Mood and the Pill
Feel like a different person on the pill? Here’s how it affects your mood
Mar 26, 2020 / Sarah E. Hill PhD Ideas.Ted
Read the full article here: ideas.ted.com/how-the-birth-control-pill-affects-your-mood/
If you think your contraception is making you anxious or depressed, you’re not imagining things. Evolutionary psychologist Sarah E. Hill explains what happens to your brain on birth control. Some interesting highlights:
Almost half of all women who go on the pill stop using it within the first year because of intolerable side effects, and the one most frequently cited is unpleasant changes in mood. Sometimes it’s intolerable anxiety; other times, it’s intolerable depression; or maybe both simultaneously. And even though some women’s doctors may tell them that those mood changes aren’t real or important, a growing body of research suggests otherwise.
Research suggests that changes in dopamine and serotonin signaling may also play a role in mood-related changes seen on the pill. A number of mental-health-related issues, including panic disorder, depression, bipolar disorder and the mood-related symptoms of PMS, are characterized by lower-than-average levels of GABAergic activity. Lack of such activity can also increase a person’s risk of alcohol dependence.
However, according to the research, you might have a greater risk of experiencing negative mood effects on the pill if:
What’s more, while some women experience negative mood changes on the pill, some women experience the opposite reaction. They feel a whole lot better and mentally healthier on the pill than off it. Research also finds that the pill can offer huge mood-stabilizing benefits to women who have severe PMS.
Mar 26, 2020 / Sarah E. Hill PhD Ideas.Ted
Read the full article here: ideas.ted.com/how-the-birth-control-pill-affects-your-mood/
If you think your contraception is making you anxious or depressed, you’re not imagining things. Evolutionary psychologist Sarah E. Hill explains what happens to your brain on birth control. Some interesting highlights:
Almost half of all women who go on the pill stop using it within the first year because of intolerable side effects, and the one most frequently cited is unpleasant changes in mood. Sometimes it’s intolerable anxiety; other times, it’s intolerable depression; or maybe both simultaneously. And even though some women’s doctors may tell them that those mood changes aren’t real or important, a growing body of research suggests otherwise.
Research suggests that changes in dopamine and serotonin signaling may also play a role in mood-related changes seen on the pill. A number of mental-health-related issues, including panic disorder, depression, bipolar disorder and the mood-related symptoms of PMS, are characterized by lower-than-average levels of GABAergic activity. Lack of such activity can also increase a person’s risk of alcohol dependence.
However, according to the research, you might have a greater risk of experiencing negative mood effects on the pill if:
- You have a history of depression or mental illness (although there is also evidence that the pill can stabilize mood in certain women with mental illness).
- You have a personal or family history of mood-related side effects on the birth control pill.
- You are taking progestin-only pills.
- You are using a non-oral product.
- You are taking multi-phasic pills (pills with an increasing dose of hormones across the cycle rather than a constant dose).
- You are 19 or younger.
What’s more, while some women experience negative mood changes on the pill, some women experience the opposite reaction. They feel a whole lot better and mentally healthier on the pill than off it. Research also finds that the pill can offer huge mood-stabilizing benefits to women who have severe PMS.
Does the birth control pill stop you from recognizing emotions?
Read the full article here: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324415#Women-on-the-pill-10-percent-less-accurate
Some studies have suggested that there is an association between taking the birth control pill and having mood swings and an increased risk of depression. New research adds another potentially adverse psychological effect to the list: impaired social judgment.
New research that features in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience suggests that women who use oral contraceptives are less able to recognize facial expressions of complex emotions.
Read the full article here: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324415#Women-on-the-pill-10-percent-less-accurate
Some studies have suggested that there is an association between taking the birth control pill and having mood swings and an increased risk of depression. New research adds another potentially adverse psychological effect to the list: impaired social judgment.
New research that features in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience suggests that women who use oral contraceptives are less able to recognize facial expressions of complex emotions.