Vitamin D receptor Fok1 polymorphism and its relationship with premenstrual syndrome

Background: The term premenstrual syndrome (PMS) encompasses a variety of physical and psychological symptoms that are related to the menstrual cycle. The likelihood of developing this syndrome, along with its potential severity has been found to be linked to many environmental, nutritional, and genetic factors. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the frequency of vitamin D receptor (VDR) - Fok1 Restriction fragment length polymorphism in young women complaining of PMS. Materials and methods: The current study included evaluation of 340 female students by a validated questionnaire, anthropometric measurement, followed by collection of venous blood samples and DNA extraction. VDR-Fok1 polymorph was investigated by PCR then fragmentation by Fok1 restriction enzyme and finally detection of genotypes using agarose gel electrophoresis. Results and conclusion: We observed a significant association between VDR FokI polymorphism and PMS. However, on subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the FF genotype was more predominant among Arab women. ff mutation was associated with a significantly higher risk for PMS [OR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.65–8.35, p ≤0.05] among non-Arabs.