Exposed: The depression truth about ‘The Pill’
As a Naturopathic Doctor, who commonly treats mental health concerns, I am always looking for the underlying cause of depressive and anxiety symptoms and looking for obstacles which prevent symptom resolution. One of my first questions to women who suffer from mood and emotional symptoms is “are you on ‘the pill’?”
Oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, have been prescribed to women since the 1950s and today, over 100 million women use birth control pills. On one hand, they allow women the freedom of reproductive choice; however, it isn’t without its downside, which, since their introduction almost seventy years ago, is often not fully disclosed to women by their prescribing doctor.
Doctors prescribe birth control pills for virtually any and all menstrual or hormonal related symptoms – acne, menstrual pain, irregular cycles, etc. in addition to contraception. It is reported that over half of birth control users aged twenty and older use the pill for non-contraceptive reasons. What some, many or all of these women may not realize is that birth control pills will suppress hormone-related symptoms. However, they do not address the underlying cause, therefore once a woman stops taking birth control pills her symptoms will likely return. Furthermore, they are not without their own metabolic, neurological, and other physiological adverse side effects.
How Birth Control Pills Work
The most common birth control pills contain two synthetic hormones, ethinylestradiol, a synthetic estrogen, and progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone. The ‘mini-pill’ contains only progestins. To clarify, these are not the same as the hormones estrogen and progesterone that our bodies produce naturally. Furthermore, these synthetic hormones prevent the natural release of the hormone messengers from the brain ( the hypothalamus and pituitary) that signal the ovaries to ovulate (thus preventing pregnancy). This prevents the production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone by the body. Birth control pills essential shut down the cyclical hormonal cycle.
Typically women take hormone-containing pills for the first twenty-one days, then take sugar pills for the remaining week, where they will bleed, giving the illusion of a period. To be very clear – this is not a period; it is a pill bleed caused by the sudden withdrawal of the synthetic hormones.
How Birth Control Pills Create Side Effects
Hormonal birth control pills have an array of side effects, from increased risk of blood clots to headaches to weight gain, to mood changes. The side effects are due to the two synthetic hormones – ethinylestradiol and progestins. Birth control pills create side effects for two reasons.
1 – The impact of the synthetic hormones themselves
2 – The deprivation of natural estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA
Neurological changes from the pill
Progesterone changes
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers which affect mood, behavior, memory, reward, pleasure, sleep, appetite, libido, etc. For example, GABA signals a feeling of calm promotes relaxation. Progesterone increases GABA and therefore promotes calm and prevent anxiety. In addition, progesterone is also neuroprotective, meaning to protects the brain. It protects against things such as glutamate, which is a stimulating neurotransmitter, and can lead to damage of cells through a process called excitotoxicity.
Progesterone also affects an area of the brain called the amygdala, which is our main emotional processing area. It influences pain, anxiety, and fear.
Progestins, the synthetic progesterone in birth control pills, do not possess any of these qualities, leaving the brain vulnerable to excess glutamate, unchecked neuronal damage, and feelings of anxiety and fear.
Estrogen changes
Estrogen increases both serotonin and dopamine. Both of these neurotransmitters impact positive mood, reward, motivation, and emotional well-being. These neurotransmitters help protect against depression. A 2016 JAMA Psychiatry study with over a million participants found that women who used birth control pills were 23% more likely to receive an anti-depressant prescription later in life and concluded that depression is a potential adverse effect of birth control pill use.
Also, a 2017 study reported an alarming association between suicidality and birth control pill use. It found that women between the ages of fifteen and thirty-three who took birth control pills had increased rates of suicide ideation and suicide attempts. Most importantly, adolescents were at greatest risk.
Estrogen and progesterone increase a messenger called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protects the brain from injury, helps to repair and regenerate the brain. Given that birth control pills prevent the natural production of estrogen and progesterone, they too limit the amount of BDNF in the brain, ultimately reducing the amount of regeneration in the brain.
