Vitamin D deficiency and reproduction in rats.

Female weanling rats from a colony maintained on a diet low in vitamin D were raised on a diet that was deficient in vitamin D but was otherwise adequate. Vitamin D deficiency was confirmed in the rats by hypocalcemia and the absence of vitamin D metabolites in blood. These females gave birth to litters that were slightly smaller than control litters from females maintained on a vitamin D-containing diet. The pups from the vitamin D-deficient mothers appeared normal throughout lactation, and at weaning had normal concentrations of calcium and phosphate in the plasma. These results indicate that vitamin D and its metabolites are not necessary for reproduction and fetal development in the rat.