Unveiled connection: Vitamin D may play a role in birth control mechanisms
Sun, Sun, Vitamin D Hun! 🌞
Women on estrogen-based birth control might be rolling in more than just hormones, according to recent research. These contraceptive users might have higher levels of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D. Conversely, when they ditch the pills, patches, or rings, their levels take a nosedive.
Vitamin D, the boss of calcium and phosphorous levels in your blood, also assists in the body's absorption of calcium, crucial for strong bones. Food sources containing this supernutrient include fish, eggs, and sunlight-kissed skin! However, approximately 90% of our vitamin D comes from exposure to sunlight.
Insufficiency in this sun-loving vitamin can lead to health issues like rickets and osteomalacia, aka soft bones. During pregnancy, vitamin D's importance amplifies due to the need to support the growth of the baby's skeleton.
To investigate any connections between contraceptives and vitamin D, Dr. Quaker E. Harmon from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences dived head-first into research.
Vitamin D and Contraception 🤰️
Dr. Harmon studied data from the Detroit-based Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, welcoming 1,662 African-American women aged 23-34 into the lab. These lovely ladies shared deets on their contraceptive use, including questions about outdoor time and supplements. Blood samples collected helped measure the key form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
The study demonstrated that women using estrogen-based contraception had higher vitamin D levels compared to other participants. Even after accounting for external factors, such as sunlight exposure, this effect maintained significance.
"Our study found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than others," said Dr. Harmon. "The increase wasn't due to changes in their behavior," she added.
After adjustments for confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was linked to 20 percent higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Current users of birth control displayed higher vitamin D levels, while past users reported average levels.
Vitamin D Deficiency During Early Pregnancy 🙁
These findings, published this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, indicate that women planning to become pregnant may face the risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D as they stop using birth control. Dr. Harmon offers some advice:
"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."
Dr. Harmon explained the mechanism behind this estrogen-vitamin D connection, saying:
"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 implies that there may be alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D. Further research is required."
The study focused solely on African-American women; but fret not, concerned allies! Dr. Harmon asserts that the same association has been observed in various racial groups and hypothesizes that race does not play a substantial role in this phenomenon.
Dr. Harmon also shared that she continues to observe this group of women to further investigate the relationship. Additionally, she is working on another group of participants to explore how vitamin D levels vary across the menstrual cycle.
Now stop, collar that vitamin D, and never let it get away!
- The sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, plays a crucial role in women on estrogen-based birth control, as their levels are reportedly higher compared to when they stop using the contraceptives.
- Vitamin D, known for managing calcium and phosphorous levels in the blood, aids in the absorption of calcium, which is vital for strong bones.
- Deficiencies in vitamin D can lead to health issues like rickets and osteomalacia, conditions characterized by soft bones.
- During pregnancy, vitamin D's importance escalates due to the need to support the growth of the baby's skeleton.
- To study the connection between contraceptives and vitamin D, Dr. Quaker E. Harmon from the National Institutes of Health delved into research, using data from the Detroit-based Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids.
- The study found that women using contraception containing estrogen had higher vitamin D levels compared to other participants, and this effect remained significant even after accounting for external factors.
- Current users of estrogen-based contraception displayed higher vitamin D levels, while past users reported average levels.
- While the study focused solely on African-American women, the same association has been observed in various racial groups, suggesting that race may not significantly influence this phenomenon.
