New study reveals potential connection between vitamin D levels and contraceptive effectiveness
Revised Article:
Hey there! So, here's a fun little tidbit about vitamin D and birth control pills. Ladies who take estrogen-based contraceptives tend to have higher levels of vitamin D in their system, and stopping those pills can lead to a significant drop in their vitamin D levels.
Now, you probably know that vitamin D is crucial for maintaining the right amount of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. It also helps your body absorb calcium, a key component of your bones. You can get vitamin D from foods like fish and eggs, but about 90% of it is produced in your skin after a dose of sunshine.
A lack of vitamin D can cause problems like rickets and osteomalacia, which is basically soft bones. And since vitamin D plays a big role in bone formation, it's particularly important during pregnancy.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences decided to investigate this link between contraceptives and vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D and Contraception
For their study, they looked at data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), which is a project focused on reproductive health. They had almost 1,700 African-American women aged 23-34 living in and around Detroit, MI participate. The women were asked about their contraceptive use, time spent outside, and whether they took any vitamin D supplements.
In total, 1,662 women provided blood samples to measure their levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the most common form of circulating vitamin D.
Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, the researcher leading the study, found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels compared to other women. Even after considering factors like seasonal light exposure and time spent outside, this effect remained significant.
"We couldn't find any behavioral differences such as increased time spent outdoors to explain the increase," said Dr. Harmon. "Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen tend to boost vitamin D levels, and these levels are likely to fall when women cease using contraception."
After adjusting for confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with 20% higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Current users of birth control had higher vitamin D levels, and past users had average vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Pregnancy
These findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, and they suggest that women may become deficient in vitamin D when they start trying to get pregnant. Dr. Harmon offers some advice for women planning to stop using birth control:
"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."
Medical News Today asked Dr. Harmon why estrogen-based contraception might affect vitamin D levels, and she said:
"We do not know why vitamin D levels are higher. Other work suggests that the levels of other vitamin D metabolites are changed when women use estrogen-containing contraception. This suggests that there may be alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D. Further work is needed."
The current study only looked at African-American women. Dr. Harmon also said that while the same association has been observed in women who aren't African-American, it's important to note that African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient. Small increases or decreases in their vitamin D concentrations could be significant.
Dr. Harmon is continuing to follow this group of women to learn more about the relationship between vitamin D and contraception. She's also working on a new group of participants to investigate how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
So, there you go! Next time you're thinking about starting or stopping birth control, remember to think about how it might affect your vitamin D levels. And if you're trying to get pregnant, it wouldn't hurt to chat with your healthcare provider about your vitamin D levels and how to keep them in check.
- Considering the link between contraceptives and vitamin D levels, women may face deficiencies in vitamin D when planning for pregnancy upon stopping birth control.
- For women who are planning to stop using birth control, adequately maintaining vitamin D levels while trying to conceive and during pregnancy is worthwhile.
- Prior research suggests that estrogen-based contraception might affect vitamin D levels due to alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D, but the exact reason remains unclear.
- In the study, African-American women using contraception containing estrogen were found to have significantly higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, a common form of circulating vitamin D.
- Women's vitamins, focusing on vitamins crucial for maintaining women's health and well-being, should evidently include vitamin D to support bone health and key nutrients.
- This research cultivates broader discussions on women's health-and-wellness, further investigating the interrelationship between contraception, nutrient deficiencies, and overall nutrition.
