Research finds the contraceptive pill impairs part of the brain

Unpacking the findings

Surprisingly, this is not an entirely new finding.

Previous studies have already outlined the ways in which sex hormones found in contraceptive pills influence brain function, more specifically, the brain’s ability to process fear and other emotions including anger and disgust.

A study published in 2022 found that those using contraceptives were more likely to experience negative mood disorders than those who did not. Another study conducted in 2016 linked hormonal birth control with higher anxiety, depression, and antidepressant use.

The study conducted by Canadian scientists in Montreal may have discovered the reason for this. When looking closely at the MRI scans of research participants, they found that those taking the combined pill had a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex than those who were not taking it.

Along with regulating fear, this area of the brain is also responsible for processing and regulating social and emotional responses, decision-making, and self-control. Scientists found this effect in women who currently took the pill, but not in women who had once taken it and had stopped.

Based on this information, they hypothesise that any impairments to this region of the brain can be reversed when stopping the medication, but more studies are needed to confirm this.

Change is coming

Though birth control packets come accompanied by large pamphlets which outline their physical side effects, changes to mental health and brain development are rarely ever addressed.

The study’s authors say that their research highlights the need to make doctors and patients aware of the mental side effects of birth control in the future.

The good news is that the gender health gap has garnered more attention in recent years, prompting experts in medical science to conduct in-depth research into women’s health.

Last July, the British government published the first-ever Women’s Health Strategy for England. This involves ramping up funding and research into women-specific health problems, with the aim of closing the gap in disease diagnosis and illness as a whole.

On top of this, incorporating an equal proportion of women in early small-scale safety studies will provide doctors balanced understanding of certain drugs’ toxicity and safe dosing levels for later stages of clinical development.

With contraceptives broadly viewed as part of women’s rights to bodily autonomy and basic healthcare, let’s hope that further research and drug trials lead to a pill that is just as effective but with less downsides.