WOMEN who start taking a hormonal contraceptive pill soon after childbirth are at a higher risk of developing depression in the first year of their child's life, according to a large Danish study.
Hormonal contraceptive use is known to be associated with depression, but whether this is also true in the postpartum period - when women have a heightened depression risk and are routinely offered hormonal contraceptives - was unknown.
The team followed the contraceptive choices of over 600,000 women in Denmark after having their first child, with 40% of the women beginning to take the pill within a year of their child's birth.
The researchers found women taking the pill were at nearly 1.5 times the risk of depression compared to women not taking the pill.
The onset of depression was instantaneous, and the earlier the women initiated birth control, the higher their risk was.
The effect was found across all age groups, and was more pronounced for women with no prior mental health disorder.
However, it was not found in women taking progestogen-onlypills.
While only 1.5% of all the participants developed depression during the study, the researchers said their findings raise questions about the role birth control could play in post-partum depression rates.
The increased risk is "important information to convey at postpartum contraceptive counselling", the authors noted.
Read the study HERE. KB
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 02 Apr 25
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 02 Apr 25
