A new citizen science project is helping people understand
how menstruation and hormonal contraceptives affect mood, well-being and
behaviour.
Written by Dr Candice Blake, University of Melbourne and
UNSW, Lindsey Arthur, University of Melbourne, and Dr Kathleen Castoe, New
College Florida
Yaz. Yasmine. Isabelle. Diane. Brenda.
There are over 30 different types of birth control pills in
Australia alone, and although not all of them have cute, condescending feminine
names, more than 100 million people worldwide take them every day to protect against
unwanted pregnancies and resolve imbalances. Hormonal and complexion
improvement. .
Women who took the pill also showed structural changes in
areas of the brain associated with emotion regulation and memory, suggesting
that the pill affects important neural pathways in the brain. Image:
shutterstock
Now, a new study suggests that birth control pills also
affect activity patterns in areas of the brain related to stress, memory, and
emotional processing. In line with previous research, changes in brain
structure and function were observed, with some of the largest differences
among women who began using birth control pills in their teens. @smarttechpros
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The study compared two groups of women between the ages of
18 and 26: those who currently use and those who have never used oral
contraceptives.
Participants completed a social stress test, which included
cortisol samples, public speaking, and a mental arithmetic task.
They then completed questionnaires assessing anxiety and
depression, an emotional memory task, and an MRI of the brain.
Pill use has been associated with increased activation in
the prefrontal cortex during working memory processing of negative stimuli,
such as images of a car accident or a gun. This indicates that negative images
had a greater impact on them.
Women who took the pill also showed structural changes in
areas of the brain associated with emotion regulation and memory, suggesting
that the pill affects important neural pathways in the brain.
Women who started using the pill during adolescence also
showed a lower cortisol response than women who started using the pill in
adulthood, meaning the stress hormone cortisol was less responsive in women who
were on the pill.
Studies using fMRI of the brain show that use of birth
control pills was associated with increased sensitivity to negative images.
Photo: Pixabay
These changes may seem positive, but they are largely bad news.
Decreased or attenuated cortisol responses are usually seen
in chronically stressed populations and are characteristic of exhaustion and
fatigue.
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Overall, the findings suggest that the length of time women
use the pill may affect their emotional sensitivity and help explain why some
women develop mood disorders after using oral contraceptives.
Similar responses have been observed in users of various
hormonal contraceptives, such as the hormonal patch or IUD, as well as after
physical stress.
Taken together, the results indicate an unknown intersection
between birth control pills and age of first use and women's mental well-being.
The many faces of the pill
Despite being one of the most prescribed drugs in the world,
this research shows that there are a lot of effects of the pill that we don't
know about.
Very little research systematically addresses the
psychological and behavioral effects of birth control pills, and this lack of
research presents a real problem.
However, we know that both psychology and behavior change
based on ovarian hormone levels, and that contraceptives such as birth control
pills can greatly affect these hormones.
This research shows that there is a lot about the effects of
birth control pills that we don't know. Image: shutterstock
Like those in this new study, some of the pill's effects on
psychological functioning are dramatic and, for the most part, the public tends
to ignore. Women who use birth control pills are more likely to experience
depression and less likely to adapt to fearful stimuli. @techgeeksblogger