The contraceptive pill has changed the lives of women. Self-determination and control over one’s own life has contributed substantially to the decisive improvement in the position of women in our society, in the world of work, and in private life over the last 50 years.
Positively, contraception no longer is a troublesome issue. But as always, light and shadow are close together. If hormonal contraception – i.e. with the contraceptive pill – is used, side effects are possible.
The increased risk of thrombosis is well known for those using hormonal contraception, especially for women who smoke, are overweight, or live a sedentary lifestyle. One undesirable side effect is a decline in the libido. Declining sexual desire can be a reason for women to cease hormonal contraption. However, new data also show that women who use the contraceptive pill more often suffer from depression over time.
The use of the contraceptive pill is linked to the onset of depression.
Danish researchers have compared the psychiatric data of 1,061,997 women with the use of oral contraceptives in a national prospective cohort study. They demonstrated that the use of the pill is linked to the subsequent use of antidepressants and the onset of a diagnosed depression.
For adolescents and young women aged 15 to 19, the correlation was particularly pronounced, as there is a clear connection between the use of the pill and mental illness.
The pill is a nutrient predator
Causation remains unclear in this study. However, it is clear that women who use the pill suffer from vitamin B6, zinc, magnesium, and folic acid deficiencies. For these micronutrients, the relationship with depression is already well described elsewhere.
These substances play an important role in the metabolism of the happiness hormone serotonin, for example. Anyone with a genetic weakness can also slide into depression due to deficiencies.
However, abstaining from the pill is not an adequate solution, but one cannot only counteract nutrient depletion. With regard to depression, a nutritional deficiency caused by the pill often influences fertility when the desire for pregnancy develops.
With a specially formulated micronutrient preparation, women could remain on the safe side in terms of their health.
