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Women taking pill more likely to be
treated for depression, study finds
Millions of women worldwide use hormonal contraceptives,
and there have long been reports that they can affect mood.
A research project was launched in Denmark to look at the
scale of the problem, involving the medical records of more
than a million women and adolescent girls.
It found that those on the combined pill were 23% more
likely to be prescribed an antidepressant by their doctor,
most commonly in the first six months after starting on the
pill. Women on the progestin-only pills, a synthetic form of
the hormone progesterone, were 34% more likely to take
antidepressants or get a first diagnosis of depression than
those not on hormonal contraception.
The study found that not only women taking pills but also
those with implants, patches and intrauterine devices were
affected.
Adolescent girls appeared to be at highest risk. Those
taking combined pills were 80% more likely and those on
progestin-only pills more than twice as likely to be
prescribed an antidepressant than their peers who were not
on the pill.
The researchers, Øjvind Lidegaard of the University of
Copenhagen and colleagues, point out that women are
twice as likely to suffer from depression in their lifetime as
men, though rates are equal before puberty. The fluctuating
levels of the two female sex hormones, oestrogen and
progesterone, have been implicated. Studies have
suggested raised progesterone levels in particular may
lower mood.
The impact of low-dose hormonal contraception on mood
and possibly depression has not been fully studied, the
authors say. They used registry data in Denmark on more
than a million women and adolescent girls aged between 15
and 34. They were followed up from 2000 until 2013 with an
average follow-up of 6.4 years.
The authors call for more studies to investigate this possible
side-effect of the pill.
Adaptado de: <
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/28/women-takingcontraceptive-pill-more-likely-to-be-treated-for-depression-studyfinds> Acessado em 29 de setembro de 2016.
The impact of low-dose hormonal contraception on
mood and possibly depression