By Kate Rooney
- The Pill has been a legal form of contraception since 1969
- While there are many positives to taking the Pill, a decline in mental health has been linked to women taking the Pill
- Researchers at the University of California have found that the Pill can physically alter the brain and effect the mental state of females
The pill has been utilised by women with severe menstruation problems since the mid-1900s. However, it is only in the last 50 years that it became legal to use as a form of contraception.
In Australia, over 70% of adult women use a method of contraception, with 33.6% using oral contraception, making it the most popular form. While the pill has positives effects such as skin benefits, lighter periods, reduced rates of ovarian cancer and the decreased possibility of pregnancy, it also has some negative side effects. One of the most prevalent of these is the effect on mental health.
In a study undertaken by the University of California, researchers discovered that the pill altered the brain and effected the mental state of the women who were taking the pill. They found that the emotional and behavioural cortexes of the brain for both self and external stimuli were thinner in women taking the pill. This can result in abnormal emotional functioning.
This is because sex hormones have a significant effect on the areas of the brain that relate to emotional and cognitive functioning. The increase in these hormones due to the pill can result in depression, anxiety, and irritability.
Holly Moore, 20, stated that when she first started taking the pill aged 17, she noticed a significant decline in her mental health.
“I felt like I had permanent PMS. I was depressed, moody, crying, self-loathing, developed migraines (which I never had before) overwhelmed, irregular and closer together periods, stressed and it didn’t help having weight gain and dry skin either!”
A recent Danish study also found that women on the pill are more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than women taking non-hormonal forms of birth control. It stated that women are 1.23 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression and prescribed antidepressant medication when they are taking oral contraception.
A woman, 29, who wishes to remain anonymous stated that she found the pill has a detrimental effect on her mental health.
“I was on the pill aged 14 – 27. During these years I had multiple serious depressive episodes and severe anxiety, both of which I was medicated for. Since stopping the pill I have been able to also go off my mental health medications with no problems. I no longer have depressive episodes or anxiety problems.”
It should also be noted that suffering from depression or anxiety while taking the pill is more likely if a person has a pre-disposition to mental illnesses or already prone to depressive symptoms.
Another woman, 26, mentioned that she wasn’t made fully aware of the effect the pill could have on her mental health.
“My anxiety (which I hadn’t had for years) returned and I ended up having panic attacks again and becoming very emotional which caused a strain on my relationship, so I decided to just stop taking it, which made me nervous as I had to rely on other birth control measures, however my mental health significantly improved, and my anxiety reduced significantly. I was told before I started on the pill that there could be mood changes but never was told the explicit detrimental effects it has on a large portion of women taking the medication”
“I remember the first pill I ever went on. I could not stop crying. I was a mess over the smallest things. I was having some life changes however my reactions to those life changes were so intense I just knew something was happening hormonally.”
If you are, or anyone you know is going through a difficult time, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
If you are concerned about your mental health due to contraception, book a consultation with your general practitioner or medical professional to talk about your choices.