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Vitamin D status: a review with implications for the pelvic floor

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Abstract

Vitamin D is a micronutrient vital in calcium homeostasis and musculoskeletal function. Vitamin D insufficiency is a common variant of vitamin D deficiency that shows clinical signs of rickets and osteomalacia. The clinical significance of vitamin D insufficiency is being explored in several medical conditions. However, the most robust work suggests a role in musculoskeletal disease. The pelvic floor is a unique part of the body and the function of which is dependent on interrelationships between muscle, nerve, connective tissue, and bone. Pelvic floor disorders result when these relationships are disrupted. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding vitamin D nutritional status, the importance of vitamin D in muscle function, and how insufficient or deficient vitamin D levels may play a role in the function of the female pelvic floor.

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Acknowledgements

Partially funded by 2K24-DK068389 to Holly E. Richter from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th Street South, 176F, Suite 10382, Birmingham, AL, 35249, USA

    Candace Y. Parker-Autry & Holly E. Richter

  2. Division of Gerontology, Geriatric Medicine & Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Kathryn L. Burgio

  3. Department of Veterans Affairs, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Kathryn L. Burgio

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  1. Candace Y. Parker-Autry
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Correspondence to Candace Y. Parker-Autry.

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Parker-Autry, C.Y., Burgio, K.L. & Richter, H.E. Vitamin D status: a review with implications for the pelvic floor. Int Urogynecol J 23, 1517–1526 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-012-1710-6

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