A new study by the University of California (UCLA) could well create the debate again, and some reluctance. According to it, oral contraceptives could modify the activity of the brain circuits involved in mood regulation. According to researchers, this “subtle reprogramming” could explain why some women report sadness, irritability or mood swings when they take the pill.
A pioneer study … but limited
The trial focused on 26 women aged 20 to 33, who had negative symptoms linked to the use of hormonal contraceptives. The report points out that the participants first took the pill for 18 to 21 days, then a placebo after a full menstrual cycle.
Thanks to functional magnetic resonance imaging (IRM), the researchers then found that the brain activity of the participants became less “individualized” under contraceptive. Their neural signatures seemed to be homogenized. In particular in networks linked to executive control, the treatment of emotions and mental rest.
At the same time, women have reported more symptoms of negative mood under pill. The authors conclude that contraceptive hormones influence a sensitive cerebral network, linked to emotional variations and potentially to disorders such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (TDPM).
However, the limits of the study are important: reduced workforce (26 participants), short duration (a few weeks) and lack of prolonged follow -up. The researchers themselves call for wider studies before drawing final conclusions.
“”The psyche is not reduced to hormones“According to Dr. Odile Bagot
For the gynecologist Dr Odile Bagot, it is essential to put these results in a wider setting.
“We must still remember here that the psyche is not reduced to brain imaging. Or a hormonal balance. It is much more complex than that: environment, personal experience, social context … all this plays a role”, she recalls.
According to her, the risk is to reduce the experience of women to their hormones, a “terrifying” approach which obscures the richness and complexity of their experience. She emphasizes that if the brain has many estrogen receptors, these variations are not enough to explain mood alone.
Why the pill remains beneficial for many women
If the study of means of contraception remains essential today, the shortcuts according to which the pill is simply not “good” for health, prove to be inaccurate. Dr. Bagot warns against an alarmist reading of the study and recalls that:
- For some women suffering from TDPM, the pill can on the contrary represent a major improvement in the quality of life by stabilizing hormonal variations;
- Oral contraception remains a first -line treatment for endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (SOPK) or even hemorrhagic and painful rules;
- Stop the pill thinking of solving a discomfort can sometimes worsen other health problems.
It also illustrates, with humor, that libido or mood do not depend only on a molecule: “The same pill may seem perfect at the beginning of a relationship and problematic a few years later … when desire leaves. While it is perhaps the habits or the daily life that have changed”.
Between science and personal experience, how to adapt your contraception
This study opens an interesting track on the brain impact of oral contraceptives. But it should not be interpreted as proof that “the pill makes unhappy” for our expert.
“”Automatically assigning the pill to be discharged and potentially harmful“She concludes. The key lies in individual support: discuss with your doctor, assess profits and disadvantages, and adapt your contraception to your experience, your story and your needs.