Contraceptive pills might change women’s brains and make them risk takers, study suggests

Oral contraceptives can alter the part of the brain responsible for emotions, anxiety and fear, possibly making women who take the pill more likely to engage in unsafe behaviors.

Researchers in Canada studied 139 women between the ages of 23 and 35 and found that those who took oral contraceptives had thinner regions in the frontal lobe than those who had never taken or stopped taking OCs.

This weight loss is thought to affect social behavior and impulsivity, possibly leading women who take oral contraceptives to have fewer inhibitions, take more risks, and be less fearful.

The team said more research is needed, but their results suggest that exposure to sex hormones plays a role in the structure of the nervous system.

Alexandra Brouillard, a researcher at the Université du Québec à Montréal and first author of the study, told DailyMail.com that her team identified that the effect of current OC use on this region of the brain was associated with exposure to synthetic estrogen present in the pills.

Brouillard said: ‘In our study, we showed that healthy women currently using (oral contraceptives) had a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex than men.

“This part of the prefrontal cortex is thought to support emotion regulation, such as decreasing fear signals in the context of a safe situation.

“Our result may represent a mechanism by which COCs could alter emotion regulation in women.”

More than 150 million women use oral contraceptives worldwide, and birth control pills are 93 to 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy.

Oral contraceptives are generally considered safe, but there are some risks, such as breast pain, mood changes, weight gain, and stroke.

Among the women, 62 were currently using oral contraceptives, 37 had previously used oral contraceptives, and 40 women had never taken the pills. The researchers also included 41 men for comparison.

The team performed MRI scans to study the gray matter volume and cortical thickness of brain regions involved in information processing, emotion regulation, memory retention and muscle control, as well as sensory perception. and decision making.

Gray matter, sometimes called gray matter, is known as the cerebral cortex and makes up the outermost layer of the brain.

Increased cortical thickness is thought to be associated with intelligence and thinning with cognitive decline.

Compared to men, all three groups of women had greater gray matter volume in a part of the brain associated with learning, self-control and executive control.

This could be one of the reasons why men are generally more impulsive than women.

The study also found that only women taking contraceptives had thinning in a part of the brain responsible for processing risk and fear and controlling emotions.

Thinning of this area is thought to cause inhibition deficits or loss of social behavior and impulsivity, particularly as it relates to the function of the amygdala, which is the gray matter involved in the experience of emotions.

An impaired amygdala decreases fear conditioning, when a person comes to associate something with a negative outcome and has a fearful response.

This may lead women taking oral contraceptives to have fewer inhibitions, take more risks, and be less afraid in unsafe situations.

However, Brouillard told DailyMail.com that researchers have yet to investigate whether their anatomical findings relate to significant changes in behavior or mental state.

He said it would be “too presumptuous” to conclude that these brain changes are directly related to riskier and unsafe behaviors.

However, scientists do know that these areas of the brain are involved in such behaviors.

Brouillard said women who are prescribed birth control are informed of the physical effects of the medication, such as missed periods and ovulation.

However, the impact of OCs on brain development is rarely addressed.

Considering how widespread contraceptive use is, it is important to better understand the current and long-term effects of the pills on brain anatomy and emotional regulation, the researchers said.

Brouillard added: ‘The aim of our work is not to counteract the use of COCs, but it is important to be aware that the pill can have an effect on the brain.

“Our goal is to increase scientific interest in women’s health and raise awareness about early COC prescription and brain development, a very unknown topic.”

He study It was published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.