Discussion
bleeding, reduced primary dysmenorrhea, menstrual pain, blood loss, pain, primary dysmenorrhea, dysmenorrhea
BLEEDING, STILL, MENSTRUAL PAIN, BLOOD LOSS, PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA, DYSMENORRHEA, VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY, UTERUS
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of 300,000 IU single-dose vitamin D supplement (50,000 IU, two tablets every 8 h) on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea and menstrual blood loss in Iranian university students. The results revealed that one and two months after the prescription of vitamin D, the mean score and severity of primary dysmenorrhea, also mefenamic acid consumption in the experimental group were statistically less than those in the control group. Still, the intervention had no significant effect on menstrual blood loss. Moreover, one month after the intervention, serum 25(OH)D level significantly increased in the experimental group.Some studies have also demonstrated the influential role of vitamin D in primary dysmenorrhea. One study investigated the effect of a single oral dose of vitamin D (300,000 IU), five days before the putative beginning of their next menstrual cycle on primary dysmenorrhea. The results indicated that intervention significantly reduced primary dysmenorrhea and NSAID consumption compared with the placebo group over the two months. [The prescription of 50,000 IU of vitamin D, weekly for eight consecutive weeks reduced pain intensity, the number of days with pain, and the need for consuming pain-relief medications in 116 female students aged 18 to 32 years with primary dysmenorrhea and vitamin D deficiency [One study showed that the daily prescription of 5,000 IU vitamin D with 1,000 IU calcium from the 15th day of cycle until menstrual pain disappeared in the following cycle had no significant effect on reducing menstrual pain [Vitamin D receptors (VDRs) are distributed in the ovary and uterus [Studies on the impact of vitamin D on menstrual bleeding are limited. In one study, low-dose vitamin D (5,000 IU vitamin D) had no significant effect on menstrual blood loss [The point to be considered in the current study is that the high doses of vitamin D reduced menstrual pain but did not affect menstrual bleeding. Yet vitamin D may be more effective in people who have severe bleeding. Also, the effect of vitamin D on menstrual pain with other mechanisms should be investigated. Considering the effect of vitamin D supplement in women with and without vitamin D deficiency may answer this ambiguity to some extent. Therefore, future studies in this area may usefully be designed differently to explore this possibility. Strong points of the present study include the measurement of vitamin D levels before and after vitamin D administration and investigation of the effect of high dose vitamin D on dysmenorrhea and the blood loss simultaneously.