Exploring a captivating link between vitamin D and contraceptive methods revealed
Scooping the Sunshine Vitamin: Estrogen-Based Birth Control and Vitamin D
Let's dive into the fascinating findings that creamy pill popping correlates with a sunshine vitamin boost! Yep, you heard it right – women on estrogen-based birth control pills are running higher on the vitamin D scale. Putting the brakes on these pills, though, sends those levels plummeting.
But what's the skinny on vitamin D, anyway? This nutrient star works tirelessly to maintain optimal calcium and phosphorus levels in your bloodstream. It's like a mighty bone-builder, supervising the absorption of calcium – y'know, kinda like how the boss oversees the employee workforce!
Fancy an oceanside vacation? Seafood and eggs are prime sources of this shine-infuser. Interestingly, most of your vitamin D stash is self-produced through a sunshine-induced chemical reaction cooking up in your very own skin.
If you're deficient in this Vitamin D, watch out for rickets and osteomalacia (softening of the bones) – ouch! Given its key role in bone formation, pregnant goddesses should keep a vigilant eye on their vitamin D levels.
Enter Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Research Triangle Park maverick. She took a curiosity cloak and Brazil nut-sized interest in any link between vitamin D levels and contraceptive use.
Estrogen, Contraceptives, and Vitamin D – The Dance of Hormones
Dr. Harmon and her crew swabbed nearly 1,700 African-American women between 23 and 34 living near Detroit, MI, investigating their reproductive health scene through the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF). The research questioned their contraceptive use and the time spent soaking up those warm rays. Follow the science: in total, 1,662 women donated blood samples to gauge their vitamin D levels.
Fast-forward to the fun facts: Dr. Harmon's team found a connection. Women using estrogen-guzzling contraception were dancing on the sunnier side of the vitamin D bar. Even after eliminating possible confounding factors like sunlight exposure and vitamin D supplements, the correlation stayed crunchy!
"We couldn't swipe behavioral differences such as extra sunbathing to explain the jump," shared the curious doc. "Our takeaway suggests that contraceptives fortified with estrogen pump vitamin D levels, and those levels plummet when the contraception goes."
After paring down possible variables, estrogen-imbued birth control pills, patches, or rings were linked to bumping up vitamin D levels by an impressive 20 percent. At the same time, current contraception users scored higher vitamin D levels, while OG users found themselves in the middle of the pack.
Vitamin D Deficiency – The Hatching Dangers of Early Pregnancy
These new findings published this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism mean that as you begin the journey to maternity, vitamin D deficiency may rear its ugly head. Dr. Harmon drops some sage advice:
"For women planning to give the birth control boot, it could be worth playing it safe and ensuring vitamin D levels are in check while attempting conception and through pregnancy."
Medical News Today posed a question to the good doctor, asking why estrogen-based contraception could impact vitamin D levels. She hinted at mystery metabolism alterations:
"Other research posits that other vitamin D metabolites could be modified when using estrogen-infused contraceptives. This suggests there might be tweaks in the way vitamin D is metabolized."
Likely wonders, the current study spotlighted solely African-American women. Dr. Harmon shared some thoughts on whether race might factor into the fray:
"We see similar findings in women who aren't African-American, so we believe this link isn't based on race. In the United States, African-American women have higher odds of vitamin D deficiency, so slight adjustments or decreases in vitamin D concentrations could be more impactful."
Dr. Harmon hinted at a continuation of the study to further examine the relationship between women and vitamin D. Additionally, she's hard at work on another set of guinea pigs to investigate vitamin D variations throughout the menstrual cycle.
Up next, geek out with us on research details confirming that higher vitamin D levels can potentially lower cancer risk!
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- The sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, plays a vital role in maintaining optimal calcium and phosphorus levels in the bloodstream, acting like a bone-builder that supervises the absorption of calcium.
- Women on estrogen-based birth control pills have higher vitamin D levels, but stopping the pills causes a sharp drop in these levels.
- Vitamin D can be found in seafood and eggs, but most of it is self-produced through a chemical reaction in the skin triggered by sunlight.
- Deficiencies in vitamin D can lead to conditions like rickets and osteomalacia, which softens the bones.
- Pregnant women should keep a close eye on their vitamin D levels due to its importance in bone formation.
- Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, a researcher from the National Institutes of Health, found a link between vitamin D levels and contraceptive use in African-American women.
- Estrogen-infused birth control pills, patches, or rings were found to increase vitamin D levels by 20 percent, and current contraception users had higher vitamin D levels compared to non-users.
- Vitamin D deficiency could become a concern for women who are trying to conceive or are already pregnant, as higher levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of cancer.
