Certain birth control pills can contain 75 mg of iron per placebo pill.
When I talk about birth control, it tends to ruffle some feathers. Please note that what I have to say is based on my own experience, that of my clients, and hundreds of hours of research on this topic. You can do with this info what you will.
It’s not “news” that birth control can affect our nutrient status. This has been documented for a very long time.
One of the less-known nutrient impacts is how it can affect our Copper levels. It does this in multiple ways — today I’m specifically going to talk about one of them.
Many brands contain Iron in their placebo pills. Specifically:
Lo Loestrin Fe
Microgestin Fe
Junel Fe
Estrostep Fe
Lo Minastrin Fe
Lo/Ovral-28
These usually contain ~75 mg of Iron in each placebo pill, which is an extraordinarily amount of Iron. The type of Iron is usually ferrous fumarate, which requires sufficient Copper to turn it into its ferric form.
The sheer amount of Iron in these pills can overwhelm our Reticuloendothelial System (RES aka our iron recycling system) and Copper stores. This can unfortunately lead to oxidative stress and Iron storage.
Many women get prescribed Iron-containing birth control pills to help them replace the Iron lost when they bleed. But this is likely not necessary.
As I’ve discussed before, our RES can recycle 24+ mg of Iron each day, all by itself.
Plus, non-pregnant women can absorb up to 3X more Iron from the same meal as men due to our increased levels of estrogen.
Dr. Kate Clancy discusses this in her article “Iron-deficiency is not something you get just for being a lady.” She describes a study on women with Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), which concluded that “Therefore, menses likely had nothing to do with their IDA, and the assumption that menses made them pathological actually obstructed a correct diagnosis.” She ends with “Ladies, unless you are menorrhagic (bleeding more than 120 milliliters each cycle) your period is not doing you wrong.” And that if you have IDA and “your doctor is insistent that it’s because you slough off your endometrium from time to time...” it may actually be for other reasons.
Some food for thought.
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NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Clancy, K. (2011). Iron-deficiency is not something you get just for being a lady. Retrieved from: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/httpblogsscientificamericancomcontext-and-variation20110727iron-deficiency-anemia/.
Corporate Europe Observatory. (2019). Toxic lobbying: the titanium dioxide label debate continues. Retrieved from: https://corporateeurope.org/en/2019/06/toxic-lobbying-titanium-dioxide-label-debate-continues#:~:text=The%20World%20Health%20Organisation's%20International,carcinogen%20when%20it%20is%20inhaled.
Drugs.com. (2019). Microgestin Fe. Retrieved from: https://www.drugs.com/pro/microgestin-fe-1-20.html#:~:text=Each%20brown%20tablet%20contains%2075%20mg%20ferrous%20fumarate.)&text=Fe%201.5%2F30-,(Each%20green%20tablet%20contains%201.5%20mg%20norethindrone%20acetate%20and%2030,contains%2075%20mg%20ferrous%20fumarate.).
FDA. (2017). Estrostep Fe. Retrieved from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/020130s018lbl.pdf.
FDA. (2017). LO/OVRAL-28* AND FERROUS FUMARATE Tablets. Retrieved from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/017612s043,018206s021lbl.pdf.
GoodRx. Lo Minastrin Fe. Retrieved from: https://www.goodrx.com/lo-minastrin-fe/what-is.
Live Science Facts. (2011). 7 Surprising Facts About the Pill. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/14691-surprising-birth-control-pill-facts.html.
Lo Loestrin Fe. How to Take Lo Loestrin Fe. Retrieved from: https://www.loloestrin.com/taking-lo-loestrin.
Henshaw, A. Is it Safe to Take Iron Supplements While on the Birth Control Pill?. Retrieved from: https://www.nurx.com/faq/is-it-safe-to-take-iron-supplements-while-on-birth-control/.
Robbins, M. (2015). Iron Toxicity Post #1: Menstruation does not automatically mean Iron Deficiency Anemia!. Retrieved from: https://therootcauseprotocol.com/mag-pie-alert-4-toxicity-of-iron/.
RxList. (2018). Junel Fe. Retrieved from: https://www.rxlist.com/junel-fe-drug.htm#:~:text=Junel%20Fe%201.5%2F30&text=Each%20brown%20tablet%20contains%2075%20mg%20ferrous%20fumarate
RxList. (2019). Yaz (Drospirenone). Retrieved from: https://www.rxlist.com/yaz-drug.htm.
US Food and Drug Administration. (2020). Talc. Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/talc.
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