A new finding reveals a possible relationship between vitamin D and contraceptives.
Let's Talk Vitamin D and Birth Control
You may have heard that women on estrogen-based birth control pills have higher levels of vitamin D in their bodies, and those levels drop significantly when they stop using these contraceptives. But why does this happen? Let's dive in!
Vitamin D is crucial for keeping the correct balance of calcium and phosphorus in your blood and helping your body absorb calcium, which is essential for strong bones. Many foods like fish and eggs are high in vitamin D, but around 90% of it is produced naturally in your skin after exposure to sunlight.
A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to rickets and osteomalacia, which is the softening of bones. Since vitamin D is vital for bone formation, particularly during pregnancy, it's essential to keep your levels in check.
Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, decided to investigate any changes in vitamin D levels associated with taking oral contraceptives.
Vitamin D and Contraception
Dr. Harmon and her team conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), an investigation of reproductive health. The project focused on nearly 1,700 African-American women living in and around Detroit, MI, aged 23-34.
The study asked women about their contraceptive use, including any vitamin D supplements they took, and their spending time outdoors. In total, 1,662 women provided blood samples to determine their levels of the most common circulating form of vitamin D, called 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
The researchers found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women. After controlling for confounding factors, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with 20 percent higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
Dr. Harmon explains, "Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen tend to boost vitamin D levels, and those levels are likely to fall when women cease using contraception."
Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Pregnancy
These findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, could indicate a risk for women starting to try to become pregnant. Dr. Harmon advises, "For women who are planning to stop using birth control, it is worth taking steps to ensure that vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy."
While the current study focused solely on African-American women, Dr. Harmon clarifies that this association is not believed to be related to race. She is continuing to follow this group of women to further investigate the relationship and is working on another group of participants to investigate how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
Although the exact mechanism behind the relationship between estrogen-based contraceptives and vitamin D levels remains unclear, ongoing research seeks to explore this connection further. Stay tuned for more updates!
- The study focused on nearly 1,700 African-American women, investigating reproductive health, and found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher levels of vitamin D.
- Dr. Harmon advises that for women who are planning to stop using birth control, it's essential to ensure that vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy.
- Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to conditions like rickets and osteomalacia, which is the softening of bones, and since vitamin D is vital for bone formation, particularly during pregnancy, it should be monitored closely.
- Women on estrogen-based birth control pills have higher levels of vitamin D in their bodies, but these levels drop significantly when they stop using these contraceptives, which Dr. Harmon's research reveals.
- The research on the relationship between estrogen-based contraceptives and vitamin D levels remains unclear, but ongoing scientific investigation seeks to explore this connection further.
- Women's health, nutrition, and health-and-wellness are all influenced by vitamin D, particularly in relation to its essential functions for strong bones and good bone formation, especially during pregnancy.
