Contents:
- Medical Video: 👶🏼 If you take BIRTH CONTROL PILLs you Need these 5 Things 👶🏼
- Hormonal contraception affects vitamin D levels in the body
- Get to know the role of vitamin D during pregnancy
- What else will happen to the body when it stops using hormonal birth control?
Medical Video: 👶🏼 If you take BIRTH CONTROL PILLs you Need these 5 Things 👶🏼
If you plan to get pregnant and stop taking birth control pills, it's a good idea to check vitamin D levels in your body first. The reason is, it turns out the amount of vitamin D in your body will decrease as you stop using hormonal contraception. How did it happen? Find out the answers in this article.
Hormonal contraception affects vitamin D levels in the body
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that women who used hormonal contraception tended to have higher vitamin D levels than women who did not use hormonal contraception.
The results of this study indicate that contraceptives containing estrogen, whether in the form of pills, patches, or vaginal rings tend to increase vitamin D levels in the body. However, when women stop using contraception the levels of vitamin D in the body tend to decrease.
This certainly will be problematic for women who want to try to get pregnant. Because, vitamin D is one type of vitamin that is needed during pregnancy to help support the growth and development of the fetal skeleton. Unfortunately, the experts in this study did not know how fast vitamin D levels would decline after a woman stopped using contraception.
That is why, researchers suggest that if you plan to stop using hormonal contraception, make sure if your vitamin D intake is sufficient enough when trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy.
Get to know the role of vitamin D during pregnancy
Vitamin D is a hormone that plays a role in boosting the immune system and managing calcium levels in the blood. During pregnancy, women's vitamin D needs increase. According to the 2013 Nutrition Adequacy Rate (RDA) the daily requirement of vitamin D for pregnant women is 15 mcg.
This one vitamin is needed to support the formation of the skeleton and the growth of the fetal bones and teeth that are still in the womb. Not only that, adequate intake of vitamin D during pregnancy is also able to prevent the risk of the birth of a low-weight baby.
The human body will naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Apart from sunlight, which is the best source of vitamin D, you can also fulfill this vitamin requirement through food. Some foods that contain vitamin D include fish that contain good fats (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines), eggs, and red meat.
If needed, you can also get vitamin D intake from supplements or multivitamins. However, you should consult a doctor first before deciding to take a vitamin D supplement. The doctor will recommend what the right dose is. Because, excess vitamin D can also be dangerous.
What else will happen to the body when it stops using hormonal birth control?
Besides being able to reduce vitamin D levels in the body, generally stop using hormonal contraceptives (whether in the form of pills, spiral KB, patches, vaginal rings, until injections) will cause side effects, namely:
- Possible pregnancy.
- Decrease in body weight (usually water weight).
- Increased libido.
- Mood swings.
- Irregular menstrual cycles.
- PMS might come back.
- Sharp pain during ovulation.
- Pimples appear.
Even so, it should be noted that these side effects will be different for each woman because it depends on the condition of your body before starting to use hormonal contraception.
Similarly, when you want to use hormonal contraception, when you decide to stop using it, you are also advised to consult a gynecologist first. This is done so that you can reduce any side effects from using hormonal contraception.
