Uncovered connection between vitamin D and contraceptive methods revealed
Cracking the Connection Between Contraceptives and Vitamin D
It turns out that women using estrogen-based birth control pills might just have higher levels of vitamin D circulating in their bodies. That's according to a recent study, led by Dr. Quaker E. Harmon of the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Why you asking? Well, vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, plays a crucial role in maintaining the right balance of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. It also helps your body absorb calcium, a key component of bones. You can find it in foods like fish and eggs, but a whopping 90% of it is produced in your skin after exposure to sunlight.
But what happens when you're on the pill? The researchers carried out a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a project that looked into reproductive health in African-American women aged 23-34 from Detroit, MI. The study found that women using contraceptives containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women.
The team used blood samples from almost 1,700 women to ascertain their levels of the most common circulating form of vitamin D - 25-hydroxy vitamin D. And even when taking into account factors like seasonal exposure to light and vitamin D supplements, the effect remained significant.
So, why might estrogen-based contraception affect vitamin D levels? Dr. Harmon explains, "We do not know why vitamin D levels are higher. Other work suggests that the levels of other vitamin D metabolites are changed when women use estrogen-containing contraception. This suggests that there may be alterations in the metabolism of vitamin D."
The most interesting part? Once women stop using these contraceptives, their vitamin D levels drop significantly. So, if you're planning to start a family, it's worth keeping an eye on your vitamin D levels to ensure they're adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy.
Remember, during pregnancy, women produce increased levels of the active form of vitamin D to support the growth of the fetal skeleton. Because of this, pregnant women face a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency and, thus, bone problems.
But here's the kicker: this study only looked at African-American women. Could race play a role in this effect? Dr. Harmon believes it's not related to race, but since African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient, even small changes could have a significant impact. She's continuously following the group of women to further investigate the relationship and working on another group to look at how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
So there you have it, folks. If you're on the pill, you might just be getting a dose of the sunshine vitamin without even knowing it! But remember, it's always a good idea to chat with your doctor about your vitamin D levels, especially if you're planning to start a family.
