Melatonin and Birth Control: Effectiveness, Uses & Side Effects

Melatonin is a natural hormone which is produced by our brain in response to a dark environment. It helps people to get a proper night’s sleep and to maintain a healthy lifestyle and sleeping schedule.

However, if one is on melatonin supplements and birth control simultaneously, one may experience a certain imbalance in the working process of both pills. Scroll to know more about melatonin and birth control.

Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the human body that helps you fall asleep at night. The human brain produces this hormone, and it works as a response to darkness. However, melatonin production decreases if you become exposed to light during nighttime.

In addition, melatonin also has several other health benefits, such as helping with anxiety disorder and reducing the symptoms of jet lag.

Melatonin can boost fertility. A brief discussion on this is as follows:

• Melatonin Effects on Oocyte Quality: Oocyte quality refers to the female fertilisation capability, meiotic maturation, and embryonic development to have a successful pregnancy. Studies have shown that melatonin regulates the formation of reactive oxygen species and helps reverse oxidative damage, which helps in oocyte maturation.
• Melatonin Effects on Sperm Quality: Research shows melatonin increases motility and sperm count, thus promoting successful fertilisation. Therefore, it is helpful for young men who suffer from a low sperm count.
• Melatonin Effects on Embryo Culture Media: Melatonin also positively impacts embryo culture media as these supplements can increase fertilisation rate and contribute to the early stage of embryonic development.
• Melatonin Effects on Luteal Function: Some researches prove that melatonin can boost luteal function. Any imbalance in ROS can cause oxidative stress, which results in luteal phase defects. Hence, melatonin helps in ROS production and supports the better function of the luteal phase.

Further, melatonin also helps in progesterone production, which is also required for the luteal phase. However, the confirmation of melatonin effectiveness on the luteal phase has yet to come.

Several researches show that melatonin and birth control measures, when used together produce certain effects on the body. However, it still isn’t clear whether melatonin’s actions are antagonistic to the functions of birth control pills. In fact, a few studies show that both medications have regulatory effects on each other.

For example, hormonal combination pills can promote more sleep. So, whoever continues these pills with melatonin supplements can get more sleep than usual. In addition, melatonin and progestin also have a connection. Progestin is the synthetic form of the hormone progesterone that is used to make both combination pills and progestin-only pills or mini pills.

Other studies also prove that melatonin levels can be increased with a high dose of progestin. However, the real correlation between melatonin and birth control is still under research.

The specific conditions melatonin can be used for are as follows:

• Treating Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders: Most blind people cannot continue a proper circadian rhythm sleep cycle as they are not exposed to light and darkness. In addition, for several reasons, normal people can also face an imbalance in circadian rhythm. Thus, melatonin supplements can help them to understand the natural clock of their bodies and make the sleep cycle easy for them.
• Jet Lag: Jet lag generally happens when people travel by air around multiple time zones. It affects the natural clock of the human body, and one may have disturbed sleep, poor digestive function, frequent exhaustion, and impaired body functioning. Hence, it is evident that melatonin can help reduce the effect of jet lag on your sleeping schedule.
• Treating Delayed Sleep Disorder: In this disorder, people generally sleep later than usual and display irregular sleeping patterns. For example, their sleeping pattern gets delayed by 2 to 3 hours, which can affect their waking time and work schedule. In this case, melatonin can quicken the process of falling asleep, and this is effective for both adults and children.
• Insomnia: Insomnia is a profound sleeping disorder for many people, and it is deep-rooted. There may be several causes for being an insomniac. Hence, melatonin can help to fall asleep quickly, but its effect on overall insomnia is still under research.
• Sleeping Disorder of Children: Small studies have found that melatonin can be helpful for children who frequently face disturbed sleeping schedules. However, along with the supplement, it will be better if parents make a good habit of timely sleeping among their children.
• Disorder for Shift Work: Shift work is also a reason for getting a disturbed sleeping schedule, and it hampers sleep quality and causes health trouble. However, the effect of melatonin on improving daytime sleep is still under research, but some studies say it can help increase sleep quality.

The most common melatonin side effects are as follows:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness in the daytime
• Headache

Apart from these, some rare side effects of melatonin that people may face are:

• Irritability
• Nightmares
• Stomach cramps
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Mood swings
• Seizures 
• Risk of falling
• Short-term depression
• Appetite loss
• Reduced alertness
• Urinary incontinence
• Mild tremor
• Hypotension

In addition, melatonin may also react with other medications. These are as follows:

• Blood-Thinning Medications: Melatonin may react with this type of medicine and increase the risk of bleeding.
• Blood Pressure Medications: If one takes melatonin with blood pressure medicines, the latter may not work properly. Thus, an imbalance in blood pressure can be seen.
• Epilepsy Medications: Melatonin can reduce the effectiveness of epilepsy medications.
• Contraceptive Drugs: Though melatonin has a positive impact on progestin production, it can sometimes reduce contraceptive pills' effectiveness.
• Immunosuppressants: Melatonin may also interfere with the working of immunosuppressants.
• Diabetes Medicine: Melatonin may also interfere with the working process of diabetes medicines and impact health.

Some researchers opine that melatonin and birth control can be taken together. However, it is safe to consult a doctor beforehand to avoid potential risks. Some birth control drugs and methods have a minimal reaction to melatonin; however, it varies from one individual to another. 

Hence, if you want to prevent any negative efficacies related to the interaction between melatonin and birth control, you can go for some alternatives such as:

• Condoms
• Diaphragm
• Sponges
• Contraceptive gels

These all are some effective barrier methods of birth control that can also help prevent pregnancy. Similarly, to avoid using melatonin regularly, you can practise some techniques to get sleep naturally, such as:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• CBT and insomnia treatment
• Aromatherapy
• Relaxing
• Relaxation massage
• Practising healthy bedtime activities

The following people can avoid taking melatonin.

• Pregnant women
• Breastfeeding mothers
• Women who are planning pregnancy
• People with kidney dysfunction
• Patients with liver disease
• People with an allergic tendency to melatonin
• Epilepsy patients
• People with an autoimmune condition

Thus, melatonin and birth control are interlinked, and both have effects on each other. However, the severity or the types of effects are being studied and new discoveries on their combined usage are being made every day. For now, people who are on both melatonin supplements and birth control pills simultaneously should consult a physician for more clarity and address their particular health issues.