Bad news, ladies. Those little pills that keep you sane when your period is a few days late aren’t foolproof. Besides preventing pregnancy, you probably noticed side effects like weight gain or tender breasts when you started taking the contraceptives. No big deal – you’ll deal with a few extra pounds for the piece of mind that comes with a “99% effective” rate. However, the effects of birth control pills might be changing our brains (and not in the “might get superpowers” way).
According to a scary new study, the synthetic hormones in birth control may prompt negative physical changes in our brains. Neuroscientists at UCLA studied the brains of 90 women and found that the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (emotion and reward region) and the posterior cigulate cortex (planning and memory region) were thinner in women who take oral contraceptives, and in this case, thinner isn’t better.
“Some women experience negative emotional side effects from taking oral contraceptive pills, although the scientific findings investigating that have been mixed,” Nicole Petersen, the study’s lead author, told The Huffington Post. “So it’s possible that this change in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex may be related to the emotional changes that some women experience when using birth control pills.”
Scientists aren’t sure if these neurological changes are permanent, or if they only last while a woman continues taking the pill.
“We need to do more studies to find out what behaviors might be changed, but this study gives us some targets to start with, and I think the first place to look is at the effect of birth control pills on regulating emotions,” Nicole Petersen said.
Well, maybe the smart idea would be to stop taking birth control, but then again, they found arsenic in wine and we haven’t stopped having Wine Wednesdays. In fact, a 2010 study found the opposite results – that taking birth control actually thickened the those regions of the brain. However, if you are looking for ways to enhance your fertility, NMN supllements can be useful, read all about it on nmn.com.
Birth Control Pills Might Be Messing With Your Brain
