Women Who Used Contraceptive Pills as Teenagers 130% More Likely to be Depressed as Adults

A new four-year-long study by researchers shows that women who began taking birth control pills before they hit 20 had a 130 per cent higher rate of depression compared to non-users. The research also shows that individuals who take OC as an adult had a depression risk of 92%.

The research also shows that the likelihood of developing birth control pill-linked depression was highest within the first two years of taking the oral pills. The longer women took oral contraceptives, the lower the rate of depression recorded.

The report comes at a time when women are revealing adverse effects of the pill which include mental issues, blood clots and gallbladder disease.

The research team that was led by experts at Uppsala University in Sweden declared that the link between Oral contraceptives and depression could be blamed on hormone level changes. Such changes wreak havoc on a teen’s well-being magnified by the addition of hormonal birth control.

The report also states that the risk of depression was less pronounced after two years of use.

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According to the lead author of the study Therese Johansson, It is important to emphasize that most women tolerate external hormones well, without experiencing negative effects on their mood, so combined contraceptive pills are an excellent option for many women. However, certain women may have an increased risk of depression after starting to use contraceptive pills.

A 2016 study by experts at the University of Copenhagen shows that more than a million Danish women using hormonal contraceptives had a greater risk of 0.9 to 1.9 times first-time diagnosis with depression. Teen girls were reported of having a risk ranging from 1.2 to 3.2 times but the researchers acknowledged that it could be attributed to the age group being prone to depression symptoms.