Discovered connection between vitamin D and contraceptive methods explored
Revamped Take:
When it comes to estrogen-based birth control, researchers have discovered a fascinating tie to vitamin D levels. Women who pop these pills find their vitamin D levels skyrocket, while those who ditch the contraceptives see a sharp decline in their D levels.
Vitamin D is the superhero of calcium and phosphorus management in the body. It helps absorb calcium, a key component of your bones, and ensures the correct levels of calcium and phosphorus are maintained in your blood.
Foods riddled with vitamin D include fish, eggs, and - think sunbathes - around 90% of vitamin D production takes place in your skin through a sun-induced chemical reaction.
Deficiency in this supervitamin can lead to issues like rickets and osteomalacia (softening of the bones), and during pregnancy, it's a big deal as it's crucial for building your little one's skeleton.
Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, snatched up the opportunity to explore this connection between vitamin D and contraception.
Vitamin D and Contraception Revealed
Dr. Harmon and her team dug into data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a project focusing on reproductive health. They gathered nearly 1,700 African-American women aged 23-34 living in and around Detroit, MI, to ask about their contraceptive usage, sun time, and any vitamin D supplements they used.
With 1,662 women providing blood samples for analysis, the research team measured the most common circulating form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxy vitamin D.
Pregnancy causes a boost in active form vitamin D production, making pregnant women more susceptible to vitamin D deficiency and bone health problems.
"Our study found that women who were using contraception containing estrogen had higher vitamin D levels than other women," Dr. Harmon explained.
After controlling for factors like seasonal sunlight exposure, the impact held strong. Dr. Harmon stated, "We couldn't find any behavioral differences, like increased time outside, to account for the increase."
After adjusting for confounding variables, estrogen-based contraceptive pill, patch, or ring users experienced 20% higher levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Current users had higher vitamin D levels, while past users settled somewhere in the average range.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Pregnancy
Published this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, these findings indicate that women planning to conceive run the risk of vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Harmon shared her advice, "For women transitioning off birth control, ensuring adequate vitamin D levels before conception and during pregnancy is prudent."
Medical News Today asked Dr. Harmon why estrogen-based contraception might affect vitamin D levels, and she replied, "We're unsure why vitamin D levels are higher. Other studies suggest that the levels of other vitamin D metabolites change when women use estrogen-containing contraception, hinting at potential alterations in vitamin D metabolism."
While the study solely focused on African-American women, Dr. Harmon shared her thoughts on race's role, "The same association has been observed outside the African-American community, so we believe this association is not related to race, as African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient."
Dr. Harmon is continuing to track this group of women to further explore the connection, and she's also working on another group to investigate vitamin D variations throughout the menstrual cycle.
Learning about research linking higher vitamin D levels to lower cancer risk.
- In the study of reproductive health, researchers found that women using estrogen-based contraceptives have higher levels of vitamin D compared to other women.
- The team's findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, suggest that women planning to conceive may be at risk of vitamin D deficiency if they transition off birth control.
- Dr. Harmon advises ensuring adequate vitamin D levels before conception and during pregnancy for women transitioning off birth control.
- The study on African-American women also implies that the association between higher vitamin D levels and estrogen-based contraception may not be related to race.
- Dr. Harmon is continuing her research to further explore the connection between vitamin D levels and estrogen-based contraception, as well as investigating vitamin D variations throughout the menstrual cycle in another group of women.
- The study by Dr. Harmon helps to expand our understanding of the relationship between women's health, vitamins, nutrition, and cultural aspects like contraception use, contributing to the broader field of health-and-wellness and women's health.
