PCOS and Vitamin D: What you need to know

Written by Caitlin Johnson


In the world of nutrition, supplements, and health vitamin D seems to be the one thing we should obviously be getting enough of. Right? 

I mean the combination of the sun and our skin should take care of our need. Wrong!

If you are reading this you probably have PCOS and chances are you have a vitamin D deficiency too. Yep, 67-85 % of people with PCOS have low vitamin d levels. (1)

Vitamin D has some pretty important jobs in the body - most of us think about vitamin D for bone health. Yet it does SO MUCH MORE than prevent you from needing a hip replacement in 30 years.

Right now vitamin D is acting in your body improving things like your immune health, metabolic health, heart health, and even your fertility. 

Since you are likely to need some additional vitamin D let's dig into what it is and why it matters with PCOS. 

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a nutrient our body can make and a nutrient that we eat. It's not just a nutrient though. It's a hormone. (mind blown, right?)

It has specific and REALLY important roles in sending messages from one part of the body to other areas and organs. (2)

Plants and fungi make vitamin D2 and humans and other animals make vitamin D3. Vitamin D is synthesized in the cholesterol in skin cells. 

Most people do not live close enough to the equator to make enough vitamin D. Since we are increasingly concerned with skin cancer and cover our skin with hats, clothing, and sunscreen we limit our body's ability to make enough vitamin D.