Unveiled Connection: Vitamin D and Contraception Revealed as Potential Correlates
Let's chat about estrogen-based contraceptives and vitamin D levels
Bloodwork reveals that those using estrogen-based birth control pills possess elevated levels of vitamin D, while ceasing these pills results in a significant drop in vitamin D. It's important to remember that vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining proper calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood and aiding the body in calcium absorption—an essential bone component. Though food sources like fish and eggs are plentiful in vitamin D, approximately 90% of this essential nutrient is produced naturally via sun exposure.
Deficiencies in vitamin D may lead to conditions such as rickets and osteomalacia (softening of the bones), making it crucial during pregnancy due to the importance of bone formation. In a study led by Dr. Quaker E. Harmon of the National Institutes of Health, researchers focused on exploring the link between contraception and vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D and Contraception
The investigation, carried out through the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, a reproductive health research project, utilized nearly 1,700 African-American women in and around Detroit, MI, between the ages of 23-34. By questioning participants about their contraceptive use, sun exposure, and any supplements they were taking, the study managed to gather blood samples from 1,662 women to determine levels of the common form of vitamin D, called 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
The team observed that women on estrogen-containing contraceptives displayed increased 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, despite adjusting for confounding factors like seasonal exposure to sunlight. According to Dr. Harmon, "We could not find any behavioral differences such as increased time spent outdoors to explain the increase. 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 accounting for confounding variables, using contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with an approximate 20% rise in 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. Fascinatingly, those currently on birth control retained higher levels of vitamin D, while past users had average levels.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Pregnancy
The study's findings highlight that a woman may face vitamin D deficiency as she attempts to conceive or during pregnancy. Dr. Harmon advises: "For women planning to stop using birth control, it is worth taking steps to ensure vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy."
Why does estrogen-based contraception affect vitamin D levels? Dr. Harmon speculates, "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, which indicates that there may be alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D. Further research is needed."
It's worth noting that the current study focused solely on African-American women; however, the same association has been observed in women of different racial backgrounds. Dr. Harmon explains, "As African-American women are more prone to vitamin D deficiency, even small increases or decreases in their vitamin D concentrations may hold more significance."
Dr. Harmon continues to follow the research participants to study this relationship further and is working with another group to investigate how vitamin D levels vary across the menstrual cycle.
Curious about research into higher vitamin D levels and reduced cancer risk? Check it out!
[References will be provided upon request]
- Despite eating vitamin D-rich foods and receiving natural sunlight, women using estrogen-based contraceptives might still experience increased levels of vitamin D compared to those not on contraceptives.
- The raise in 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, when using contraceptives containing estrogen, approximates around 20%.
- Women planning to stop using birth control should ensure their vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy, considering the potential for deficiency when discontinuing contraceptives.
- Science continues to explore the link between contraception and vitamin D levels, particularly in relation to vitamin D metabolism and the mechanisms by which estrogen-based contraceptives impact vitamin D levels.
- The study of vitamin D deficiencies during early pregnancy is crucial, given its impact on reproductive health and the importance of bone formation.
- In addition to the positive effect on vitamin D levels, estrogen-based contraceptives also contribute to various aspects of women's health and multi-nutrient intake, an integral part of health-and-wellness and overall nutrition.
