Effect of Calciferol on Uterine Fibroids

<p>Background: Uterine fibroids can affect around 70% of women in their age reproductive period, making this tumor the most common gynecological tumor, Women with vitamin D deficiency, obese, dark skin, low. parity, premenopausal, hormonal and hereditary background, and heavy drinking of alcohol are putting them at higher risk of developing uterine fibroids. Despite of being benign, uterine fibroids affect women quality of life, with wide range of symptoms (uterine bleeding, pelvic pressure symptoms, urine frequency or retention, anaemia, infertility and poor obstetrics outcomes), making high demand to treatment. Available treatments are surgical, medical, and interventional. The available treatments are putting a huge burden on health system in addition, to medical treatment side effects and the surgery complications.</p> <p>Objective and rational: Recent studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency play a role in uterine fibroid growth. Which open the door to introduce vitamin D as potential treatment option for uterine fibroids with no significant side effects, well tolerated, in addition to the cost / effect benefits giving relief to the burden on health system.</p> <p>Search method: This review article is showing that Vitamin D deficiency play a role in development of uterine fibroids based on English literatures search on PubMed (PMC) and using google academic search that show uterine fibroids have low level of vitamin D. Black women also shows more risk of low vitamin D levels in association with increased risk of uterine fibroid. In addition, some studies found anti proliferative effects of vitamin D, vitamin D decreases the DNA damage. and play a role in regulating the estrogen/ progesterone receptors in uterine fibroid up on that we looked at studies that had been done recently In vitro, in vivo animals and clinical trials to introduce vitamin D as a possible treatment. option of uterine fibroids with no significant adverse effects on women, giving them a better quality of life and could be an option for surgically unfit women.</p> <p>Outcome: In vitro and in vivo animal studies showed high efficacy of vitamin D in suppression of the growth of uterine fibroid. Also, clinical studies support the role of vitamin D in regressing the uterine fibroid size and volume. But larger scales clinical trials are highly recommended to come out with clinical guidelines for its application.</p> <p>Wilder implication: We suggest the requirement for meta-analysis to collect data from small sample size studies to introduce vitamin D as possible treatment option.</p> <p>Applying vitamin D as treatment option in large scale clinical trials is safe and can be promising treatment for uterine fibroids, the large scale of vitamin D application will provide a more guidance on dose, duration of treatment, criteria for patient selection as (age factor, symptoms of fibroid, the need for fertility preservation, patient fitness for surgery and other associated medical conditions). That could lead to huge change of practice.</p>