Your birth control method may be depleting your body of essential nutrients

While there are many different options for birth control, the most widely used is the contraceptive pill, often referred to simply as “the pill,” which uses synthetic hormones to suppress ovulation and prevent pregnancy. Recently, some new forms of hormonal birth control have become available, such as the NuvaRing, which is a plastic ring that is placed inside the vagina and releases a constant low dose of hormones into your body. Another is the Ortho Evra patch that works in a similar way by releasing low-dose hormones through the skin to prevent pregnancy.

While these products are an effective method of birth control, they do have some risks. These risks, such as blood clotting, increase with age or if a woman uses tobacco products. Another important thing to understand is that the estrogen component of these products has been linked to a wide variety of nutritional deficiencies, including vitamin C, vitamin B-2 (riboflavin), vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), folic acid, vitamin B-12 (cobalamin), Magnesium, Zinc and Selenium.

Women can use birth control pills for many years and not stop until just before they want to try to get pregnant. This is a crucial time in your life when you would like to have optimal health and optimal nutritional status for the health of your baby. Since long-term use of these products has been linked to such a wide variety of nutrient deficiencies, it’s important to supplement your body’s essential nutrients and lessen concerns about deficiencies in any one essential nutrient during the crucial time you’re trying to conceive. .