In This is your brain on birth control (Your brain under the effects of the contraceptive pill), Sarah E. Hill deciphers how the behavior of women is influenced by their contraception, from their mood to the choices of partners. And says the consequences of the pill deserve to be better known, so that every woman can make an informed choice.
You take it mechanically but do you really know the side effects of the contraceptive pill? The method of contraception most used in France and the third most popular in the world, its effectiveness is no longer to be proven, but the psychological changes it causes, yes.
Overall, women are very little informed about all the possibilities available to them in terms of contraception, so much so that some still use the withdrawal technique with their partner. So Sarah E. Hill, an American psychologist, set out to inform them. “Understand the psychological trade-offs that this (the pill) involves and then decide whether to use it or not. For many women, the question does not even arise but now at least, they will choose knowingly, “she said in her interview for The Guardian.
When she stopped taking the pill, Sarah felt… different. The years following this click, she confronts the various studies made on this subject, opposing the testimonies of women on contraception and those with the natural menstrual cycle. And she observes that those on the pill are actually subject to unconscious psychological failings, contrary to what the specialists repeated to them. “The women (…) got tired of the doctors who patted them on the shoulder by telling them that they were making films,” she denounced aimlessly.
The pill promotes depression
To summarize, the pill is mainly composed of artificial progesterone which prevents fertilization of eggs and suppresses the production of estrogen, hormones responsible for ovulation. Except that they also boost confidence and energy and once inhibited, women go through a more complicated psychological phase, punctuated by mood swings.
Taking hormonal contraception is very often associated with the diagnosis of depression or anxiety, “Especially among young women aged between 15 and 19 whose suicide risk is almost twice as high as those of the same age who do not take the pill,” said the psychologist. It is therefore very little recommended to take it simply to treat acne or regulate menstruation.
It influences our physical preferences
More surprising: the pill influences our tastes in terms of partners. In ordinary times, most of the estrogen tends to direct us towards people with more “masculine” traits, which are testosterone markers: square jaw, broad shoulders … But under contraception, therefore under progesterone, we are more attracted by more neutral and less “masculine” people. “The risk is that by stopping the pill, you will no longer be as attracted to your partner since your physical criteria are no longer the same, and possibly spoil your relationship,” warns the specialist. She concludes: “Ideally, we would like a really safe and effective contraception, which does not wreak havoc on people’s brains. “
TO READ
• Contraceptive ointment could see the light of day in the United Kingdom
• Male contraception, can we pass the pill?
• Taking the pill once a month may soon be possible… and just as effective
• TEST – Which hormone dominates your personality?
TO LISTEN
TO DISCOVER
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