How Does Birth Control Influence Emotional Processing?
- Aisha Munk
- Dec 5, 2024
- 2 min read
Oral contraceptives (OCs), commonly known as "the pill," are one of the most widely used methods of contraception worldwide. But how does taking the pill impact the brain’s processing of emotional stimuli? In our study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, we investigated whether and how neural responses to positive and erotic stimuli differ between women taking OCs and those with a natural menstrual cycle (NC).
What Was the Study About?
Previous research suggests that hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can influence emotional processing. Since OCs suppress these fluctuations, we aimed to determine whether this impacts the processing of positive and erotic stimuli—both in early and late stages of emotional response.
Methodology
We studied 62 women: 29 with a natural cycle and 33 using OCs. Over three sessions, we measured their neural responses to various emotional images using EEGs. We focused on two main components:
Early Response Stages (Early Posterior Negativity, EPN)
Late Response Stages (Late Positive Potential, LPP).
Participants also rated the emotional intensity and pleasantness of the images.
Key Findings
No Significant Differences Between Groups:Women taking the pill and women with a natural cycle showed similar neural responses to positive and erotic stimuli. Likewise, their ratings of emotional intensity and pleasantness were comparable.
Differences Within the OC Cycle:Among women taking the pill, LPP responses varied across their intake cycle. During the second week of the pill cycle, responses to erotic stimuli were more pronounced compared to neutral stimuli.
What Do These Results Mean?
Our findings suggest that long-term use of oral contraceptives does not significantly alter fundamental emotional processing. However, fluctuations within the OC intake cycle may reflect hormonal stability at certain phases.
These insights deepen our understanding of how hormones influence emotional processing and provide valuable directions for future research into the psychological effects of oral contraceptive use.
Want to Learn More? Read the full study for all the details:
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