It is a Swedish study which confirms a link between the combined pill since adolescence and a 73% greater risk than a woman who has never taken it.
In France, the combined pill (combining progestogen and estrogen) is the most widely used contraceptive method, according to the results of a survey for Public Health France.
And a study by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden, the results of which are published in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences has just confirmed what we suspected for years: the combined pill would increase the risk of suffering from depression.
An extensive database
To carry out their study, the researchers analyzed health data from the vast British database UK Biobank, and more particularly those concerning 264,557 women. All were taking a “combined contraceptive pill”, and the first two years of taking are “associated with a higher rate of depression”.
More specifically, the risk of depression increases by 73% on average in those who take a combined pill compared to women who have never taken one.
Up to +130% risk of depressive symptoms
And this risk is even greater if the patients started taking the treatment in adolescence, the rate then climbing to 130%. Taken initially in adulthood, the risk is 93%.
If adults see this risk of depression decrease as soon as they stop taking the pill, this is not the case for young girls.
The “hormonal changes” in question
Therese Johansson, lead author of the study, said in a statement that “The strong influence of birth control pills on teenage girls can be attributed to hormonal changes brought on by puberty”.
It recommends better listening and information on the part of health professionals on the “side effects identified in this study and in previous ones“. However, she insists on recalling that this method of contraception has “many benefits” and “most women tolerate external hormones well, without experiencing negative effects on their mood”.