Vitamin D's surprising link to birth control methods revealed
The Connection Between Hormonal Birth Control and Vitamin D Levels
Turns out, there's a correlation between estrogen-based birth control pills and higher vitamin D levels in women. A fascinating study discovers that ladies who pop these contraceptive pills have improved vitamin D levels, while those who ditch them face a substantial drop.
Vitamin D, the star nutrient, oversees calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood. It's also the body's buddy when it comes to calcium absorption, a vital ingredient for strong bones. Delicious foods like fish and eggs are overflowing with vitamin D, but guess what? Around 90% of our D comes from sun-kissed skin!
Low levels of Vitamin D can stir up a host of issues, including rickets and osteomalacia (soft bones). So, it's crucial during pregnancy, as it plays a pivotal role in bone development.
Curious about the link between Vitamin D and hormonal birth control? Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, decided to uncover this mystery.
Vitamin D and Birth Control
The team dug into the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a reproductive health investigation focusing on nearly 1,700 African-American women aged 23-34 living in and around Detroit, MI.
The survey questioned women about their birth control use, sun time, and any Vitamin D supplements. In total, 1,662 women shared their blood samples for vitamin D measurement. During pregnancy, women produce increased levels of the active form of vitamin D to support bone development. But, pregnant women have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, which can spark skeletal problems.
Dr. Harmon announced: "Our study found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women." Even after accounting for factors like sun exposure and seasons, the effect remained noticeable.
Dr. Harmon found no distinctive behaviors, such as increased sunbathing, to explain the boost in Vitamin D. "Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen tend to spike vitamin D levels, and those levels tend to dip when women stop using birth control."
After mulling over confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen resulted in 20% higher vitamin D levels. Moreover, current users of birth control had higher levels, and women who stopped using birth control had normal vitamin D levels.
Early Pregnancy and Vitamin D Deficiency
The findings, published this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, reveal that as a woman plans to conceive, she might fall short on vitamin D. Dr. Harmon advises:
"For women planning to stop using birth control, it's wise to ensure adequate vitamin D levels while trying to conceive and during pregnancy."
Medical News Today asked Dr. Harmon about the cause of this link, and she explained:
"We can't pinpoint why vitamin D levels are higher. Other studies hint that levels of other vitamin D metabolites may shift when women use estrogen-containing birth control. This suggests that there could be changes in the way vitamin D is metabolized."
Dr. Harmon pointed out that this study focused solely on African-American women. So, if race plays a role in this effect, it's not a deciding factor. In the U.S., African-American women are more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, even small changes in vitamin D levels could have significant consequences.
Dr. Harmon will continue to track this group of women to explore this relationship further. Additionally, she's working on another team of participants to investigate vitamin D fluctuations across the menstrual cycle.
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- Women utilizing hormonal birth control containing estrogen often exhibit higher vitamin D levels, as opposed to those who do not.
- In the health-and-wellness sphere, vitamin D is a crucial nutrient, overseeing calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood and aiding in calcium absorption, essential for strong bones.
- Adequate vitamin D levels are vital during pregnancy, as they contribute significantly to bone development, yet pregnant women are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiencies.
- In the study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), which focused on African-American women, it was found that those on estrogen-based birth control had 20% higher vitamin D levels, even after accounting for sun exposure and seasons.
- Improved understanding of the relationship between vitamins and women's health is currently being researched through ongoing studies, such as examining vitamin D fluctuations across the menstrual cycle.
- Beyond cultural boundaries, deficiencies in vitamins and other essential nutrients can have substantial impacts on women's health and wellbeing.
