{"id":191678,"date":"2018-11-27T13:15:05","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T19:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=191678"},"modified":"2018-11-27T13:33:05","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T19:33:05","slug":"bbc-mental-effects-birth-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/bbc-mental-effects-birth-control\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC documentary exposes ‘debilitating’ mental effects of birth control"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The birth control pill was approved for use in the United States in 1960, and then in the United Kingdom in 1961. Right away, it was controversial; the pill includes serious side effects like blood clots<\/a> and breast cancer<\/a>, as well as more benign, yet still frustrating, side effects like weight gain, nausea, headaches, and bloating. However, a new documentary from BBC Two is bringing to light lesser-known risks of the birth control pill<\/a>: depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.<\/p>\n

The documentary, titled, “The Contraceptive Pill: How Safe Is It?”, notes that 1 in 4 women taking the birth control pill reported in a survey that it had a negative impact on their mental health. The hormone responsible for the increase in mental health problems is believed to be progesterone. Danielle, age 31, said her side effects were \u201ccompletely debilitating and terrifying. I went from being fine to having suicidal thoughts within six months.\u201d She explained that she had never had any problems with mental health before she began taking the pill.<\/p>\n

Vicky Spratt, editor-in-large of Grazia, likewise had negative side effects. \u201cI remember thinking \u2018if this is what the rest of my life is going to be like, I don\u2019t want to live it’,\u201d she said in the documentary. The Independent notes that numerous studies, including one of 800,000 women in Sweden, have confirmed these findings, linking the birth control pills to poor mental health.<\/p>\n