Women Who Use Birth Control Pills Have Impaired Stress Response

18 Jul Women Who Use Birth Control Pills Have Impaired Stress Response

Birth control pills are nothing but a small bundle of big side effects! Fresh findings condone this statement.

Feeling stressed while keeping track of your everyday birth pill consumption is nothing new.

But the real reason behind the increasing stress is not the fear of unwanted pregnancy but the pills themselves.

The new research by Aarhus University in Denmark and researchers from the United States have investigated the link between birth control pills and stress response in women.

Reports of the study point out that birth control pills negatively affect women’s stress response. In fact, the hormone-laden pill used since the 1960s has done more damage than benefit to women’s bodies.

Birth Control Pills and the Women’s Body’s Ability to Regulate Stress

Birth control pills have never been a safe way to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

While earlier women were only aware of birth control and fatigue, skin issues, and weight gain, now it is even associated with how females handle stress.

As if there weren’t enough in the long list of side effects of birth control pills.

The revelation of this study clarifies a lot about how the use of the birth control pill affects stress reactivity and the brain structure and function of a woman.

Basis of the Study

Birth control pills are in use by women for quite some time. However, all its side effects are still unknown by the researchers.

This is why researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark and The United States studied the response of women on birth control pills and those who were not.

Though there have been studies in the past that prove the link between birth control pills and stress, this particular study considers the ACTH hormone.

As per Michael Winterdahl, who is a visiting scholar at the Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit at the Department of Clinical Medicine and who is also the last author of the article, socializing with other people relieves stress.

Nonetheless, those on the birth control pills did not expect the same.

Method of the Study

To analyze the effect of birth control pills on women’s stress responses, the researchers took blood samples to measure the level of stress hormones ACTH in women’s blood.

Researchers already know how can birth control cause high cortisol levels. Therefore, this study primarily measures the ACTH hormone because it changes faster than cortisol.

This makes it easier for the researchers to analyze the rapid changes in the stress response. Adding to it, they included social activity in the middle as well to lower the stress.

Process Followed

The process of research study includes 131 young women with an average age of 20.5 years. Among all these women some were on birth control pills while others were not.

Additionally, these women participants were in different phases of their menstrual cycle.

The blood sample from women was taken to measure the levels of stress hormone ACTH in the women’s blood.

Moving on, after taking the blood sample, women proceeded to involve in 15 minutes of social activity to lower stress hormone levels.

Women could participate in any one of the following activities which include: board games, singing songs together, group sessions to know each other, and attending church service.

After 15 minutes of social activity, researchers again draw blood from the participants. For this, they used a small intravenous catheter inserted in connection with the first sample collection.

This took place to keep away from pricking women with a needle again to avoid triggering the stress hormone.

Results

Michael Winterdahl points out the following results of the study:

• 15 minutes of social activity after taking the blood sample lowers stress levels among women who were not on birth control pills.
• Women who were on birth control pills showed no significant reduction in their ACTH stress hormone levels.
• As per the assumption, birth control pills can suppress the body’s natural production of progesterone.
• Stress response in women who did not take birth control pills depends on where they are in the phase of their monthly cycle.
• The stress-reducing group activity showed no effect on the ACTH levels of the women in their proliferative phase (just after the period has ended and the body prepares for ovulation) of the menstrual cycle.
• The stress response was disconnected in women using birth control.

The use of birth control pills on women’s ability to handle stress is quite significant.

The research further points out that birth control pills aren’t just contraceptives, but a completely different generation of pills with hormones that have different side effects.

Final Discussion

Several hypotheses already discuss the link between hormonal birth control and cortisol. This research expanded the explanation by studying ACTH levels. As ACTH levels a neurotransmitter from the brain to the adrenal cortex, which produces cortisol.

To explain, stress is released from the hypothalamus from the pituitary gland which releases ACTH to the adrenal gland which again releases cortisol. Notably, birth control pills affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

As a result, women who took birth control pills showed alteration in the women’s body’s ability to respond to stress.

Journal Reference, Published July 7, 2023 – Adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion and stress.

Kill the Pill

Birth control pills have always been under the radar of the researchers. Using it has some obvious side effects including weight gain, skin issues, sore breasts, and nausea.

The hormone-laden pills and their effect on the body are complex. This study establishes a link between birth control pills and stress.

It considers several hypotheses and different phases a women’s body goes through for a wider analysis.

Though it is clear that birth-control pills negatively impact women’s stress response, researchers still need more diverse test groups to clarify the complex mechanism.

If you are using birth control pills, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• There are more than 40 different types of pills; so, better to consult a doctor before just buying a random one.
• Irregular bleeding is common if you are a new user
• Keeping a schedule is a must because missing a day increases the chances of getting pregnant
• Include a rainbow diet with a wide range of nutrients to avoid side effects
• Sleep well for 7-8 hours to reduce extra stress.

Women are certainly good at managing stress, but that doesn’t mean they should be burdened with some extra! Pregnancy and the mode to “PREVENT” unwanted pregnancy should be a personal choice.