Exploration reveals potential link between vitamin D and contraception
Getting Your D, Thanks to The Pill?
Turns out, your trusty birth control pill might be doing more than just preventing unwanted pregnancies – it could be boosting your vitamin D levels, too!
Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, plays a crucial role in maintaining the proper balance of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, as well as aiding the body in absorbing calcium, a key component in bone health. Although food sources like fish and eggs are rich in vitamin D, around 90% of it is produced naturally through a chemical reaction upon exposure to sunlight.
Deficiency in this essential nutrient can lead to health issues like rickets and osteomalacia (softening of the bones). Given vitamin D's importance in bone formation, it's particularly critical during pregnancy.
Dr. Quaker E. Harmon from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences saw an opportunity to investigate any links between vitamin D levels and oral contraceptives.
Vitamin D and Contraception
In a study involving nearly 1,700 African-American women aged 23-34 living around Detroit, MI, the team found that women using contraception containing estrogen had significantly higher vitamin D levels. Even after accounting for factors like seasonal light exposure and vitamin D supplements, the connection remained strong.
"The study found that women who were using contraception containing estrogen tended to have higher vitamin D levels than other women," said Dr. Harmon.
Explaining the findings, she added, "Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen tend to boost vitamin D levels, and these levels are likely to fall when women cease using contraception."
After adjusting for confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with 20 percent higher levels of vitamin D.
As women plan to become pregnant, they may run the risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D, Dr. Harmon warns. She advises taking steps to ensure adequate vitamin D levels while trying to conceive and during pregnancy.
The Scientific Lowdown
Research suggests that estrogen increases the expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in target cells, leading to an apparent increase in vitamin D activity and circulating levels. Moreover, estrogen may stimulate enzymes involved in the metabolism of vitamin D, leading to the production of more active vitamin D metabolites. These mechanisms result in higher vitamin D activity and circulating levels in users of estrogen-containing contraceptives.
Clinical observations support this association, with women using estrogen-based contraceptives often demonstrating increased serum levels of vitamin D and calcium, likely due to estrogen's effects on vitamin D metabolism and receptor regulation.
It's worth mentioning that the association was found in African-American women. However, since similar findings have been observed in women of different racial backgrounds, the association may not be linked to race. In the United States, African-American women are more likely to be vitamin D-deficient, so even small increases might be significant.
Dr. Harmon is continuing to follow the study participants to further investigate the relationship between estrogen-based contraceptives and vitamin D levels. Additionally, she is working with a new group of participants to study how vitamin D varies across the menstrual cycle.
- The trusty birth control pill might not only prevent unwanted pregnancies but also boost vitamin D levels, a nutrient crucial for maintaining proper calcium and phosphorus balance in the body and aiding in bone health.
- Deficiencies in vitamin D can lead to health issues like rickets and osteomalacia, making it particularly critical during pregnancy.
- In a study involving African-American women, those using contraception containing estrogen were found to have significantly higher vitamin D levels.
- After adjusting for confounding variables, the use of contraceptive pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with 20 percent higher levels of vitamin D.
- Women planning to become pregnant may run the risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D, so it's important to ensure adequate vitamin D levels while trying to conceive and during pregnancy.
- The study's findings suggest that estrogen increases the expression of the vitamin D receptor in target cells, leading to an increase in vitamin D activity and circulating levels, a phenomenon that might not be limited to African-American women.
