Those who take birth control pills for the first time are more likely to develop depression. This is what a new study conducted on 260,000 people showed. At least 80 percent of them have an increased risk. Girls who choose contraceptives before the age of twenty appear to be particularly victims. “Doctors really need to point this out.”
Birth control pills are the number one contraceptive method. This is what the figures issued by the Flemish Expert Center for Sexual Health, Sensoa, show. Not only do gemstones help prevent pregnancy, doctors also use them to control acne or migraines.
However, its popularity is steadily declining. A new generation of young women in particular seems to be considering other options. Especially since a lot of defects have appeared recently.
Birth control pills – like any medicine – have potential effects that vary from person to person. Depression is one of them. According to a new study, there is an increased risk of developing this condition for those who start taking birth control pills. The researchers looked at “combined pills” that contain two types of hormones: estrogen and progestin. Most women use this medication.
Teenagers are most at risk
What happened? People who start taking this pill are more likely to develop depression during the first two years. Compared with participants who had never taken birth control pills, their risks were eighty percent higher. This is not little. Teenagers appear particularly vulnerable. In the first two years of taking the pill, girls under 20 were 95 percent more likely to develop depression.
Birth control pill users have reported these side effects for some time
Researcher Therese Johansson
The first two years also appear to be crucial for adults. During that period, they are twice as likely to develop depression than people who never take birth control pills. Better news: Your risk of depression decreases over time. In the study, the lifetime risk among those who took the pill was only five percent greater than in the control group.
How reliable is the study?
This is an observational study that searched a UK database and analyzed data on 264,557 people. Therefore no new experiment was prepared. The research was conducted by scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden, the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
The study was published in the scientific journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. So you can be sure that the results have been evaluated by other knowledgeable researchers. And then it was approved.
What should we do with this now? Are birth control pills dangerous?
However, there are also other researchers who are willing to take a risk on adolescent depression with a pinch of salt and qualify the results. The numbers are said to be so high because many girls start taking birth control pills at this age. “However, it is recommended to monitor whether mood swings or feelings of depression occur while using birth control pills,” says Swedish researcher Therese Johansson about her study. “Birth control pill users have been reporting these side effects for some time.”
“Physicians should definitely discuss and evaluate this potential side effect with their patients.” Although Johansson also points out that more research is needed so we can support women in two areas: their physical and mental health. So that we can get a better idea of the reasons, and the big difference before and after puberty.
Read also:
Why do so many women stop taking birth control pills? These four young women bear witness. “My body is mine now.”
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