Women at high risk of depression achieve fewer years of education, have lower work productivity and report more sick days and functional impairments when they have access to the contraceptive pill
Franziska Valder
By combining data on legislation, genetic risk profiles and life courses for thousands of American women, the study documents that women with a high genetic risk of depression experience significantly poorer mental health if they had access to the contraceptive pill during their teenage years. ‘Not all women are affected. But for those with a genetic vulnerability, we see that the contraceptive pill can act as a trigger for mental illness,’ explains Franziska Valder.
The study also shows that the negative mental effects can undermine the positive effects of the contraceptive pill on education and labour market attachment. ‘Women at high risk of depression achieve fewer years of education, have lower work productivity and report more sick days and functional impairments when they have access to the contraceptive pill,’ explains Franziska Valder.
Franziska Valder emphasises that the results should not be interpreted as an attack on the contraceptive pill, but as a contribution to a more nuanced debate on contraception and health. ‘It’s not about taking the contraceptive pill away from anyone. It’s about understanding that there can be side effects – and that we should take them into account, especially in high-risk individuals,’ she says, elaborating: ‘We need more research into non-hormonal alternatives and better screening for mental vulnerability,’ she concludes.
The study is released at a time when access to abortion has been restricted in the United States and the debate on contraception and women’s health is more topical than ever.
Source: University of Copenhagen