Khaberni - A recent study has shown that oral contraceptives may cause long-term changes in how the brain interacts with safe situations, and enhance what is called "contextual fear".
The study included 147 healthy women, including menstruating women, and those still using oral contraceptives. The participants underwent examinations during which researchers studied brain function, activity, and response to various events.
Main outcomes:
Both current and former users of oral contraceptives showed higher fear responses in a safe environment compared to women who had not used these medications.
The effect was more pronounced among women who used medications containing a high dose of the hormone ethinyl estradiol.
Neuroimaging revealed that stronger fear responses were accompanied by decreased activity in the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex, which are areas in the brain responsible for recognizing context and suppressing anxiety.
Researchers believe that the hormones in oral contraceptives may disrupt the brain's ability to detect “safety signals” in the surrounding environment, and the effects of these medications persist even after discontinuing them. They believe that these findings provide explanations for why anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are more prevalent among women than men.
