Depression (economics)

Oral contraceptive pill

Progestogen

Mood

Population

Physiology

Pill

Endocrinology

Psychiatry

Macroeconomics

Economics

Hormonal contraception

Ethinylestradiol

Family planning

Research methodology

Hormone

Medicine

Pharmacology

Environmental health

Australian Prescriber

Hormonal contraception is known to precipitate or perpetuate depression in some patients.The link between oral contraceptive pills and depression relates to the amount and type of progestogen contained in these pills.Many of the older oral contraceptive pills, which contain ethinylestradiol, are linked to severe mood problems.Newer oral contraceptive pills containing physiological forms of oestrogen may be better tolerated with a purported weaker link to mood problems.Clinicians should consider the temporal relationship between the use of hormonal contraception and development of new or worsened depression or mood changes. Effects of oestrogen and progesterone on moodOestrogen and progesterone influence neurochemistry, brain function and the activity of neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid, serotonin and dopamine. 2Oestrogen receptors (ER)alpha and ER-beta are widely distributed in the brain, with ER-alpha mainly found in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala and brainstem.Progesterone receptors alpha and beta are most abundant in the amygdala, cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus.4][5] Functional brain imaging studies have indicated that oestrogen regulates the activation of brain regions implicated in emotional and cognitive processing such as the amygdala and

Hormonal contraception and mood disorders