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Growing up in Ohio, I\u2019m accustomed to lack of sunshine. From fall to spring, we frequently have overcast days, grey and gloomy, with rain or snow providing occasional variety. Although I have experienced this for most of my life, I have only recently become aware of the importance of vitamin D, the \u201csunshine vitamin.\u201d In the last twenty years, in particular, science has begun to discover the vital role vitamin D plays in the body, from immune health and skeletal health, to cardiovascular health, and even menstrual health<\/a>. More specifically, recent research has shown vitamin D to be an exciting, potential treatment for uterine fibroids<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors, or leiomyomas, in the muscle layer of the uterus. They affect about 70% of women in the United States, and although they often go unnoticed, they can cause infertility and miscarriage, excessive bleeding, pelvic pain, and preterm labor. Uterine fibroids are also correlated with high blood pressure<\/a>. It is not common to find uterine fibroids in young women, but the risk of developing them increases with age. Additionally, black women are significantly more likely to have fibroids than white women (more on this later). <\/p>\n\n\n\n While fibroids often do not pose a serious health risk, they nevertheless can progress in severity. Treatment options have traditionally been somewhat lackluster, from \u201cband-aid\u201d solutions like birth control (which only manages symptoms and does not address the root cause) to more drastic surgical solutions like hysterectomies. Thankfully, in recent years, more natural treatment options have begun to emerge, and one of the most promising ones is vitamin D. We will look at three studies that examine the potential role of vitamin D in management of uterine fibroids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While fibroids often do not pose a serious health risk, they nevertheless can progress in severity. Treatment options have traditionally been somewhat lackluster, from \u201cband-aid\u201d solutions like birth control to more drastic surgical solutions like hysterectomies.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In one study, researchers at Meharry Medical College in Nashville studied the effect of vitamin D on rats<\/a> that were genetically predisposed to developing uterine tumors [1]. Twelve rats were divided into two groups of 6, with one group as the study group and one group as the control group. An examination confirmed the presence of uterine tumors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The rats in the study group were given the equivalent of 1400 IU of Vitamin D3 daily for three weeks, while the control group received no treatment. At the end of the three weeks, the tumors of the rats in the control group had grown, while the tumors of the rats in the study group did not. In fact, the study group\u2019s tumors shrunk<\/em> by 75%<\/em>! Of course, this study was conducted on rats, and not human beings, which is a limitation in itself, but it is nonetheless exciting to see such a dramatic result from such a simple treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another study<\/a> conducted at the University of Marche in Italy looked at 208 women who were diagnosed with both uterine fibroids and vitamin D deficiency [2]. The researchers decided to focus only on women with \u201csmall burden\u201d fibroids (meaning their symptoms were not severe, or their tumors were smaller than 50mm in diameter, or they had no more than four tumors present), so the final studied group ended up being smaller\u2013108 women total. This group was divided further into those who properly followed the protocol for vitamin D administration of 50,000 IU once per week for eight weeks, and then 2000 IU daily after that for a year, and those who did not or who refused\u2013the study group and the control group, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nurses checked in over the phone at three months and six months to \u201cevaluate the adequacy of the therapy.\u201d At the end of the year, these women were called back to the clinic for another evaluation via ultrasound. The control group, which started out with fifty-five women, had four drop out due to pregnancy, and seventeen drop out because of \u201cprogression to extensive disease,\u201d meaning an increase in either the size of the fibroids or the severity of symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The study group, conversely, started out with fifty-three women, and had three women drop out due to pregnancy and only seven drop out because of \u201cprogression to extensive disease;\u201d thus, the study group had a lower rate of severity of uterine fibroids. The researchers concluded that vitamin D therapy may be helpful in lowering the rate of progression in the extent of the disease, and may stabilize the growth of any existing tumors. Unfortunately, only Caucasian women were considered in this study, so we don\u2019t know if vitamin D might have a similar effect on women of other races, especially among Black women, who tend to have a higher incidence of both fibroids and vitamin D deficiency<\/a> [3]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The final study we\u2019ll examine was conducted by researchers at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. The researchers note<\/a> that Iran has a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency [4]. This was a double-blind study, and even the data analyzer was