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Drugs can react differently in people. Well known.
Risk factors that "increase" and the percentages associated with them are misleading. I'll give you an example. Let us say that having a pet makes you 300% more likely to have, I don't know, allergies. You could put that in a headline and scare people. Especially if it was about heart disease or something taboo like sex or birth control.
Now if you broke the numbers down you could see more detail. Let us say the risk factor was actually .1 % but with a dog is goes to .3%. OMG a 300% increase that means jack crap.
In addition trying to claim causation when the study specifically says there was none is dishonest.
Depression could also be caused by the reason contraception is needed in the first place; long term relationship, casual sex, prostitution, severe acne, mood swings, endometriosis, etc.
There are some advocates for only one method of birth-control, which is total abstinence. But even that is not 100% effective, because of something called "External Insemination". If sperm come anywhere near a woman's external opening, pregnancy is possible. Those little swimmers are very good at what they do. They have an acute and directional sense of smell. They can follow the scent of a ripe ovum through the entire pathway. They don't just thrash around randomly. If there's any moisture around the outside, they can swim through it, to the entryway.
There is also a little-explored phenomena of sperm inactivation and storage inside a woman's reproductive tract. This occurs in many species of animals and birds. Some people think it also happens with us, although not much proof exists yet. But it would explain some surprise pregnancies.
Before delivery, sperm are inactive, so they won't use up their energy prior to that time. Then, as they are ejected, an activating enzyme is added, that sends them on their way. Inside a female, another enzyme inactivates and preserves the energy of some of them until later. Then, at the right time, a different enzyme re-activates them and fertilization sometime after sexual contact can take place. Women should know about the possibility of these things and take precautions to prevent them, if they have intimate contact with men, even though penetration does not take place.
I am not really qualified to say anything about the medical side of the birth control pill/depression thing but if a young girl appears to be having coincident depression while taking birth control pills ... the first thing I might do is to examine her diet to be sure she is not getting too many phytoestrogens along with the dose that she might be getting in the pills. If you can get her to remove all soy based/containing foods as a start that could help determine if added estrogen is an issue for her. Almost all processed foods these days seem to contain soy in one form or another unfortunately .. so a teenager may not be happy being told that she should not eat what her favorite snacks might be ... but I think it is worth a try. IF the child feels better, even minimally, after trying that for a few weeks, perhaps the doctor can help by adjusting the pill balance as well.
I didn't take or need birth control till I was married (but, I admit I married young) and my daughter didn't take birth control pills as a teenager either so I don't have relevant .. I or my child .. experience but I do know a bit about the effects of phytoestrogens on hormones because I am hypothyroid and probably was (just undiagnosed) back as far as when I was a teenager. If you haven't had a depressed teen girl tested for thyroid levels . that may also be one thing to do (although many doctors won't diagnose if someone is anywhere near the range end .. and too many still seem to want to use the old range as well - but again, a baseline isn't a bad idea for future reference - sometimes hypothyroidism takes a while to kick in .. and levels can either slowly decrease or can fluctuate .. which would cause mood swings or even depression).
Teens have many reasons to become depressed aside from hormonal changes. As long as the combined pill, progestin-only pills and IUDs are around, you will see women react in vastly different ways to these hormonal shifts. Unfortunately (to some), these are the most reliable birth control methods. I personally would prefer a method that was 99.3% effective, with perfect use, that is non-hormonal, but that just does not seem to be the case. Currently the best way to get around it is to try different pills until you find one that has the least effect on the mood. Some women never do find that.
Are you being sarcastic? That does exist, it's the copper IUD. Very cost effective too, at least in my country.
I am not really qualified to say anything about the medical side of the birth control pill/depression thing but if a young girl appears to be having coincident depression while taking birth control pills ... the first thing I might do is to examine her diet to be sure she is not getting too many phytoestrogens along with the dose that she might be getting in the pills. If you can get her to remove all soy based/containing foods as a start that could help determine if added estrogen is an issue for her. Almost all processed foods these days seem to contain soy in one form or another unfortunately .. so a teenager may not be happy being told that she should not eat what her favorite snacks might be ... but I think it is worth a try. IF the child feels better, even minimally, after trying that for a few weeks, perhaps the doctor can help by adjusting the pill balance as well.
