Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;86(5):481-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2012.02.015. Epub 2012 Mar 28.

Effect of hormonal contraceptives on vitamin B12 level and the association of the latter with bone mineral density

Abbey B Berenson  1 , Mahbubur Rahman
Affiliations

Effect of hormonal contraceptives on vitamin B12 level and the association of the latter with bone mineral density

Abbey B Berenson et al. Contraception. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The study was conducted to estimate the effect of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and oral contraceptives (OC) containing 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol on serum B12 and whether observed changes impact bone mineral density (BMD).

Study design: Serum B12 and BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured on 703 women using OC, DMPA or nonhormonal (NH) birth control at baseline and every 6 months thereafter for 3 years.

Results: OC and DMPA users experienced greater decreases in B12 than NH users (p<.001). A sharp decrease in B12 was observed during the first 6 months of hormonal contraceptive use (OC: 97 pg/mL and DMPA: 64 pg/mL) in contrast to 14 pg/mL among NH users (20%, 13% and 3% of their baseline values, respectively). Over the following 30 months, B12 levels of OC users remained almost flat, while DMPA users had a further 22-unit decrease. Very few women demonstrated B12 deficiency. Moreover, B12 levels were not associated with BMD.

Conclusion: Hormonal contraception causes B12 levels to decrease, but this does not appear to be clinically significant or affect BMD.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Modeled mean change of B12 from baseline across 36 months by contraceptive method. Empty circles: NH contraceptives; X shape: OC, and empty triangles: DMPA Solid lines represent the estimated mean changes, and dotted lines represent the unadjusted values.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Modeled mean change of B12 level from baseline across 36 months by race/ethnicity and contraceptive method: (A) B12 level – NH method; (B) B12 – level OC; and (C) B12 – level DMPA. Empty circles: white women; solid triangles: black women; X shape: Hispanic women. Adjusted by baseline value of B12, BMI weight status [(time varying variable; normal weight (BMI: <25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI: 25–29.9 kg/m2), and obese (BMI: 30 or above kg/m2)], age (16–24 years vs. 25–33 years), race/ethnicity (white, black, and Hispanic), parity (continuous), smoking status (current smoker vs. not current smoker), and previous use of DMPA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wertalik LF, Metz EN, LoBuglio AF, Balcerzak SP. Decreased serum B 12 levels with oral contraceptive use. JAMA. 1972;221:1371–4. - PubMed
    1. Smith JL, Goldsmith GA, Lawrence JD. Effects of oral contraceptive steroids on vitamin and lipid levels in serum. Am J Clin Nutr. 1975;28:371–6. - PubMed
    1. Anderson KE, Bodansky O, Kappas A. Effects of oral contraceptives on vitamin metabolism. Adv Clin Chem. 1976;18:247–87. - PubMed
    1. Briggs M, Briggs M. Endocrine effects on serum-vitamin-B 12. Lancet. 1972;2(7785):1037. - PubMed
    1. Briggs M, Briggs MH. Changes in biochemical indices of vitamin nutrition in women using oral contraceptives during treatment with “Surbex 500”. Curr Med Res Opin. 1974–1975;2:626–30. - PubMed

Publication types