Hormonal contraception linked to increased depression risk
Hormonal contraception, including birth control pills or implants, may increase a woman's odds of depression and antidepressant medication use, according to a large study of Danish women.
Based on data about prescription drug use for more than 1 million women, researchers found that those who started using hormonal contraception were significantly more likely to subsequently get a first-time prescription for antidepressant medication, compared to women not on hormonal contraception.
For adolescent girls, starting on hormonal contraception was tied to an even greater increased risk of antidepressant use. Depending on the type of hormonal contraception, there may have also been a link to risk of being diagnosed with depression.
"Such a comprehensive study on this issue hasn't been made before," said senior author Dr Ojvind Lidegaard, of the University of Copenhagen.
Previous studies have tried to clarify connections between contraceptive hormones and depression, Lidegaard and his colleagues write in JAMA Psychiatry September 28, but these produced mixed results.
The authors point out that the lifetime prevalence of depression is about double among women compared to men. That...
Full story