A pair of Austrian scientists, Belinda Pletzer and Hubert Kerschbaum have published a provocative article in Frontiers of Neuroscience, asking for more research on the effects of hormonal birth control on the brain. Of particular interest are the social and behavioral effects of these hormones when used in younger patients whose brains are still undergoing major development and maturation.
The authors review some studies of feminizing or masculinizing hormone effects upon mood, verbal skills, spatial reasoning, behavior and mate selection, which collectively could have profound effects on social structures in the long term. They suggest that any behavioral studies be controlled for the use of hormones by study subjects. Changes in brain structure caused by the various types of estrogens and progestins used as birth control, vary with the the degree of androgenicity or estrogenicity, and with duration of usage. Changes in brain development in younger BC users may be more profound, with some expected to be irreversible.
Check the article out HERE.
