Hormonal birth control depletes your body of key nutrients

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Medically reviewed by William Williams, MD

You like to eat right. You take pride in shopping at farmers markets, where the produce is fresh and nutritious—and preferably grown without the pesticides that can wreak havoc on your endocrine system. You try to consume organic meat, eggs, and dairy, raised without synthetic hormones that make the animals freakishly bigger and more productive, and do God knows what to your own system. You even “greened” your makeup routine down to your chapstick, because you can’t bear the thought of accidentally consuming all the nasty chemicals found in conventional makeup. But every day, at the exact same time, you also take a birth control pill, which may be depleting your body of essential vitamins and nutrients, potentially undoing so much of the mindfulness you put into the food you eat and the products you use. Sound unbelievable? Sadly, it could be true: Studies show that birth control use is significantly linked to important nutritional deficiencies. 

We’ve known that birth control depletes nutrients for a long time 

Since at least the 1970s, researchers have known that use of the Pill is associated with depleted levels of such essential nutrients as vitamins C, B2, B6, and folate [1]. More recently, hormonal birth control use has also been shown to have an association with depleted levels of vitamin E and the minerals magnesium, selenium, and zinc [2]. Studies have also indicated a link between birth control use and inflammatory bowel diseases and poor gut health [3]. Unfortunately, we know from what both patients and doctors are telling us, that a number of women do not hear about many of these risks when prescribed hormonal birth control. 

Nutritional deficiencies linked to blood clots, depression, and anemia 

Should you care if your birth control could deplete your body of a few nutrients, or if it might make you deficient in a handful of vitamins you may never even have heard of? In a word, yes. Researchers are finding that many of the most serious side effects of hormonal birth control use may actually be due to the nutritional deficiencies with which it is linked. For example, low vitamin B6 levels are associated with heightened risk for thromboembolism, otherwise known as blood clots [4]. Those clots can cause heart attacks and strokes if they go undetected and are left untreated. Being a smoker, overweight, or having diabetes (or any combination of the three) make a woman’s risk for developing blood clots and subsequent effects like heart attacks and strokes skyrocket if she is also on the birth control pill, and all three of those risk factors (smoking rates, obesity rates, and diabetes rates) are on the rise in young women. Importantly, however, even women without these conditions can suffer blood clots due to birth control.  

Further, the nefarious link between Pill use and increased risk for both depression and suicide that researchers at the University of Copenhagen have diligently uncovered in recent years may also be due (at least in part) to hormonal birth control’s link to vitamin B6 deficiency. B6 plays a big role in the body’s production of certain neurotransmitters, including serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that influences mood, and chronically low levels of serotonin are associated with depression. 

B12 is another important B vitamin in which a woman on birth control may find herself deficient. According to Dr. Bruce Bistrian, chief of clinical nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, if a B12 deficiency is left untreated, “the deficiency can cause severe neurologic problems and blood diseases.” Knowing this, it should be unsurprising that both B6 and B12 deficiencies can also lead to anemia. Anemia is already common enough in women; according to an article on anemia from Harvard Health, “about 12% of women between the ages of 12 and 49 years have at least mild anemia, mostly from iron deficiency caused by blood loss during menstruation.” And while mild anemia isn’t life-threatening, its symptoms (including tiredness, shortness of breath, feeling lightheaded, headaches, faster heart rate and breathing rate) can greatly impact the daily life and activities of the young women plagued by the condition. The fact that hormonal birth control could potentially make this common problem even worse should be a concern. 

Folate deficiency and neural tube defects  

The possibility that the nutritional deficiencies linked to birth control may have repercussions for more than just the woman on the Pill is also concerningFor example, folate is yet another B vitamin in which many women on birth control are chronically deficient. We know that if a pregnant woman has a folate deficiency, it can be quite serious for her unborn child, potentially leading to neural tube defects [5]. Fortunately, most pregnant women are counseled to take folic acid to prevent such defects, but imagine the woman who is on the Pill, chronically folate deficient, and gets pregnant, and is unaware of either the deficiency or the pregnancy before it’s too late. 

