A recent study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping reported that the use of hormonal oral contraceptives may alter how the brain is functionally organized.
According to the United Nations, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) were used by approximately 150 million women in the year 2020. OCPs contain synthetic estrogen and synthetic progestins, hormones that impair the endogenous healthy progesterone and estradiol production. These potent steroids suppress the hypothalamic–pituitary axis from secreting luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), altering an ovulatory event. Also, OCPs affect the uterine cervix, thickening cervical mucus, and altering the uterine lining, impeding implantation.
Although OCPs are promoted as safe and effective birth control method, they negatively affect not only the reproductive system but every cell in the woman’s body. Synthetic estrogen and progestins have effects in the brain. The brain is an endocrine organ, sensitive to the rhythmic changes in sex hormone production that occur in women after puberty.
In clinical practice, the use of OCPs has been associated with emotional lability, irritability, or depressive symptoms, and research studies using neuroimaging studies have reported that oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) alter brain connectivity.
Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences from UCLA, and the University of Cambridge conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial to investigate the changes in brain network activity and mood in OCPs users.
The researchers recruited 26 women from a community in Los Angeles, CA, between the ages of 20 and 33 who reported past negative effects with the use of OCPs. The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention groups, Group A (took oral contraceptive pills for 18–21 days) or Group B (took a placebo). The women rested for one cycle to eliminate the effects of OCPs. Each participant in the study was evaluated with functional MRI scans, mood-related questionnaires, and hormonal analyses. Functional connectome fingerprinting, a method to identify the individual brain connectivity pattern and determine individual uniqueness, was used.
The results reported that the use of OCPs suppressed the normal hormonal production of estrogen and progesterone and altered the brain connectivity in some areas of the brain, specifically the subcortical, executive, and somatomotor circuits. Interestingly, when using OCPs, functional MRI profiles became similar between participants of the study, reducing variability between the participants. The mood-related questionnaires revealed that the changes in functional connectivity were significantly associated with increases in negative effect in mood.
The authors of the study concluded that, “These findings suggest that OCPs induce widespread and individually meaningful alterations to brain network organization, which may underlie mood-related side effects and should be considered in future neuroimaging research involving hormonal contraceptive users.”
The study has some limitations due to the small sample size. Also, only one type of OCP was used during a short period of time. More research using a larger population is needed to determine the long-term effects of the use of OCPs on brain function.
Understanding the effects of OCPs on the brain is crucial in research and in clinical practice. Women need to know that OCPs not only prevent pregnancy but also alter brain function. This is important for informed consent.
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on Monday, September 1st, 2025 at 7:27 pm and is filed under News & Commentary.
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Oral Contraceptives and Brain Organization
A recent study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping reported that the use of hormonal oral contraceptives may alter how the brain is functionally organized.
According to the United Nations, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) were used by approximately 150 million women in the year 2020. OCPs contain synthetic estrogen and synthetic progestins, hormones that impair the endogenous healthy progesterone and estradiol production. These potent steroids suppress the hypothalamic–pituitary axis from secreting luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), altering an ovulatory event. Also, OCPs affect the uterine cervix, thickening cervical mucus, and altering the uterine lining, impeding implantation.
Although OCPs are promoted as safe and effective birth control method, they negatively affect not only the reproductive system but every cell in the woman’s body. Synthetic estrogen and progestins have effects in the brain. The brain is an endocrine organ, sensitive to the rhythmic changes in sex hormone production that occur in women after puberty.
In clinical practice, the use of OCPs has been associated with emotional lability, irritability, or depressive symptoms, and research studies using neuroimaging studies have reported that oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) alter brain connectivity.
Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences from UCLA, and the University of Cambridge conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial to investigate the changes in brain network activity and mood in OCPs users.
The researchers recruited 26 women from a community in Los Angeles, CA, between the ages of 20 and 33 who reported past negative effects with the use of OCPs. The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention groups, Group A (took oral contraceptive pills for 18–21 days) or Group B (took a placebo). The women rested for one cycle to eliminate the effects of OCPs. Each participant in the study was evaluated with functional MRI scans, mood-related questionnaires, and hormonal analyses. Functional connectome fingerprinting, a method to identify the individual brain connectivity pattern and determine individual uniqueness, was used.
The results reported that the use of OCPs suppressed the normal hormonal production of estrogen and progesterone and altered the brain connectivity in some areas of the brain, specifically the subcortical, executive, and somatomotor circuits. Interestingly, when using OCPs, functional MRI profiles became similar between participants of the study, reducing variability between the participants. The mood-related questionnaires revealed that the changes in functional connectivity were significantly associated with increases in negative effect in mood.
The authors of the study concluded that, “These findings suggest that OCPs induce widespread and individually meaningful alterations to brain network organization, which may underlie mood-related side effects and should be considered in future neuroimaging research involving hormonal contraceptive users.”
The study has some limitations due to the small sample size. Also, only one type of OCP was used during a short period of time. More research using a larger population is needed to determine the long-term effects of the use of OCPs on brain function.
Understanding the effects of OCPs on the brain is crucial in research and in clinical practice. Women need to know that OCPs not only prevent pregnancy but also alter brain function. This is important for informed consent.
This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2025 at 7:27 pm and is filed under News & Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.