Psychological, Social, and Spiritual Effects of Contraceptive Steroid Hormones

Abstract

Governments and society have accepted and enthusiastically promoted contraception, especially contraceptive steroid hormones, as the means of assuring optimal timing and number of births, an undoubted health benefit, but they seldom advert to their limitations and side effects. This article reviews the literature on the psychological, social, and spiritual impact of contraceptive steroid use. While the widespread use of contraceptive steroid hormones has expanded life style and career choices for many women, their impact on the women's well-being, emotions, social relationships, and spirituality is seldom mentioned by advocates, and negative effects are often downplayed. When mentioned at all, depression and hypoactive sexual desire are usually treated symptomatically rather than discontinuing their most frequent pharmacological cause, the contraceptive. The rising incidence of premarital sex and cohabitation and decreased marriage rates parallel the use of contraceptive steroids as does decreased church attendance and/or reduced acceptance of Church teaching among Catholics.Lay summary: While there is wide, societal acceptance of hormonal contraceptives to space births, their physical side effects are often downplayed and their impact on emotions and life styles are largely unexamined. Coincidental to the use of "the pill" there has been an increase in depression, low sexual desire, "hook-ups," cohabitation, delay of marriage and childbearing, and among Catholics, decreased church attendance and reduced religious practice. Fertility is not a disease. Birth spacing can be achieved by natural means, and the many undesirable effects of contraception avoided.

Steroid Hormones and Their Action in Women's Brains: The Importance of Hormonal Balance

“…In addition, the increase of serotonin release stimulated by progesterone at the level of the POA nucleus in the hypothalamus would result in a decrease of copulatory behaviors ( 136 ). Considering that the effect of progestins is similar to that of progesterone, this together with the increase of SHBG could explain the decrease in libido that has been reported with the use of OC's ( 124 , 137 ).…”

The Paradox of the Pill: Heterogeneous Effects of Oral Contraceptive Access

“…Goldin and Katz (2002) argued that while allowing professional women meaningful career prospects, the pill contributed to the phenomenon of assortative mating, in which the combination of a career and marriage became less attainable for some women. Klaus and Cortes (2015) argue the pill enabled cohabitation and marriage delay. Klaus and Cortes (2015) argue the pill enabled cohabitation and marriage delay.…”

“…Edlund and Machado (2015) present evidence that early access to the pill increased marriage and delayed fertility among affected cohorts. Klaus and Cortes (2015) argue the pill enabled cohabitation and marriage delay. These debates to some degree center around the timing of marriage.…”

Influence of Sex Steroid Hormones on the Adolescent Brain and Behavior: An Update

“…Exogenous sex hormones can also have effects at metabolic and psychic levels in adolescents and adults (Corteś and Alfaro 2014;Klaus and Corteś 2015). In the past few years, research has contributed significant evidence on the effect exerted by the active compounds of hormone-based contraceptives (ethinyl estradiol and progestins, as well as chemically related compounds) on brain excitability, and thus on the mood of the users (Gingnell et al 2013;Pluschino, Caruso, and Daino 2012).…”

“…Even though hormonal contraceptives are among the most widely studied drugs in the history of medicine, Cobey and Buunk (2012) argue that little research has focused on determining the consequences of these drugs on female psychological welfare; this has led to users and health professionals being misinformed regarding the consequences of their use. For decades, hormonal contraceptives such as oral formulations have been thought to produce psychological disorders in female users, e.g., depression, mood swings, changes in the libido, and unstable affective relationships (Klaus and Corteś 2015). This appears to be especially relevant considering that many adolescents are currently being prescribed such hormone formulations as contraceptive methods (Feldman 2006).…”