--- title: Does low vitamin D make premenstrual symptoms worse? | Niyora description: Yes, for some symptoms. Women with inadequate vitamin D were about 1.5 to 2 times more likely to have moderate to severe cramps, fatigue, anxiety, and confusi url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-between-vitamin-d-status-and-premenstrual-symptoms-2019/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does low vitamin D make premenstrual symptoms worse? Survey study, 2019 # Does low vitamin D make premenstrual symptoms worse? Yes, for some symptoms. Women with inadequate vitamin D were about 1.5 to 2 times more likely to have moderate to severe cramps, fatigue, anxiety, and confusion before their period. Low vitamin D did not increase the risk of other symptoms like bloating or headaches. Moderate study design 998 women aged 20-29 at University of Toronto, Canada, recruited 2004-2010 ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 998 women aged 20-29 at a Canadian university (2004-2010). Women completed a questionnaire about premenstrual symptoms and provided blood samples to measure vitamin D. Researchers compared symptoms between women with adequate vitamin D (20 ng/mL or higher) and those with inadequate levels, adjusting for age, BMI, exercise, and contraceptive use. ## What they found Compared to women with adequate vitamin D, those with inadequate vitamin D had higher risk of mild confusion (odds ratio 1.72) and mild desire to be alone (odds ratio 1.47). For moderate to severe symptoms, inadequate vitamin D increased risk of cramps (1.50), fatigue (1.51), anxiety (1.63), confusion (2.23), and reduced sexual desire (1.65). Vitamin D was not associated with acne, bloating, mood swings, increased appetite, headache, clumsiness, insomnia, depression, or nausea. ## What it means for you Low vitamin D may be linked to premenstrual mood and pain symptoms, but this observational study cannot prove causation. The reverse might be true: symptom-related lifestyle changes could affect vitamin D. Findings are from young Canadian women and may not apply broadly. Vitamin D supplementation might help some women but will not address all symptoms. 998 Women studied 20 ng/mL Vitamin D cutoff for adequacy 2.23 Odds ratio for severe confusion ## About the study Original title Association between Vitamin D Status and Premenstrual Symptoms Authors Jarosz AC, El-Sohemy A Journal Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Year 2019 Study design Survey study Participants 998 What was tested None, observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.06.014](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.06.014) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Calcium](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-calcium/)[Vitamin D](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitamin-d/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2007 Are diet and lifestyle factors associated with premenstrual symptoms? Systematic review, 2025 Do nutritional interventions help with emotional symptoms of PMS? Randomised trial, 2024 Does estetrol/drospirenone birth control improve PMS symptoms? Systematic review, 2020 Does Vitex agnus-castus help cyclic breast pain? Case-control study, 2014 How common is severe period pain and what causes it? Randomised trial, 2010 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