If you have sex you should protect yourself not just because you might get pregnant – you should also take into account sexually transmitted diseases. One of the commonly used methods is a contraceptive pill, but it does not protect against any diseases. And, what we’ve just learned, has also one another side effect.

Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden conducted a study on the effects of this type of pill on the development of depression. They showed that young women who use the contraceptive pill are significantly more likely to become ill.

Choosing the right contraceptives is really important. The pills not only protect us from conception but also help to regulate our cycle, however, they also have side effects. Among the most commonly mentioned are skin problems, weight gain or mood swings.

Of course this does not mean that any of the aforementioned side effects will or may happen to you. Every person reacts differently to the contraceptive so you should observe how your body reacts and take advice from your gynaecologist if you decide to take the pill.

Unfortunately, now depression can be added to the ranks of these side effects, at least according to researchers from Uppsala, Sweden. Their survey of more than 260,000 women from the UK showed that taking oral hormonal contraception can be linked to the development of depression. Younger people are particularly at risk.

"The research, which analyzed data from over a quarter of a million women from the UK Biobank, found that teens initiating contraceptive pill use had a 130% higher incidence of depression symptoms. This incidence decreased with continued usage over the first two years, but an elevated risk persisted even after stopping the pill for teenage users," says the description of the study on the Neuroscience News website.

However, it is not only teenagers who are at risk of developing symptoms of depression. The risk of depression symptoms in women who start taking the pill at a later age is 92 per cent. Women are most at risk of developing depression during the first two years of using contraceptive pills.

When adult women stopped taking the pill, the risk of depressive symptoms decreased. For teenage girls, unfortunately, similar changes were not observed.

The scientists believe that young people are much more likely to develop depression when they take the contraceptive pill at a young age because of the hormone system which is not yet regulated. Older women do not have this problem.

Does this mean we should now stop using contraceptive pills? The short answer is: no. The scientists emphasise that the study is only meant to increase the knowledge of patients and doctors about the possible side effects of the pill. How our body will react to a particular type of contraception cannot be predicted. Therefore, further studies are needed, as the researchers stress.

"Although contraception has many advantages for women, both medical practitioners and patients should be informed about the side-effects identified in this and previous research," says Therese Johansson of the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, one of the researchers leading the study.

"Our ambition in comparing different contraceptive methods is to give women even more information to help them take well-informed decisions about their contraceptive options," Johansson says.

Source: Neuroscience News, Fox News Digital