Unveiled link: Vitamin D research hints at potential birth control association
Swingin' the D Levels
Turns out, the ladies poppin' estrogen-based birth control pills are sailing high on vitamin D, while those ditching the pills face a nasty plunge in their vitamin D levels. Here's what's going down.
Vitamin D, baby, plays a crucial role in ensuring your calcium and phosphorus levels stay balanced in your blood. Plus, it aids your body in absorbing calcium, the bone-essential nourishment. Besides fish and eggs that are loaded with vitamin D, approximately 90% of this vitamin D is produced within your skin, thanks to a groovy chemical reaction triggered by sunlight.
A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to rickets and osteomalacia – not cool, as they soften your bones. Since vitamin D is important for formin' bones, its significance skyrockets during pregnancy. That's why Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC, started diggin' into any links between vitamin D levels and oral contraceptives.
Vitamin D and contraception
Dr. Harmon and her crew cranked up a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a study focused on women's reproductive health. They cooked up this study using almost 1,700 African-American women, aged 23-34, hangin' around Detroit, MI. They asked the women about their contraceptive use and quizzed 'em on the time they spent outside and any vitamin D supplements they took.
In total, 1,662 women generously provided blood samples to measure levels of the most common circulating form of vitamin D, known as 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
During pregnancy, women produce increased levels of the active form of vitamin D to support the growth of the fetal skeleton. This heightens their risk of vitamin D deficiency and bone problems.
"Our study found that women using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels compared to other women," shared Dr. Harmon.
Even after accounting for confounding factors like sunlight exposure, the effect remained significant. "We couldn’t find any behavioral differences, like spending more time outdoors, to explain the increase. Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen boost vitamin D levels, and these levels may drop significantly when women quit birth control," added Dr. Harmon.
After adjusting for confounding variables, the use of birth control pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was related to a 20% spike in 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels.
Current users of birth control sported higher vitamin D levels, while past users had average vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy
Research findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, imply that a woman trying to conceive or during pregnancy could experience a vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Harmon advised:
"For women planning to stop using birth control, it might be a good idea to ensure that vitamin D levels are sufficient while trying to conceive and during pregnancy."
Medical News Today sought clarification from Dr. Harmon on why estrogen-based contraception might influence vitamin D levels. She responded:
"We don’t fully understand why vitamin D levels might be higher. Other work suggests that the levels of other vitamin D metabolites might change when women use estrogen-containing contraception. This hints at potential alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D. Further research is needed."
Dr. Harmon noted that the study exclusively focused on African-American women; however, this association appears consistent across races. In the United States, African-American women are more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency, making even small fluctuations in vitamin D significant.
Dr. Harmon is continuing to track this group of women to further explore this relationship. Additionally, she is working with another group of participants to examine how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
If you're curious to learn about research demonstrating that a higher vitamin D intake might lower cancer risk, give it a read!
- Women taking estrogen-based birth control pills have higher vitamin D levels compared to those not taking such pills.
- The study found that use of birth control containing estrogen was associated with a 20% increase in 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels.
- current users of birth control have higher vitamin D levels, while past users have average levels of vitamin D.
- A decline in vitamin D levels can occur for women who quit using estrogen-based birth control.
- A vitamin D deficiency could potentially occur in women trying to conceive or during pregnancy, and it is advisable to ensure sufficient vitamin D levels during this time.
- The metabolism of vitamin D might be altered when women use estrogen-containing contraception, but further research is needed to fully understand why this association exists.
