Birth control pills Every tenth user gets depression

Contraceptive pill with side effects
Fast, safe and comfortable: many women still rely on hormonal contraceptive methods. No wonder - the contraceptive pill with proper ingestion and use ensures reliable protection and sexual freedom. However, the intake of the drug is associated with unpleasant side effects. Among other things threatened by modern birth control pills a high risk of thrombosis. In addition, researchers reported that the pill increases the risk of brain tumors. And according to Swedish scientists, the intake of such medicines affects the well-being of women. But there are more threats: according to a recent survey, hormonal contraception is often associated with depression.

Preferred contraceptive
It has long been known that the contraceptive pill is not a harmless candy, but a drug with serious side effects. Nevertheless, she is still considered the preferred contraceptive in many women.

According to a survey by the Siemens Health Insurance SBK 39 percent of 18-24-year-olds and 38 percent of 25-34-year-olds take birth control pills. For the 35-45-year-olds it is still 18 percent, nine percent among respondents between 45 and 54 years.

As the health insurance company reported in a communication, more than a third of the respondents (43 percent) said that they had used the pill before, but no longer considered it as a contraceptive.

The hormone spiral, on the other hand, is less popular: only three percent currently use it for contraception.

In every tenth woman, the pill leads to depression
That hormonal methods of contraception always carry risks is nothing new. Nevertheless, the latest figures are alarming: One in ten women report having suffered or suffered from depression as a result of taking it.

Almost a third of 18 to 24-year-olds (30 percent) say they have (had) this side effect. "That's a worrying result," Dr. Alexander Klostermann, gynecologist at the SBK health telephone.

"Does depression represent a serious mental illness that should be severely burdened and treated?".

Common side effects include weight gain (28 percent) and headache / migraine (17 percent) and sexual aversion (9 percent).

Especially younger women between 18 and 24 years notice more common side effects (65 percent). Across all age groups, however, 51 percent of respondents said they had not noticed any side effects.

Hormonal contraception? No thanks!
The survey shows that many women abstain from hormonal contraception or are open to hormone-free alternatives.

For example, 15 percent of respondents said they have never taken birth control pills and that they will not be considered contraceptive methods in the future.

As an alternative to hormonal contraception, condoms are in high demand among participants of all ages (48 percent). The copper spiral is an option especially for the age groups 18-24 (26 percent) and 25-34 (20 percent).

The calendar method, which uses a cycle length calculation, is also worth considering for 11 percent of women.

For women between the ages of 18 and 34, however, other forms of hormonal contraception, such as a pill of a different composition, would be considered despite side effects (41 percent)..

Nonetheless, a total of 63% of women would consider non-hormonal contraceptive methods as an alternative. (Ad)