A Danish study found out that taking contraceptive pills may increase the risk of depression.
The study was published by Dutch researchers last Sept. 28 in the journal JAMA psychiatry. The news earned various reactions from around the globe after the publication, and frustration and relief are just some of them.
The study was considered to be one of the largest research to date and it was conducted through analyzing the health records of more than a million Danish women at the age of 15 to 34.
Depression among Contraceptive Pill User
Even before the study, women who are taking contraceptive pills are complaining about depression they feel and now it is being supported by a research.
It was discovered that women who toke in pills are 23 percent more at risk in having depression. The likelihood increases up to 80 percent in teenage girls. It was also found out that women who started using the contraceptives at a later age are those who are more vulnerable to depression.
Kinds of Contraceptive Pills
Contraceptive pills actually have two kinds: combined pills and progestin-only pills. The first one contains artificial estrogen and progesterone hormones and those taking the said pill are 23 percent more likely to be prescribed antidepressant medications than those who were not on hormonal contraception. The progestin-only pill, on the other hand, increased the likelihood for women taking it to need antidepressants up to 34 percent.
What Pill Users Are Saying
In real world experiences shared by some pill users, many of them suffered suicidal predispositions.
"I lost more than 10 years of my life to suicidal depression while I was on hormonal birth control... my body displays a clear link between the two," Nikki Cosier said, as she shared her story in Australian Broadcasting Corporation's article as mentioned in the post of BBC.
"Five years ago I had a serious breakdown. It coincided with some major life events as well as being put on a new, healthier contraceptive pill," said Christin Amsterdam, also a reader as mentioned in the same source. "I went on to battle serious depression and suicidal tendencies for 5 years, then around 3 months ago, while on a waiting list for new therapy, things just started to turn around. Without explanation, I just felt better in myself. Only now does it occur to me that the change coincided with me stopping the contraceptive pill."
However, there are also some who disagree with this claim. Sarah Gould said in the ABC that she took pills to help her depression and it actually worked.
This research recommends that there is a strong association between depression and contraceptive usage. However, this does not guarantee that the birth control in general causes the depression, which suggests further studies.
