The contraceptive pill does not control a woman’s behavior

Where does this news come from?

The study, which received much media attention, is not a new study. It is a summary of findings from 46 studies. So it is about an extension Search overviewwhere a group of psychologists compiled the results of Studies on the effect of hormonal contraceptives. They compared these with a number of theories about this effect, among others: Competition, motivation and relationships.

The fact that hormones influence our behavior is not new: just thinking about puberty, premenstrual tension in women, cocky behavior in men or postpartum tears (postpartum blues). Hormones don’t determine our behavior, we pour some kind of sauce on top of it.

Certain hormones are associated with certain characteristics based on studies. This is how the male hormone becomes testosterone closely related Sexual desire, competition, dominance and aggression. female hormones Estrogen and progesterone Determine together to varying degrees Mood, libido, and tendency to social interactions, and so on. These hypotheses, supported in one form or another by research on large groups of people, apply to Natural hormones that our bodies produce on their own.

In this review study, researchers examined whether synthetic hormoneslike this in grainthat affect the production of natural hormones, It can also affect behavior. They compared the behavior of contraceptive users in certain situations with the behavior of contraceptive users, based on dozens of small studies in small groups of women. Scientists concluded this based on existing research is not excluded Is this the Birth control pills can affect a woman’s behaviorBut there is Insufficient evidence to confirm this.

How do you explain this news?

In this general study, Lots of studies including very limited Are you really there You can’t decide anything. some examples:

• One study found that women who don’t take the pill on their fertile days are more likely to dress in more sexy clothes than those who use the pill (whose fertile days are suppressed, of course).
• Pill users may also use more makeup on some days than non-pill users.
• Another study shows a small and irrelevant difference in competition between pill users and nonusers of birth control pills.

In these studies, Other influencing factors are seldom taken into accountWhich makes it of little value. This is also the opinion of the psychologists who published the survey. They formulate a series of recommendations for scientists studying the effects of hormonal contraceptives, so that we can use them in the future.

conclusion

Because the hormones we produce ourselves have an effect on our behaviour, it is possible that medications that affect our hormone systems, such as birth control pills, also affect our behaviour. Psychologists have collected dozens of studies on the effect of birth control pills on women’s behavior. They found discrete and limited differences in small groups of women, from which they could not draw significant conclusions. Some women may or may not feel less well with this medicine, while others feel better. However, the contraceptive pill does not change a woman’s behavior. There is absolutely no evidence for that.