The use of vitamin D in endometriosis treatment

Abstract

The article reviews the literature on the use of vitamin D in endometriosis treatment. Endometriosis, one of the most common health problems in the female population, is an estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory disease. Endometriosis affects 10-15% of all women of reproductive age and 35–50% of women with chronic pelvic pain and/or infertility. Despite multiple studies in all aspects of endometriosis, the selection of the most effective individualized combination treatment options for each patient is still considered as a pressing issue. Animal experiments and clinical trials have demonstrated multiple immune system changes in endometriosis occurring at different levels, from aberrant cytokine signaling to alterations of the immune system cell populations. There is a growing number of recent reports in the international and domestic literature describing the impact of vitamin D on the clinical course of endometriosis and the options of its use in this disease. There is a pathogenetic rationale for involving vitamin D in combination therapy of endometriosis in view of its immunomodulatory, anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic properties. However, it is suggested that further studies are needed to determine an optimum therapeutic dose of vitamin D for different endometriosis types. KEYWORDS: vitamin D, colecalciferol, calcitriol, endometriosis, ectopic endometrium, vitamin D deficiency. FOR CITATION: Dobrokhotova E.Yu., Sofronov A.V. The use of vitamin D in endometriosis treatment. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2023;6(2):126–129 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2023-6-2-126-129.