Discovered connection between vitamin D and birth control therapy explored
The link between estrogen-based birth control and vitamin D levels
Do you wanna know about that crazy connection between your contraceptive pills and your vitamin D levels, you wild animal? Well, you're in luck! Researchers have stumbled upon something pretty interesting in the world of hormones and vitamins.
Ladies taking estrogen-based birth control medication, you're gonna freak. You see, those pills you're poppin'? They're putting a little extra boost in your vitamin D store! The opposite happens when you kick those pills to the curb, as your vitamin D levels drop like a rock.
Wondering why the heck this matters? Well, vitamin D plays a crucial role - keeping your calcium and phosphorous levels in check, and aiding in the absorption of calcium for strong bones. This essential vitamin can be found in yummy foods like fish and eggs, but a whopping 90% of it is produced in your skin after you catch some rays.
But beware, vitamin D deficiency can lead to some ugly business, like rickets and osteomalacia (yep, those are soft, weak bones). Since this supervitamin is vital for growing strong bones during pregnancy, it's all the more important to have it in check.
Now, Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, thought it would be cool to probe any connections between vitamin D levels and that little pill you're taking every day.
Contraception and vitamin D
So how did he swing this? By diving into some juicy data from the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids - an investigation into pu$$y problems, solely on African-American women living in Detroit, of all places. He asked these gals some questions about the pills they're taking and their sunbathing habits, and even snatched some of their blood samples to check out their vitamin D levels.
After examining 1,662 ladies, Dr. Harmon and his team found that women on estrogen-based contraception tend to have higher vitamin D levels than those who don't partake. And for all you science buffs out there, even after accounting for other factors like sun exposure, the impact remained significant!
"We couldn't dig up any behavioral clues like people spending more time in the sun to explain this increase," said Dr. Harmon. Looks like that estrogen-based birth control is putting a little excitO-D into your system!
Once Dr. Harmon controlled for confounding variables like the season, the effect stayed solid. Current users of birth control had higher vitamin D levels, and former users had average levels, so the estrogen seems to keep your vitamin D levels pumped, homies!
After the number crunching, the use of birth control pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen was associated with around 20 percent higher levels of vitamin D!
Vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy
This latest research, now published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, raises a warning to women trying to conceive. You might run the risk of becoming deficient in that precious vitamin D if you kick your estrogen-based birth control to the curb. Dr. Harmon advice? "If you're planning on dropping your birth control, ensure your vitamin D levels are on point while trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy - it's worth it!"
Dr. Harmon also dished on the cause for this funky estrogen-D connection. "We're not entirely sure why this is happening, but it might be related to changes in vitamin D metabolism while using estrogen-containing contraception."
But what about differences in vitamin D levels by race? Dr. Harmon insists the effects observed in the study are not race-related. While African-American women have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency due to various factors, this research shows that the same association holds true for other racial groups.
Dr. Harmon is keeping tabs on this group of women, diving deeper into the relationship between vitamin D and contraception. In addition, she's exploring another group of participants to understand the variation of vitamin D across the menstrual cycle. Get ready to learn more, kids!
Now, before you go popping more pills to get that extra vitamin D boost, keep in mind that more research is needed to truly understand this connection, especially across different racial groups. So stay tuned for further updates on this wild, weird world of hormones and vitamins!
- Researchers, including Dr. Quaker E. Harmon, have found a connection between estrogen-based birth control medication and vitamin D levels in women.
- Women on estrogen-based contraception tend to have higher vitamin D levels than those who do not partake, even after accounting for sun exposure and other factors.
- Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus levels, aiding in the absorption of calcium for strong bones, and is vital for bone growth during pregnancy.
- A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to conditions like rickets and osteomalacia, which cause soft and weak bones.
- Current users of birth control pills, patches, or rings containing estrogen have around 20 percent higher levels of vitamin D than non-users.
- Dr. Harmon advises women planning to conceive to ensure their vitamin D levels are normal while trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy, as a deficiency can occur when stopping estrogen-based birth control.
- This research does not suggest that the association between vitamin D and contraception is race-related, although African-American women have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency for various reasons.
- Dr. Harmon is continuing to study the relationship between vitamin D and contraception, as well as variation of vitamin D across the menstrual cycle, to better understand this connection in different racial groups.
