Vitamin D deficiency and uterine fibroids in Kashmiri women: A retrospective case-control study

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors of the female genital tract and, although often asymptomatic, can cause menorrhagia, pelvic pain, infertility, and reduced quality of life; emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D, which has antiproliferative effects on myometrial and fibroid cells, may play a role in their pathogenesis, with deficiency being linked to an increased risk of fibroid development. Objective: To determine the association between low vitamin D levels and the occurrence of uterine fibroids. Material & methods: This hospital-based case-control study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, LD Hospital, Srinagar, enrolling 80 women (40 cases and 40 matched controls) using convenience sampling. Participants provided informed consent, underwent face-to-face interviews to collect socio-demographic and clinical data, and had blood samples collected for biochemical analysis in accordance with standard procedures. Results: A total of 80 women (40 cases & 40 controls) were included, with comparable age, residence, BMI, parity, and comorbidities, though infertility was more common among cases. Cases had significantly lower mean serum vitamin D levels than controls (21.54 ± 15.12 vs 31.42 ± 18.68 ng/mL; p = 0.011), with deficiency (