have been findings suggesting a link between vitamin D deficiency and PCOS.

What are the worst symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle aches, joint pain, and bone pain. In children, deficiency can cause rickets. In severe cases, it can lead to osteomalacia in adults. Other symptoms can include depression, difficulty concentrating, and increased risk of infections.

Vitamin D and Cortisol: (VERY SIMILAR)

How does extremely low vitamin D make you feel?

Most people with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic. However, if you're exhausted, your bones hurt, you have muscle weakness or mood changes, that's an indication that something may be abnormal with your body. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include: Fatigue.

What blocks vitamin D absorption?

Because vitamin D is fat soluble, its absorption depends on the gut's ability to absorb dietary fat [4]. Fat malabsorption is associated with medical conditions that include some forms of liver disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis [1,63].

How does low vitamin D affect your menstrual cycle?

Conclusions. Lower levels of 25(OH)D are associated with longer follicular phase and an overall longer menstrual cycle. Our results suggest that vitamin D affects the reproductive axis, suggesting broader implications for reproductive success.

How does vitamin D affect ovaries?

Numerous epidemiological data and results of animal studies confirm that VD3 plays a key role in supporting ovarian function. It has a positive effect on folliculogenesis and maintenance of the ovarian reserve, and also stimulates steroidogenesis.

How does low vitamin D cause weight gain?

Vogt et al. found that vitamin D levels were not associated with overall weight change or body fat loss, and that higher vitamin D levels were associated with a lower likelihood of gaining body fat in women but not in men [12].

How long does it take to recover from vitamin D deficiency?

However, it generally takes about 6-8 weeks of supplementation for your vitamin D levels to go back into the normal range. Even after your Vitamin D levels get normal, your doctor may still have you take supplements for a while to make sure your levels don't fall below normal again.

What cancers cause low vitamin D?

Vitamin D deficiency has been found to be associated with a variety of cancers, including prostate, multiple myeloma, colorectal and breast cancer.

What to avoid when taking D3?

If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use vitamin D supplements without first talking to your health care provider.
  • Atorvastatin (Lipitor). ...
  • Calcipotriene (Dovonex). ...
  • Calcium channel blockers. ...
  • Corticosteroids (prednisone). ...
  • Digoxin (Lanoxin).

What does vitamin D do as a hormone?

Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin; it is required to absorb calcium and phosphate from the gut into the bloodstream. Vitamin D is mostly produced in the skin in response to sunlight and is also absorbed from food eaten (about 10% of vitamin D is absorbed this way) as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Which vitamin is good for hormonal imbalance?

Vitamins B12, B6, and B3 are essential in helping to regulate hormones. Vitamin B12 helps to create the adrenal hormones adrenaline and cortisol, while vitamin B6 is essential in regulating estrogen levels. Vitamin B3 helps to detoxify excess amounts of steroid hormones, reducing the risk of hormone imbalances.

How do I fix my hormone imbalance?

Lifestyle changes that may help reduce the likelihood and symptoms of hormonal imbalances include:
  1. maintaining a moderate body weight.
  2. eating a nutritious and balanced diet.
  3. exercising regularly.
  4. practicing good personal hygiene, focusing on washing areas with a lot of natural oils, such as the face, neck, back, and chest.

Can low vitamin D cause hormonal problems?

Without it, you can experience hormonal imbalances such as: Estrogen imbalance. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to lower estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings, and much more. Parathyroid hormone imbalance.

Can vitamin D deficiency cause endometriosis?

Vitamin D deficiency has been identified as a risk factor for infertility, gonadal cancers, pregnancy complications, polycystic ovary syndrome, and endometriosis.

Can vitamin D deficiency cause cysts?

Consequently, a vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of an injury to the joints and tendons, which – in turn – increases the risk of ganglion cysts forming. This means that patients can decrease their chances of having a ganglion cyst by ensuring that they have healthy levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream.

How do you feel when your vitamin D is extremely low?

Fatigue. Bone pain. Muscle weakness, muscle aches or muscle cramps. Mood changes, like depression.

How much vitamin D should I take to regulate periods?

[22], a single 300,000 IU dose of vitamin D, five days before menstruation, was found effective and safe in women with primary dysmenorrhea. We used a weekly dose of 50,000 IU vitamin D for 8 weeks according to the Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline [26].

Can low vitamin D cause you to not ovulate?

It is hypothesised that vitamin D deficiency is associated with female infertility through impaired ovulatory function as a result of dysregulated follicle development, hormone levels and elevated oxidative stress.

What's the worst that can happen with low vitamin D?

When vitamin D levels are low and the body isn't able to properly absorb calcium and phosphorus, there is an increased risk of bone pain, bone fractures, muscle pain, and muscle weakness. In older adults, severe vitamin D deficiency (levels less than 10 ng/mL) may also contribute to an increased risk of falls.

What drug depletes vitamin D?

Which medications can cause low vitamin D levels?
  • Seizure medications: phenobarbital, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, primidone, and valproic acid.
  • Blood pressure medications: spironolactone and nifedipine.

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