Birth control pills may increase risk of depression, new study says
BOSTON -- A new study finds birth control pills may increase the risk of depression, and this could affect millions of teenage girls and women.
Oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, are highly effective at preventing pregnancy but can cause some side effects, including altering mood.
Researchers at Cambridge University in the U.K. looked at data on more than 260,000 women and found that the first two years of birth control pill use were associated with a higher rate of depression. That risk was not as pronounced beyond the first two years but women who had used birth control pills in the past, especially during adolescence, but subsequently quit, were still at slightly higher risk of developing depression at some point in their lives.
The increased risk of depression was modest and most women will not experience mood changes, but both patients and their doctors should have a discussion about potential mental health effects before beginning oral contraceptives.