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Hormonal contraception is a reality of life for tens of millions of girls. Within the U.S. alone, greater than 60 million girls of reproductive age have used contraceptives based on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, most frequently to stop being pregnant but additionally to handle situations resembling endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and irregular cycles.
And as many ladies will attest, these medication can have an effect on greater than the physique. Temper adjustments, weight fluctuations and emotional ups and downs are widespread tales girls share. However a brand new Rice College examine finds the results could also be extra complicated—and in some methods, stunning.
The examine, “Emotion regulation strategies differentially impact memory in hormonal contraceptive users,” printed in Hormones and Habits, reveals that hormonal contraceptives seem to form how girls expertise feelings within the second and the way they keep in mind emotional occasions later.
“For women, the findings highlight what many have long suspected: Birth control can affect more than reproductive health,” mentioned Beatriz Brandao, a graduate scholar in Rice’s Division of Psychological Sciences and lead creator of the examine. “Hormonal birth control does more than prevent pregnancy—it also influences brain areas involved in emotions and memory, which are central to mental health.”
Researchers in contrast girls utilizing hormonal contraceptives with girls who have been naturally biking. Members seen constructive, unfavourable and impartial pictures whereas making use of totally different emotion regulation methods, resembling distancing, reinterpretation or immersion, and later accomplished a reminiscence check.
Girls on hormonal contraceptives confirmed stronger emotional reactions in comparison with naturally biking girls. Once they used methods like distancing or reinterpretation, they remembered fewer particulars of unfavourable occasions, although their common reminiscence remained intact.
In different phrases, they may recall the general occasion however not the entire specifics. That hole may very well be useful, permitting girls to maneuver on as an alternative of replaying disagreeable particulars. Methods like immersion boosted reminiscence for constructive pictures in each teams, making blissful moments stick extra clearly.
The findings add weight to a query many ladies have had however few research have answered: How does contraception have an effect on not simply the physique however the thoughts? Emotion regulation and reminiscence are tied to psychological well being outcomes resembling melancholy, and this analysis suggests hormonal contraceptives might affect these processes in refined however significant methods.
“We were surprised to find that when women on hormonal birth control used strategies like distancing or reinterpretation, they remembered fewer details of negative events,” Brandao mentioned. “That reduced memory for unpleasant experiences may actually be protective.”
“These results are novel and shed light on how hormonal contraceptives may influence emotion and memory processes in important ways,” mentioned Bryan Denny, affiliate professor of psychological sciences at Rice and co-author of the examine. “Beatriz’s work is ongoing and programmatic, allowing for continued investigation of these processes in women taking hormonal contraceptives as well as in naturally cycling women.”
“These findings are very exciting,” mentioned Stephanie Leal, adjunct assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice, assistant professor at UCLA and senior creator of the examine. “They suggest that hormonal birth control has the ability to modulate both how women can regulate their emotions as well as how that regulation may influence memory, especially toward negative experiences.”
Brandao and her collaborators plan to develop the work by finding out naturally biking girls throughout totally different menstrual phases and by evaluating varieties of hormonal contraceptives, resembling tablets versus IUDs.
“Ultimately, our goal is to understand how reproductive hormones—whether natural or synthetic—shape emotional health so that women can make more informed choices about their reproductive and mental health,” Brandao mentioned.
The examine was co-authored by Madelyn Castro, Jacob B. Buergler and Kayla R. Clark.
Extra info:
Beatriz M. Brandao et al, Emotion regulation methods differentially affect reminiscence in hormonal contraceptive customers, Hormones and Habits (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105805
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Rice College
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Thousands and thousands of girls depend on contraceptives, however a brand new examine reveals they might do extra than simply stop being pregnant (2025, August 29)
retrieved 29 August 2025
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