The Psychological Impacts of Hormonal Birth Control Methods

Research shows that hormonal birth control may impact neuroactive hormones, neurotransmitters, and neuropeptides which in turn alters emotional states, cognition, and social and sexual behaviors. Implantation of hormonal birth control has been tied to early removal due to mental health diagnoses, while some women avoid taking hormonal birth control due to anticipated mental and physical health impacts. Healthcare providers tend to focus on education about physical symptoms, but often exclude discussion of potential mental health impacts. To research the psychological impact of birth control, data were collected through Qualtrics. Participants were adults assigned female at birth that have taken hormonal birth control and were recruited through snowball sampling. It was hypothesized that users experience negative mental health symptoms associated with taking hormonal birth control, and that providers don’t often discuss these potential impacts with users. It was further hypothesized that these experiences impact birth control usage, such that those with more significant mental health challenges who were not informed of these risks by providers are more likely to limit usage. Preliminary analyses show that most hormonal birth control users have experienced some form of depression, changes in their emotional state, and anxiety since starting medication. Additionally, approximately 40% of users were not well-informed of the side effects associated with their form of birth control by a healthcare provider before beginning medication. This study highlights the importances of considering the psychological impacts of birth control and educating users on them. Furthermore, it suggests the need to create different methods of birth control that might mitigate these negative outcomes. Finally, this study helps give voice to women who have used birth control and have felt that their mental health has suffered from it.