Exploration reveals potential link between vitamin D and birth control methods discovered
What's the Deal with Birth Control and Vitamin D?
Here's an intriguing find by researchers: ladies taking estrogen-based birth control pills have higher vitamin D levels compared to those not on these pills. On the flip side, just stopping those contraceptives could lead to a significant drop in vitamin D levels.
You might be wondering, why is vitamin D so important? Well, it maintains the right balance of calcium and phosphorus in your blood, helps your body absorb calcium (a vital bone component), and prevents bone conditions like rickets and osteomalacia.
Vitamin D can be found in fish, eggs, and—get this—around 90% of it is produced naturally through a chemical reaction in your skin after some sun exposure.
Now, here's where birth control comes into play. Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health, decided to investigate if there's any link between vitamin D levels and oral contraceptives.
Vitamin D and Contraception
Dr. Harmon and her team analyzed data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, which focused on reproductive health. They looked at 1,662 African-American women living around Detroit, MI, aged 23-34.
The study asked participants about their contraceptive use, including time spent outdoors and use of vitamin D supplements. Women gave blood samples, and the researchers determined their vitamin D levels (25-hydroxy vitamin D).
As it turns out, the women on contraceptives containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women. This result remained significant after controlling for confounding factors like seasonal light exposure.
"Our study found that contraceptives containing estrogen tend to boost vitamin D levels, and those levels are likely to fall when women cease using contraception," said Dr. Harmon.
Adjusting for confounding variables, the use of oral contraceptives, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with approximately 20 percent higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Pregnancy
This study suggests that, as you stop using birth control, you might run the risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D when trying to get pregnant. Dr. Harmon recommended, "For women who are planning to stop using birth control, it's worth taking steps to ensure that vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy."
Why would estrogen-based contraception affect vitamin D levels? Well, it seems estrogen influences vitamin D metabolism, but more research is needed to understand the details.
This study focused solely on African-American women, but Dr. Harmon believes the same association applies to women of other races as well.
Dr. Harmon is continuing to follow this group of women to further investigate the relationship, and she's working on another group to examine how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
Stay tuned for more on the surprising connection between birth control and vitamin D!
Medical News Today reached out to Dr. Harmon for more insights, so keep an eye out for further updates. In the meantime, you might want to head out in the sun for a while—just remember, don't forget the sunscreen!
- Women on estrogen-based contraceptive pills typically have higher levels of vitamin D compared to those not on these pills.
- Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining the balance of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, helping absorption of calcium, and preventing bone conditions.
- Dr. Quaker E. Harmon and her team found a link between vitamin D levels and oral contraceptives after analyzing data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids.
- The use of oral contraceptives, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with approximately 20 percent higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
- As women stop using birth control, they might be at risk of vitamin D deficiency when trying to get pregnant, according to Dr. Harmon.
- More research is needed to fully understand how estrogen-based contraception affects vitamin D metabolism and whether this association applies to women of all races.
