When the first hormonal birth control pill was introduced over 60 years ago, it symbolised a significant step in the right direction for women’s rights.
The Pill was – and still is – revolutionary.
But while the oral contraceptive pill has been on the market for decades, the side effects of the Pill can often outweigh its overall convenience.
From acne, hair loss and weight gain, to severe changes in libido, mental health and mood, women report all kinds of side effects.
And now, in a new study, one of those side effects has been confirmed.
According to new research, which was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America this week, the Pill shrinks the part of the brain that controls your sex drive.
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In the study, scientists found that women taking the birth control bill have a smaller hypothalamus, which is a small region in the centre of the brain.
As the hypothalamus regulates hormones in the body, it’s believed damage to the hypothalamus could cause issues with sex drive, blood sugar regulation or appetite.
Michael Lipton, a radiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, recruited 50 women for the study.
Top Comments
I don’t think we can say that a medication shrinks your brain on the basis of one study of 50 women and some anecdotal evidence. That’s fairly alarmist.