I didn't take or need birth control till I was married (but, I admit I married young) and my daughter didn't take birth control pills as a teenager either so I don't have relevant .. I or my child .. experience but I do know a bit about the effects of phytoestrogens on hormones because I am hypothyroid and probably was (just undiagnosed) back as far as when I was a teenager. If you haven't had a depressed teen girl tested for thyroid levels . that may also be one thing to do (although many doctors won't diagnose if someone is anywhere near the range end .. and too many still seem to want to use the old range as well - but again, a baseline isn't a bad idea for future reference - sometimes hypothyroidism takes a while to kick in .. and levels can either slowly decrease or can fluctuate .. which would cause mood swings or even depression).
Those soybeans can be a problem and it is very hard to avoid them. Did you know that water-packed tuna contains a broth that is based on soybeans? Very few brands will specifically list soy as an ingredient, but most call it "vegetable broth".
I've seen many people advocate for getting teens on the pill and I saw this article today. I'm pretty suspicious of hormonal contraceptives anyway, because I have known too many women have mental health issues that resolved when removing them. Good food for thought in the article anyway...
"The big concern here is for teenagers taking hormonal contraceptives, with the pill increasing their depression risk by 80 percent, and all other forms of hormonal contraceptives, such as the mini-pill and IUDs, doubling or tripling the risk of depression within that age group."
I have known the pill could cause depression for almost 20 years. When I was in my early twenties I went on it, and almost immediately became extremely depressed. I'd never felt anything like it. I didn't have anything to be depressed about, I just felt that way. I could barely move and barely get out of bed. It corresponded to taking the pill exactly. I asked the doctor if it could be related, and they said no. Several of them. After a year and a suicide attempt, I finally stopped taking the damn things, and within a couple of months I began to feel normal again, like I had before. All the doctors insisted it couldn't be the pill - I am absolutely sure it was.
There are some advocates for only one method of birth-control, which is total abstinence. But even that is not 100% effective, because of something called "External Insemination". If sperm come anywhere near a woman's external opening, pregnancy is possible. Those little swimmers are very good at what they do. They have an acute and directional sense of smell. They can follow the scent of a ripe ovum through the entire pathway. They don't just thrash around randomly. If there's any moisture around the outside, they can swim through it, to the entryway.
There is also a little-explored phenomena of sperm inactivation and storage inside a woman's reproductive tract. This occurs in many species of animals and birds. Some people think it also happens with us, although not much proof exists yet. But it would explain some surprise pregnancies.
Before delivery, sperm are inactive, so they won't use up their energy prior to that time. Then, as they are ejected, an activating enzyme is added, that sends them on their way. Inside a female, another enzyme inactivates and preserves the energy of some of them until later. Then, at the right time, a different enzyme re-activates them and fertilization sometime after sexual contact can take place. Women should know about the possibility of these things and take precautions to prevent them, if they have intimate contact with men, even though penetration does not take place.
Steve. Total abstinence is 100% effective. What you are describing is NOT total abstinence. And, NO, a woman will not get pregnant if she takes a bath in the same tub, or uses the same toilet that a male family member has used earlier that day! These accounts are never scientifically verified. They are the sole province of scandalized "virgins" hard put to explain a pregnancy.
I have known the pill could cause depression for almost 20 years. When I was in my early twenties I went on it, and almost immediately became extremely depressed. I'd never felt anything like it. I didn't have anything to be depressed about, I just felt that way. I could barely move and barely get out of bed. It corresponded to taking the pill exactly. I asked the doctor if it could be related, and they said no. Several of them. After a year and a suicide attempt, I finally stopped taking the damn things, and within a couple of months I began to feel normal again, like I had before. All the doctors insisted it couldn't be the pill - I am absolutely sure it was.
THIS. I had a similar experience. I started one pill and the reaction was almost immediate. I would cry hysterically for almost no reason. Then I got to the point where I didn't want to leave the house. I thought about the changes I'd made in my life and that was the only one, so I went off after 5 weeks. My mood started to improve (and there were some other extremely stressful things going on in my life at the time) immediately.
I think the main difference between us and a teen is that adults have the ability to go to the doctor on their own and can better reflect on what is causing the depression. I've known others who have had similar complaints as well.
Hormonal birth control is a Godsend for some women- I use it mostly for other reasons because I need the hormone regulation. It's much better than 10 days of a migraine, heavy bleeding, and 5 days of cramping every month.
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