I received a letter at the beginning of February. It was a copy of one sent by the Gender Clinic to my doctor and stated that the blood tests performed following my appointment there last December showed that I had low vitamin D. For the past week I have been taking a prescription supplement (calciferol).

I didn’t expect any rapid changes, but I’ve been most pleasantly surprised to find that my energy levels are much improved and my muscle pains and stiffness have all but gone. A bonus of feeling better physically is that my mood has also lifted: I’d been feeling down more frequently than usual.

The main cause of this deficiency is that, especially at this time of year, I do not venture out of doors very often. This means that I have very little exposure to sunlight which is the main way that the body produces vitamin D. I guess I’ve no excuse now for avoiding the chores in the garden once the weather improves sufficiently!