blind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sixty-nine patients with vitamin D deficiency and uterine fibroids were divided into two groups. Group A received 50,000 IU of vitamin D3 every 2 weeks for 10 weeks, while Group B received placebo capsules. The average size of the uterine fibroids among both groups was 50mm in diameter. All but one of the women in the intervention group (Group A) participated. By the end of the study, not only had vitamin D levels increased significantly in Group A, but their tumors had also shrunk about 7mm on average<\/em>. The placebo group, in comparison, had no shrinking of tumors and, in fact, displayed a slight increase in size of the tumors. Although this study had a small sample size and only studied Iranian women, the results (as with the previous two studies) are encouraging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The results of the three studies discussed in this article indicate that vitamin D may be a simple but potent treatment option for women dealing with uterine fibroids. Furthermore, it is a treatment that could easily be replicated at home at relatively low expense, especially compared to the cost of prescriptions or surgeries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The results of these studies indicate that vitamin D may be a simple but potent treatment option for women dealing with uterine fibroids.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n However, more research is needed, especially for Black women; we know that dark skin does not absorb vitamin D as easily from the sun<\/a>, and sunlight is our primary source of vitamin D. The study on rats purposely looked at ones that were genetically predisposed to developing uterine tumors, and it only makes sense to conduct our human studies similarly\u2013i.e., shouldn\u2019t we be researching Black women, who are also genetically predisposed<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, I would be interested to know if vitamin D could be used preventatively; could routine intake of vitamin D prevent fibroids from developing in the first place? If so, this would again be a simple solution to prevent a more complex problem. There is much yet to be discovered about this vitamin, but in the meantime, I suppose we can use what we know as another good reason for getting more sun! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor\u2019s note: After initial publication of this article, our medical reviewer submitted an additional resource published in 2024: A systemic review and meta-analysis of five randomized controlled trials, which included 511 subjects found vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the size of uterine fibroids after 8 weeks of supplementation and increasing serum vitamin D.<\/em> [5]\n\n\n\n This article updated February 4th, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are uterine fibroids? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Study #1: Vitamin D may shrink fibroids (in rats)<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Study #2: Vitamin D may prevent fibroid progression (in women)<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Study 3: Vitamin D may shrink fibroids (this time, in women!)<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Researching Vitamin D as treatment: Where do we go from here? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
References<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n[1] Halder SK, Sharan C, Al-Hendy A. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 treatment shrinks uterine leiomyoma tumors in the Eker rat model. Biol Reprod. 2012 Apr 19;86(4):116. doi: 10.1095\/biolreprod.111.098145. PMID: 22302692; PMCID: PMC3338660.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[2] Ciavattini A, Delli Carpini G, Serri M, Vignini A, Sabbatinelli J, Tozzi A, Aggiusti A, Clemente N. Hypovitaminosis D and “small burden” uterine fibroids: Opportunity for a vitamin D supplementation. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Dec;95(52):e5698. doi: 10.1097\/MD.0000000000005698. PMID: 28033263; PMCID: PMC5207559.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[3] Halder SK, Sharan C, Al-Hendy A. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 treatment shrinks uterine leiomyoma tumors in the Eker rat model. Biol Reprod. 2012 Apr 19;86(4):116. doi: 10.1095\/biolreprod.111.098145. PMID: 22302692; PMCID: PMC3338660.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[4] Hajhashemi M, Ansari M, Haghollahi F, Eslami B. The effect of vitamin D supplementation on the size of uterine leiomyoma in women with vitamin D deficiency. Caspian J Intern Med. 2019 Spring;10(2):125-131. doi: 10.22088\/cjim.10.2.125. PMID: 31363390; PMCID: PMC6619469.<\/p>\n\n\n\n[5] Alsharif, S. A., Baradwan, S., Alshahrani, M. S., Khadawardi, K., AlSghan, R., Badghish, E., \u2026 Abu-Zaid, A. (2024). Effect of Oral Consumption of Vitamin D on Uterine Fibroids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.\u00a0Nutrition and Cancer<\/em>,\u00a076<\/em>(3), 226\u2013235. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/01635581.2023.2288716<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tres estudios con resultados prometedores","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":22825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5181],"tags":[6343,4492],"class_list":{"0":"post-22823","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reproductive-and-menstrual-disorders","8":"tag-uterine-fibroids","9":"tag-vitamin-d","10":"cs-entry","11":"cs-video-wrap"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n