Unveiled connection between vitamin D and contraceptive methods revealed.
Revised Article:
Estrogen and Your Vitamin D Levels:
Here's a curious relationship that researchers have stumbled upon: ladies using estrogen-based birth control pills seem to have higher levels of circulating vitamin D, while those who stop taking these hormonal contraceptives may see a significant drop in their vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D, often dubbed the sunshine vitamin, has a crucial job: maintaining the right amounts of calcium and phosphorous in your blood. And guess what? It also helps your body absorb calcium, an essential building block for your bones. You can find plenty of vitamin D in foods such as fish and eggs. But here's a fun fact - around 90 percent of your vitamin D comes from a natural chemical reaction on your skin after spending time in the sun.
So, what happens when you have vitamin D deficiency? You might start developing rickets, or the softening of your bones, which is a problem for both kids and adults. Since vitamin D plays a significant role in forming bones, pregnant ladies should pay extra attention to their vitamin D levels.
Curious about the connection between contraceptives and vitamin D levels? Dr. Quaker E. Harmon from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC, decided to dig deeper.
Estrogen, Contraceptives, and Your Vitamin D
Dr. Harmon and her team analyzed data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a project focusing on reproductive health. They looked at almost 1,700 African-American women aged 23-34 from around Detroit, MI, and asked questions about their contraceptive use, time spent outside, and vitamin D supplements.
In total, 1,662 women provided blood samples to measure their levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the most common circulating form of vitamin D.
Dr. Harmon's study found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women. Even after controlling for factors like seasonal light exposure, the effect remained significant.
"No behavioral differences, like spending more time outside, could explain the increase in vitamin D levels," said Dr. Harmon. "Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen appear to boost vitamin D levels, and those levels are likely to fall when women stop using contraception."
After considering all confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with a 20 percent higher level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
Even more interesting, current users of birth control had higher levels of vitamin D, while past users had average vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D Deficiency During Pregnancy
This study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism this week, hints that as women begin trying to conceive, they might be at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Harmon advises, "For women planning to stop using birth control, it's worth taking steps to make sure vitamin D levels are sufficient while trying to conceive and during pregnancy."
When we asked Dr. Harmon why estrogen-based contraception might impact vitamin D levels, she explained, "We're still not sure why this happens. Previous research suggests that the levels of other vitamin D metabolites may change when women use estrogen-containing contraception, indicating that there may be changes in vitamin D's metabolism."
Dr. Harmon's study focused solely on African-American women; we asked her if race played a role in this effect. She said, "We believe this association isn't related to race since similar findings have been observed in women of different racial backgrounds. In the United States, African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient, so even small changes in vitamin D levels can have significant implications."
Dr. Harmon is continuing to follow this group of women to further investigate the relationship and is working on another group to investigate how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle. You can read about another study showing that higher vitamin D levels might lower cancer risk.
- Women's health and nutritional deficiencies often intertwine, and this study on estrogen, contraceptives, and vitamin D sheds light on a potential concern.
- The science of health-and-wellness suggests that hormonal contraceptives may contribute to increased levels of nutrient vitamin D in women's bodies.
- In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Dr. Harmon found that women using estrogen-based contraceptives had higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the most common form of the essential nutrient.
- Multi-vitamins specifically designed for women's health, including vitamins D and E, could help address these deficiencies that might arise during hormone transitions, such as stopping the use of contraceptives.
- Nutrition plays a critical role in women's health, and the findings from this study underscore the importance of maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D, particularly during pregnancy when bone health is paramount.
- To ensure sufficient levels of vitamin D when trying to conceive and during pregnancy, women may want to consider supplements, healthy dietary choices, and proper sun exposure in their health-and-wellness routines.
