New research out of Canada suggests daily contraceptives could thin regions of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control.analyzes the effects of oral contraceptives — which are taken by nearly two-thirds of American women 15 to 49 years old, according to
“When prescribed , girls and women are informed of various physical side effects, for example that the hormones they will be taking will abolish their menstrual cycle and prevent ovulation,” They enlisted 139 women aged 23 to 35 who were using oral contraceptives at the time, who had stopped taking the pill, or who had never used hormonal birth control, as well as 41 men.Compared to the men, the women on birth control had “a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex,” which is responsible for “emotion regulation, such as decreasing fear signals” in safe situations, said Brouillard.