Unearthed connection between vitamin D and birth control: a fascinating discovery
Shedding Light on Vitamin D and Hormonal Contraceptives
When it comes to women on estrogen-based birth control pills, researchers have discovered a link between higher levels of circulating vitamin D. This trend reverses when women stop taking these contraceptives, leading to a significant drop in vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D serves a crucial role in maintaining the correct calcium and phosphorous levels within the blood. It's also instrumental in helping the body absorb calcium, a vital component of bones. While foods such as fish and eggs are high in vitamin D, around 90 percent of vitamin D is produced in the skin via a chemical reaction triggered by sunlight exposure.
Vitamin D deficiency can potentially lead to rickets and osteomalacia (softening of the bones), especially during pregnancy, as the body requires additional amounts of this essential vitamin for fetal bone development.
Curious about the connection between contraception and vitamin D, Dr. Quaker E. Harmon of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences embarked on an investigation.
Vitamin D: A Matter of Contraception
In pursuit of answers, the researchers carried out a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a study focusing on reproductive health. Close to 1,700 African-American women living in and around Detroit, MI, aged 23-34, were involved. The project questioned women about their contraceptive usage and included questions about outdoor time and vitamin D supplement intake.
Blood samples were taken from 1,662 women to determine their levels of the most common circulating form of vitamin D, called 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
"Our study found that women who were using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women," said Dr. Harmon. Even after taking significant confounding factors into account, the effect remained noticeable.
"We could not find any behavioral differences such as increased time spent outdoors to explain the increase," Dr. Harmon explained. "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."
After adjusting for various confounding factors, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen led to 20 percent higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Current users of birth control had higher vitamin D levels, while past users had average vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Pregnancy
These findings, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, indicate that women planning to conceive may be at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency when they discontinue birth control. Offering practical advice, Dr. Harmon recommends taking measures to ensure vitamin D levels are sufficient during the preconception and pregnancy periods.
Medical News Today sought clarification on the mechanism behind estrogen-based contraception's influence on vitamin D levels, and Dr. Harmon mentioned that further investigation is needed.
Regarding the potential impact of race on the estrogen-vitamin D connection, Dr. Harmon asserted that additional studies suggest this association isn't race-specific, while African-American women are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency due to less exposure to sunlight. She also expressed plans to continue studying this group of women and investigating the relationship further.
Additionally, Dr. Harmon is working on another group of participants to examine how vitamin D levels vary throughout the menstrual cycle. delving deeper into the connection between hormones and vitamin D metabolism could offer valuable insights for reproductive health guidance.
- In the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, a significant number of African-American women were analyzed, with the focus on reproductive health and vitamin D levels.
- Dr. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health, found that women using contraception containing estrogen exhibited higher levels of vitamin D compared to other women, even after considering potential confounding factors.
- The use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with a 20 percent increase in the levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, as discovered in Dr. Harmon's study.
- Women planning to conceive may be at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency when they discontinue birth control, as indicated by the results Dr. Harmon published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
- African-American women are more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency due to less exposure to sunlight, but additional studies suggest that the estrogen-vitamin D association isn't race-specific.
- Dr. Harmon plans to continue studying the relationship between vitamin D levels and hormones in the menstrual cycle to gain deeper insights into reproductive health guidance.
