Hormonal Contraceptives Can Cause Depression

It has been discovered that hormonal contraceptives can cause depression, so if you are using them and you detect any alteration in your mood, we advise you to go to the gynecologist

Contraceptive methods have led to a revolution in the history of human sexuality. And it is that birth control has been essential to create society as we know it today. Thanks to this, we have managed to make work more profitable, but it has also facilitated women’s freedom.

The early appearance of children in the family prevented the newly married girls from considering creating a life outside the home. For this reason, many welcomed the pill with joy and hope. In fact, meetings were held to share it and encourage its use.

What are contraceptives?

These pills are composed of estrogens and progesterone, in order to prevent ovulation, essential for pregnancy to occur. Treatment is rigorous, as it adapts to menstrual cycles. These cycles are characterized by a specific release of hormones that require precision in their intake.

However, since its inception it has had side effects, such as weight gain or the appearance of hair in some women. Of course, over time they have been improving. So it is now possible to design an exclusive treatment for almost every woman.

In addition, other other solutions have emerged such as the vaginal ring, patches. .. In essence, their advantage is that they do not need as much attention as the previous one. Both can be in place for several days, with no more complication than changing one for the other.

However, the shadow of contraindications has also been present here. Therefore, the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) got down to work, suspecting that hormonal contraceptives can cause depression. Danish research shows that adolescent girls are the most affected.

Contraceptives and mood

In order to elucidate the mood effects of hormonal contraceptives, the scientists turned to a powerful source of information: the  Danish National Prescription Register and the Psychiatric Central Research Register.

This registry has the data of 1 million women between 15 and 34 years of age. None of them had shown signs of depression before. After starting the study, they were followed for an average of 6.4 years to check their psychological evolution.

• The results confirmed the doctors’ hypothesis, as  23,077 women were diagnosed with depression.
• Along the same lines, 133,178 cases were noted in which an antidepressant was prescribed.
• All of this led them to conclude that those who took hormonal contraceptives may have a 1.23 greater probability of having depression.
• They are also 1.34 more likely to use anti-depression drugs than those who do not use hormonal contraceptives.

More troubling were the findings regarding adolescent girls. Thus, the risk of depression among girls between 15 and 20 years of age increases, such that it can appear 1.8 times more. The use of antidepressants would reach the figure of 2.2. This is very disturbing because when you are in this age group, depressive disorder is very common, largely due to changes in the hormonal system.

The condom, the safest and most complete contraceptive

Bearing this in mind, it is inevitable to think of the condom as the best contraceptive solution. In addition, it protects women and men from contagion of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This is important to remember, as many women forget to address this issue.

Today we have a very active sexual life, so it is necessary to take this factor into account, even when we are in stable and monogamous relationships. It is essential that this issue is clear, especially in the case of adolescent girls.

The fear of HIV led a whole generation to become aware of the advantages of using a condom to have healthy sex without complexes. However, time has caused the fear to disappear and with it, the use of the aforementioned contraceptive.

Final comments

Therefore, we recommend that, knowing that contraceptives can cause depression, the use of the traditional prophylactic is privileged. In case you opt for the pill or similar alternatives, the ideal is to monitor your mood. In case of noticing its worsening, withdraw the medication or consult with the gynecologist.