Birth control pills can cause brain atrophy?

The birth control pills have been reported to cause some unwanted side effects in users such as mood changes, weight gain and vomiting. Now, a new study has found that this drug may also shrink the user's brain.

Contraceptives can dull the brain for users

Birth control pills have been reported to cause some unwanted side effects in users.(Photo: BSIP)

Neurological experts from the University of California (Los Angeles, USA) discovered, two key brain regions, responsible for emotions and the decision-making process were thinner in women taking oral contraceptives.

The study showed that the cortical cortex (the lateral orbitofrontal cortex) and the posterior cortex (posterior cigulate cortex) may shrink when reacting to synthetic hormones that exist in the contraceptive. According to research reports published in Human Brain Mapping, artificial substances in birth control pills inhibit natural hormones, trigger changes in brain shape and function.

Experts have drawn this conclusion when conducting research with 90 women, of which 44 users combined contraceptive methods and the remaining 46 did not use any form of hormonal contraception.

Brain scan results revealed, the cortical cerebral cortex was in charge of the decision-making process and the posterior cortical region treated emotions in those taking oral contraceptives, smaller than the average size of these brain regions. in people who do not take drugs.

Scientists are still unable to determine whether changes in the thickness of the two brain regions show any real changes in the behavior of women taking birth control pills. They also do not know whether this shrinkage is permanent or not, so they are planning further studies to find out.

The epithelial cortex (lateral orbitofrontal cortex) and the posterior cortex (posterior cigulate cortex) were found to be smaller in women using oral contraceptives.(Photo: PlosOne)

In a separate study last month, scientists discovered that the use of birth control pills tripled the risk of developing an incurable disease in the digestive system . Specifically, sex hormones in oral contraceptives can weaken the intestinal tract, creating the perfect environment for developing chronic Crohn's disease.

Doctors are also afraid that the repeated use of emergency contraceptives - the type that contains even higher doses of sex hormones than daily oral contraceptives - can make women even more even more susceptible to disease . According to Dr. Hamed Khalili, a gastroenterologist at Harvard University, the number of Crohn's cases has increased by 2-3 times over the past 50 years, since birth control pills have been widely used.