Are you struggling with side effects from the pill? Or are you looking for natural ways to balance your hormones? Dr. Stephanie works with women both in-person and via telemedicine. Book an appointment to get started!
Brain changes
One of the most concerning findings of birth control pills is the permanent changing to the brain they induce. For instance, a 2015 Human Brain Mapping study looked at the brains of women who take birth control pills and reported some troubling findings.
They found changes in brain structure in the areas that control sensory input, emotion, learning, and memory. In summary, birth control pills negatively affect a woman’s mind, emotions, and learning ability.
Hormonal changes from the pill
Birth control causes an increase in sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and thyroid-binding globulin (TBG). The job of these proteins is to bind up active testosterone and thyroid hormones, which then makes them less bioavailable and therefore active in the body. Even after a woman stops taking birth control, these proteins stay high. This can lead to low thyroid function and symptoms of low testosterone.
Elevated TBG can lead to symptoms of an under-active thyroid, known as hypothyroidism, which itself is known to produce depression. Therefore, low thyroid functioning can potentially compound the adverse effect on mood that birth control has. Additionally, elevated SHBG can result in symptoms of low testosterone, such as low libido and sexual dysfunction.
Conclusion
Birth control pills have been widely prescribed to women for almost seventy years, providing them with reproductive freedom however an open and honest conversation about the short term as well as long-term risk and adverse effects on mood, neurology, and hormones should take place.
Talk to your doctor about your birth control options to decide what is the best option for you. In addition, make sure all the risks, benefits, and side effects of each option are explained to you in full, so you can make an informed choice.
If you would like guidance on your mood, emotional health, hormones, or any other aspect of your well-being – call us. One of our Naturopathic Doctors is here to help.
If it’s time to balance your hormones naturally and resolve your anxiety, depression, or thyroid issues, schedule an appointment. Our Naturopathic Doctors offer both in-person and telemedicine appointments!
REFERENCES
1. Barth, C., Villringer, A., & Sacher, J. (2015). Sex hormones affect neurotransmitters and shape the adult female brain during hormonal transition periods. Frontiers in neuroscience, 9, 37.
2. Jones, R. K. (2011). Beyond birth control: the overlooked benefits of oral contraceptive pills. Alan Guttmacher Institute.
3. Merz, C. J., Tabbert, K., Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Vaitl, D., Stark, R., & Wolf, O. T. (2012). Oral contraceptive usage alters the effects of cortisol on implicit fear learning. Hormones and Behavior, 62(4), 531-538.
4. Montoya, E. R., & Bos, P. A. (2017). How oral contraceptives impact social-emotional behavior and brain function. Trends in cognitive sciences, 21(2), 125-136.
5. Panzer, C., Wise, S., Fantini, G., Kang, D., Munarriz, R., Guay, A., & Goldstein, I. (2006). Impact of oral contraceptives on sex hormone-binding globulin and androgen levels: a retrospective study in women with sexual dysfunction. The journal of sexual medicine, 3(1), 104-113.
6. Petersen, N., Touroutoglou, A., Andreano, J. M., & Cahill, L. (2015). Oral contraceptive pill use is associated with localized decreases in cortical thickness. Human brain mapping, 36(7), 2644-2654.
7. Pluchino, N., Luisi, M., Lenzi, E., Centofanti, M., Begliuomini, S., Freschi, L., … & Genazzani, A. R. (2006). Progesterone and progestins: Effects on brain, allopregnanolone and β-endorphin. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology, 102(1-5), 205-213.
8. Skovlund, C. W., Mørch, L. S., Kessing, L. V., & Lidegaard, Ø. (2016). Association of hormonal contraception with depression. JAMA psychiatry, 73(11), 1154-1162.
9. Skovlund, C. W., Mørch, L. S., Kessing, L. V., Lange, T., & Lidegaard, Ø. (2017). Association of hormonal contraception with suicide attempts and suicides. American journal of psychiatry, 175(4), 336-342.
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