There’s A New Link Between Birth Control And Depression

There are probably a thousand different reasons why you end up on the pill. Sure, there’s the initial obvious one, which is that it prevents pregnancy, but there are a ton of others. It also clears up acne, eases pain for women that have terrible pain on their periods, and makes it so that you can skip a period if you need to. When you’re planning on going to your boyfriend’s parents’ place on the lake for Labor Day weekend, suddenly the fact that you can avoid having your period at that time seems like a godsend. But nothing good comes without a downside. And, as it turns out, there are negative effects worth mentioning. The pill, and other types of hormonal birth control, are still great, but it seems like there’s more to be aware of than we originally thought.

A massive study, performed by Danish researchers studied over a million women between the ages of 15 and 34 over the course of thirteen years, revealed a 40% increased risk of developing depression compared to women who were not taking hormonal birth control. Fuck us, right?

All birth control isn’t created equal in this sense, either. Women who had IUDs tripled their risk of depression, and women on contraception that is progestin-based more than doubled their chances. While these statistics sound pretty freaking dire, a senior author from the study says that it remains true that most women who take hormonal birth control won’t develop depression. Still, it’s a bummer to have to add another sucky thing about being a girl to the list. We already bleed out of orifices once a month—now the pill that helps with the cramping and everything else is just another risk? Sweet. Life can really be a bitch. Just the sort of information we need on a Monday, right?.

[via Cosmopolitan]

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