A new study has found that women may experience lowering levels of vitamin D after they stop taking birth control medications. Vitamin D is essential for immune system functioning and regulating calcium in the blood. Calcium plays a critical role in bone health, and women are at a higher risk for bone loss than men. During pregnancy, women produce higher vitamin D levels to aid in the development of their baby.
Study first author Dr. Quaker Harmon said, “Our findings indicate women may run the risk of developing vitamin D deficiency just when they want to become pregnant. For women who are planning to stop using birth control, it is worth taking steps to ensure that vitamin D levels are adequate while trying to conceive and during pregnancy.”
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The study included nearly 1,700 black women. Blood samples revealed that those who used birth control pills had 20 percent higher vitamin D levels.
“We could not find any behavioral differences — such as increased time spent outdoors — to explain the increase,” Harmon explained.
On the other hand, those who stopped using birth control had average vitamin D levels. Harmon added, “Our findings suggest that contraceptives containing estrogen tend to boost vitamin D levels, and those levels are likely to fall when women cease using contraception.”
Vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight and some dietary sources, including fatty fish and fortified milk.