Uncovered connection between vitamin D and contraception revealed
Get the Scoop on Vitamin D and Your Birth Control
Got the lowdown on vitamin D and your hormonal birth control? Here's the dirt!
Turns out, women taking estrogen-based birth control pills got more of that sweet D in their bloodstream. And if they stop using the pill, guess what? Their vitamin D levels plummet. So, why does it matter, you ask?
Vitamin D is the big kahuna when it comes to keeping your calcium and phosphorous levels in check. It also helps your body absorb the good stuff, calcium, which is key to strong bones, baby.
Fish and eggs are loaded with vitamin D, but get this—up to 90 percent of it gets produced in your skin, thanks to a little chemical reaction after some sun exposure.
When you don't have enough vitamin D, you risk developing conditions like rickets (in kids) and osteomalacia (softening of bones). And if you're knocking up, your baby's skeleton development depends on your vitamin D levels.
Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health, couldn't resist digging into the link between vitamin D and contraception.
So, she gathered data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), an investigation focusing on reproductive health. This project involved over 1,600 African-American women in and around Detroit, MI, aged 23-34.
The study asked the women about their birth control usage and how much time they spent outdoors, as well as whether they took any vitamin D supplements.
The researchers found that women using estrogen-based contraception had significantly higher vitamin D levels compared to other women. Even after factoring in confounding variables like sunlight exposure, the association remained strong.
"Our study found that women who were using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women," said Dr. Harmon.
After analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that users of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen had levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D that were about 20 percent higher compared to non-users.
Pregnancy creates a tendency for women to produce increased levels of the active form of vitamin D. This means that as a woman starts trying to conceive, she could be at a higher risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D.
"For women who are planning to stop using birth control, it's worth taking steps to ensure that their vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy," said Dr. Harmon.
Researchers like Dr. Harmon are still working to uncover the reasons why estrogen-based contraception might affect vitamin D levels. "Further work is needed," she said.
The current study focused solely on African-American women, but the same association has been observed in non-AF-Am women. The interaction between hormonal contraceptives and vitamin D in AF-Am women might be significant due to the higher risk of vitamin D deficiency in this demographic.
Dr. Harmon is continuing to monitor this group of women to delve deeper into the relationship and is also working with another group to investigate how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
So, next time you're talking birth control with your doc, don't forget to bring up that all-important vitamin D! And if you're planning to start a family, make sure you've got those vitamin D levels in check!
- Vitamin D levels in women taking estrogen-based birth control pills are significantly higher compared to when they stop using the pill.
- Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining the balance of calcium and phosphorous in the body and aiding in the absorption of calcium, essential for strong bones.
- Up to 90% of vitamin D is produced in the skin through a chemical reaction after sun exposure.
- Deficiencies in vitamin D can lead to conditions like rickets (in children) and osteomalacia (softening of bones).
- During pregnancy, vitamin D plays a vital role in the development of the baby's skeleton.
- Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health, has been investigating the link between vitamin D and contraception.
- The Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, involving over 1,600 African-American women, revealed that users of estrogen-based contraception had significantly higher vitamin D levels.
- Pregnant women, due to an increase in the active form of vitamin D, could be at a higher risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D as they start trying to conceive.
