Unveiled Connection: Vitamin D and Birth Control Reciprocal Relationship Revealed
Revised Article:
Swiping through the scientific scene, it appears that estrogen-based birth control pills lead ladies to carry around more vitamin D in their bloodstreams. Funnily enough, when they stop using these pills, their vitamin D levels plummet significantly.
You may wonder what the heck vitamin D does. Well, its primary gig is to keep an even keel on your blood's calcium and phosphorous levels, playing a major role in absorption of erstwhile bone-essential calcium.
Leave it to the sun to supply our bodies with the majority of vitamin D — around 90% — through a chemical reaction upon exposure. Fish, eggs, and other foods are also rich in this vital nutrient, so don't count on smacking down a sunbathing session for all your dietary needs.
Inadequate vitamin D can lead to bone-busting conditions like rickets and osteomalacia. Given its crucial role in bone formation, it's extremely important — especially during pregnancy. Rather than cracking jokes, let's get down to business.
No surprise, Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, a whiz at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC, decided it was time to figure out if there were any notable differences in vitamin D levels among contraceptive pill takers.
Vitamin D and Contraception: An Unlikely Pairing
Diving headfirst into research, Harmon and his team scoped out data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a project that examined the nitty-gritty of reproductive health. Focusing on 1,700 African-American women living in and around Detroit, MI, aged 23-34, the study quizzed participants about their contraceptive habits (read: pill, patch, or ring), sunlight exposure, and any vitamin D supplements they were guzzling down.
Of course, no study is complete without blood samples, and these ladies provided 1,662 of 'em to measure 25-hydroxy vitamin D — the most common circulating form of vitamin D.
Wazzup with pregnant ladies, though? Well, during pregnancy, their bodies produce increased levels of the active form of vitamin D to ensure a healthy fetal skeleton. And you already know that pregnancy can bring on a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency and, subsequently, bone problems.
"Our study found that women who were using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women," declared Dr. Harmon. Adjusting for confounding variables like exposure to sunlight did not dampen the relationship between estrogen and vitamin D. "To our surprise, we couldn't find any behavioral differences to explain the increase," Harmon added.
After crunching the numbers, the team found that contraceptive pill users had 20 percent juicier vitamin D levels. Past users had average levels, while current users remained up on their nutritional D intake.
When Birth Control Ends: The Dilemma of Deficiency
The results of this study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, highlight a potential issue as women prep to conceive: they might be at risk of D-ficiency. Harmon recommends embarking on a deficiency-fighting regimen before attempting pregnancy and throughout the nine months.
Nosey, aren't we? We queried Dr. Harmon about how estrogen-containing birth control pills could interfere with vitamin D levels, and she admitted that the mechanisms weren't well understood. "We believe changes in vitamin D metabolites might be occurring, suggesting potential alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D," Harmon speculated.
While this study only focused on African-American women, Harmon downplayed any racial factor in the relationship, stating that similar results had been observed in non-African populations. In the US, African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient, so even small changes could be significant.
In addition to following the same group of women over a longer period, Harmon is also taking a stab at a new group of participants to investigate how vitamin D varies throughout the menstrual cycle.
If you're more curious about research linking higher vitamin D levels to a drop in cancer risk, we got your back!
- Surprisingly, estrogen-based birth control pills cause women to carry higher levels of vitamin D in their bloodstreams.
- Vitamin D plays a significant role in maintaining the balance of calcium and phosphorous in the blood, which is essential for bone formation.
- The sun supplies about 90% of the body's vitamin D, through a chemical reaction upon exposure, while fish, eggs, and other foods are also rich sources of this vital nutrient.
- Inadequate vitamin D can lead to sever conditions like rickets and osteomalacia, which are particularly dangerous during pregnancy.
- In a study conducted by Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, 1,700 African-American women were observed to determine if there were any differences in vitamin D levels among contraceptive pill takers.
- The study, which focused on women aged 23-34 living in and around Detroit, MI, found that women who were using contraception containing estrogen had 20 percent higher vitamin D levels.
- The results of this study suggest that women who are preparing to conceive might be at risk of vitamin D deficiency once they stop using these pills.
- Dr. Harmon speculates that changes in vitamin D metabolites may be occurring, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
- Harmon, in ongoing research, is investigating how vitamin D varies throughout the menstrual cycle to further understand the relationship between contraception and vitamin D levels.