Birth control depletes more than B vitamins 

We know, too, that birth control may deplete women of nutrients beyond B vitamins. As mentioned above, hormonal birth control use is also associated with depletion in vitamins C and E, as well as minerals like magnesium, selenium, and zinc. A 2010 study also found that levels of coenzyme q(10), an important antioxidant naturally produced by the body, were significantly lower in women using various forms of birth control compared to non-users, with women on the transdermal patch having the lowest levels of all [6]. In fact, the study found that total antioxidant capacity was significantly lower for women on hormonal birth control versus non-users. Considering that antioxidants protect cells against damaging free radicals (compounds linked to serious diseases like cancer and heart disease), this is yet another example of how hormonal birth control can have far-reaching impacts on a woman’s body beyond merely preventing pregnancy.  

Subtle nutritional deficiencies can add up over time  

More research is needed to determine exactly how and why birth control is associated with these vitamin and nutritional deficiencies. It’s important to note, as well, that for many women on birth control, these effects may be subtle. However, as Scientific American’s “Nutrition Diva” Monica Reinagel points out “because contraceptives are often taken over extended periods of time, even subtle effects could add up [7].” Especially considering that so many girls are put on birth control in their teens, only discontinuing them for a short time in adulthood if they wish to get pregnant, the detrimental effects of years and years of birth control-related nutritional deficiencies should be greatly concerning.  

Fortunately, tools exist for teenage girls and adult women to manage their fertility without impeding their bodies’ abilities to reap the nutritional goodness from the food they eat or supplements they take. That is why fertility awareness methods (FAM) are an excellent family planning and health management option for the woman looking to “go organic” in a comprehensive way, in order to better her health and wellbeing.   

When this article refers to fertility awareness methods (FAM), or natural family planning (NFP), we are referring to Fertility Awareness-Based Methods, evidence-based methods of cycle charting which can be used as effective forms of natural birth control when learned by a certified instructor. 

This article was originally published on September 22, 2018 as written by Grace Emily Stark. It has since been updated by Natural Womanhood to offer more resources. Last updated January 6, 2021.   

References:  

[1] Massey L, Davison M. Effects of oral contraceptives on nutritional status. Am Fam Physician. 1979;19(1):119-23. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/760421/. Accessed January 5, 2021.  

[2] Palmery M, Saraceno A, Vaiarelli A, Carlomagno G. Oral contraceptives and changes in nutritional requirements. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013;17(13):1804-13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23852908/. Accessed January 5, 2021. 

[3] Khalili H. Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Oral Contraceptives and Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Current Evidence and Future Directions. Drug Saf. 2015;39(3):193-197. doi:10.1007/s40264-015-0372-y  

[4] Lussana F, Zighetti M, Bucciarelli P, Cugno M, Cattaneo M. Blood levels of homocysteine, folate, vitamin B6 and B12 in women using oral contraceptives compared to non-users. Thromb Res. 2003;112(1-2):37-41. doi:10.1016/j.thromres.2003.11.007  

[5] Imbard A, Benoist J, Blom H. Neural Tube Defects, Folic Acid and Methylation. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(9):4352-4389. doi:10.3390/ijerph10094352 

[6] Palan P, Strube F, Letko J, Sadikovic A, Mikhail M. Effects of Oral, Vaginal, and Transdermal Hormonal Contraception on Serum Levels of Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin E, and Total Antioxidant Activity. Obstet Gynecol Int. 2010;2010:1-4. doi:10.1155/2010/925635 

[7] Reinagel M. How Birth Control Pills Affect Your Nutritional Needs. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-birth-control-pills-affect-your-nutritional-needs/#:~:text=Well%2C%20this%20week%2C%20I%20want,C%2C%20magnesium%2C%20and%20zinc. Published September 23, 2015. Accessed January 5, 2021. 

Additional Reading: 

Coming off the Pill with Good Nutrition 

A Case for Organic Birth Control 

3 Simple Tips to Limit Endocrine Disruptors and Balance Hormones Naturally 

The Crohn’s-Birth Control Connection: More Gut-Wrenching News About Contraceptives 

Is the Pill wrecking your gut? 

The Surprising Link Between Birth Control and Skin Cancer 

Woman’s Depression and Mental Illness Symptoms Disappear After Getting Off the Pill 

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