Birth control pills have been in the top two of all birth control options in the United States since 1982. Statistically speaking then, a very large number of U.S. women use the contraceptive pill to prevent pregnancy. That means a very large number of women need to know that taking birth control pills and eating grapefruit can raise your estrogen levels and cause serious health concerns.
Birth Control Pills and Excess Estrogen
When you swallow a pill, your CYP34A enzyme is supposed to get to work and metabolize the pill in your body. But if you have grapefruit in your system, the metabolizing of drugs, including birth control pills, is halted. This means that if you are eating grapefruit and taking birth control pills, the birth control pills won't be properly broken down in your body. This will create an excess of the medication in your system. Generally, birth control pills don't contain enough estrogen to cause problems in your body. But if grapefruit prohibits your body from metabolizing the birth control pills, there will be a greater concentration of the medicine. This means there will be a much greater estrogen level in your body than there should be, and this is what can create problems.
Blood Clots
Excess estrogen levels can create blood clots in your body, which can prove dangerous. The amount of estrogen in birth control pills only slightly elevates your risk of getting blood clots. However, consuming grapefruits increases the amount of estrogen in your body, and this increases your risk of your blood clotting. Grapefruit, when combined with birth control pills, can also greatly increase your risk of developing a stroke or heart attack, both of which could be fatal.
Gangrene
Blood clots can lead to gangrene. As reported in an April 2009 article in the "Lancet" medical journal, a woman taking birth control pills experienced a blood clot in her leg due to a spike in her estrogen levels because of consuming grapefruit. She had only been consuming grapefruit for three days, hoping the grapefruit would help her lose weight. The clot in her leg turned gangrenous and she almost lost her leg.
Other Drug Interactions
It is crucial to ask your doctor whether it is safe to include grapefruit in your diet if you are taking any drugs. Birth control pills are not the only medication that grapefruit can react negatively with. Cholesterol medications, antihistamines, sedatives and many other types of medications can have serious if not fatal interactions with grapefruit, so it is important to be wary of grapefruit until you get the all-clear from your doctor.
References
- Guttmacher Institute: Facts on Contraceptive Use in the United States; June 2010
- The New York Times; Experts Reveal the Secret Powers of Grapefruit Juice; Nicholas Bakalar; March 21 2006
- The Sun; Killer Grapefruit Alert To Slimmers; Emma Morton; April 3 2009
- The Western Mail; Grapefruit Linked To Blood Clot Risk For Women; (NO BYLINE); April 3 2009
