A study of young, healthy women found that they tend to display stronger depression-like patterns of cognitive processing when actively taking oral contraceptives. This effect was particularly pronounced among women with generally higher levels of depressive symptoms. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Oral contraceptives, commonly known as birth control pills, are medications taken orally to prevent pregnancy. They typically contain synthetic hormones—either a combination of estrogen and progestin (combined oral contraceptives) or progestin alone (progestin-only pills). These hormones work by preventing ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). Additionally, they thicken cervical mucus, making it more difficult for sperm to reach the egg, and alter the uterine lining, reducing the likelihood