More than 99% of women aged 15 and 44, who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one method of hormonal contraception, reports the Guttmacher Institute. However, despite research indicating that the use birth control has an influence on some women’s mood, the topic has seldom been addressed – until now.
According to a new study investigating “whether the use of hormonal contraception is positively associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a diagnosis of depression at a psychiatric hospital,” there’s much to be discussed.
Per the research published in JAMA Psychiatry, scientists from the University of Copenhagen tracked one million Danish women between the ages of 15 and 34 from January 1, 2000, to December 2013 (13 years). What they discovered, was that birth control is connected to higher rates of depression in adolescents. In fact, young women between the ages of 15 and 19 who took oral contraceptives were 80% more likely to end up depressed.