My wife is experiencing perimenopause. She went to her doctor with many of the symptoms of the menopause process and the doctor ordered a full set of blood tests. It had been quite awhile since she had done blood work, so it was a good time to see what all might be going on.
The blood test was mostly normal. The doctor kept my wife on some of her current medications and changed a couple others. The only real surprise was that the blood work showed a Vitamin D deficiency. We were surprised and puzzled by this diagnosis. I had not heard of it and couldn’t even quite remember what its function is in the body. I knew it had to do with bone growth and maintenance. I knew it came from the sun, but that was it.
I have done my research and found that Vitamin D deficiency is more common than I thought. We usually get our Vitamin D from sunshine, and typically it doesn’t take all that much sun. We can also get it from dairy products or supplements. But the sun is usually all that we need for our supply.
This condition is more common the further north that you live. The obvious reason for this is, that the further north you live, the less direct sunshine your area has during the year. We live in Missouri, which would seem to me to be about average for yearly sunshine. We have a pool and while my wife wears sunscreen sometimes, but she really isn’t very careful about it. So, for her, there wasn’t a clear reason for her deficiency. She may have inherited a condition making her more susceptible. But, it might have something to do with her age, 42, and the fact that she has been going through perimenopause for nearly 10 years.
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Vitamin D deficiency isn’t an urgent condition requiring panic, but it is important to begin taking Vitamin D supplements if you are deficient. The older we get, the more important it is to keep enough Vitamin D in our system to remain in the normal level. This is more important for women than for men.
Our bodies use Vitamin D for bone and muscle growth and maintenance. Since, the older we get the more common bone loss, or Osteoporosis becomes. The danger of this is obvious. With bone loss comes bone brittleness, which makes us more vulnerable to broken bones in a fall.
The extreme version of Vitamin D deficiency in children is called rickets. In adults, it is called Osteomalacia. The symptoms can be noticeable, however they are similar to the symptoms of many of our common ailments or diseases. These warning symptoms include: Muscle Weakness: a feeling of heaviness in the legs; frequent fatigue; chronic bone and joint pain; lethargy, frequent infections, and depression.
These symptoms should prompt you to see your doctor. There could be many causes of one or more of these symptoms and only blood tests from your doctor can show what the cause may be.
In the case of my wife, she takes her Vitamin D supplement and an Iron supplement as recommended from her doctor. She would never have dreamed that she had these deficiencies without the check up.
It may be time for your check up. If so, get it scheduled and talk to your doctor about getting some blood work done also. It is better to find out what you may need to do for your body’s maintenance earlier, rather than later.