Why do healthcare professionals still insist that birth control has no effect on your mood even though millions of women say otherwise?

[blondiecurly]

I (25F) went to consult with a healthcare professional to get a new birth control prescription since the previous one I was on triggered feelings of anxiety and depression. When I explained this, the healthcare professional proceeded to tell me that he had never heard of birth control affecting mood and he suggested that I seek separate help for my mental health. I actually had to strongly insist for him to prescribe me a pill with a lower estrogen dosage. While I’m not sure it will solve the problem, I figured it’s worth a try.
The issue is how dismissive he was about my complaint. I like to think that I know myself very well and I can say with 100% certainty that I felt different while I was on the pill and for about a month after I stopped. I’ve been off of it for 3 months now and I feel perfectly fine. And I’m not the only one…I’ve read so many birth control pill reviews online with women insisting that certain pills triggered some mental health issues. However at the same time, I’ve read articles saying that this is all a myth. So what is the truth?

Had never suffered with low mood until 3rd year at university and swapped to a different, much higher progesterone brand of the Pill. Within 2 weeks of taking it I felt totally numbed and incredibly low - like I was permanently living behind a thick, grey glass wall. Struggled on for a year, saw 3 different GPs who all refused to acknowledge it might be the Pill. Moved home after graduation and new GP said she'd heard a lot of negative reports about the brand I was taking - so she changed my Pill and within 2 weeks I was my usual sunny natured self again.

Fast forward 25 years my periods started to go a bit haywire, and also suddenly the same awful numbed depression. Every GP I saw refused to concede my mood could be related to the peri-menopause because I was still having periods. I ended up signed off work and visited by the Crisis Team - none of them would acknowledge that hormones could affect mood.

It was only when I saw a Consultant Gynaecologist who specialised in hormones/PND/menopause that everything became clear and he diagnosed me correctly. Within 6 weeks I was cured.

The only reason there’s not a male birth control pill is because during trials the poor wee menz couldn’t handle the exact same side effects women put up with every day due to the pill.

Link for reference
And another

That was all over the news when I was very reluctantly talked into the pill - I'd been very firm no with pushed coil.

We'd just moved to new and life was on a huge up after years of problems - everything as great and with days of starting pill I was suddenly struggling to leave house as I was so anxious - but it absolutely couldn't be that - it stopped when I stopped the pill. They wouldn't even change the one prescribed in case a different version suited me better.

I'd had previous issues - time before I had very bad almost month long pmt symptoms at every busy time of my life they kept saying it wasn't pill and I need to take it same time every day which I was down to minute - and it would settle it didn't I move and couldn't get GP so prescription lapsed and we used other methods and went back to feeling normal though with very heavy periods I had to cope with.

Pill was frequently suggested and pushed as pre kids I had very heavy periods. My experience was multiple GP male/female incredibly dismissed of heavy periods and mention Tranexamic acid then decide on pill - and subsequent problems with pill dismissed.

We've manged to use condoms without accidents for decades - but apparently this is impossible according to HCP.

Ah yes the pill doesn't cause mood changes or weight gain, the Mirena coil did not make my acne worse and my rosacea 'looks a bit like sunburn really' 🙄

I'd have tried the the Mirena coil if I'd have had faith they'd remove it if it didn't suit me.

I knew mix of people it worked well for - several pg women with it just statistical bad luck - and some who gone through hell to get it removed.

But my experience with heavy periods being dismissed and pill side affects being dismissed - I just didn't believe if it didn't suit me that I could get rid easily -and some of the "information" in hard sell I was given wasn't correct which made me even more skeptical.

I had a huge argument with my GP about this. She was absolutely adamant that I should try the mirena for my heavy periods and refused to acknowledge the awful effect the mini pill had on my moods. Similar to a PP I had no faith in it being removed if I had problems so refused to even try.

That's crazy. I thought it's known for a fact that they do affect our moods. I was on bcp in my 20s and due to moving countries I had to switch brands and doctors always worked with me to find one that suited.

I had zero libido after a month on the pill. It came back when I went off. If I didn't know better it could've wrecked a new relationship.

It didn’t make me sad/anxious/angry, but every other bad side effect I’ve had from hormonal BC has got waved aside. Especially fun when you need to go and beg them to take you off or.

“I want this implant out now, it’s killed my sex drive and means I’m bleeding 90% of the time.”
”Well we DO usually tell women to give it a year to settle down before we’d talk about removal…”

It definitely effected both my mood and appetite. I was both tearful for absolutely nothing and constantly ravenous. The GP insisted it was me and not the pill. I lasted 6 months on the pill then switched to the coil. I was back to normal mood and weight after a couple of months. This was decades ago and women are still being gaslighted.

You literally just pull the strings and it comes out

Medical gaslighting

He needs to go back to medical school.

‘Never heard of hormones affecting mood’?! What other absolute basics does he not know.

You literally just pull the strings and it comes out

There can be risks attached to taking it out yourself and there's not infrequent complications where it won't come out - the NHS classes it as a medical procedure as warns against self removal - though I know few women who had it fall out - so I expect more than a few desperate women have manged self removal okay and I knew DIY removal option as seen people suggest it on here.

I could also probably fight the GP practise as well and have a prolonged battle to get removed if they were difficult - again I 've seen posters on here who have done this.

Or I could avoid the problem entirely and not have one put in - especially as benefits didn't seem that certain or great to me.

I was saying I was open to persuasion but added complications/fight to get removed if it didn't suit me- made it even less appealing option.

The only women HCP listen to are men who say they're women, or women who say they're men. Then you'll get whatever treatment you want.

It's not just HCPs though - you see posts on here where it says that "you shouldn't use your hormones as an excuse".

I prefer "you should understand how your hormones are affecting you and try to react accordingly".

I know that with PMT, my confidence in my self-employment is crap, and I just have to ride it out and not listen to what PMT is making me feel.

Yes, this. It usually is the progestogen that lowers mood. It lowers serotonin levels. Lowerserotonin levels can lead to lower moods etc

I agree, it's ridiculous. Everyone is quick to blame hormones for mood swings etc but when we artificially add them to our bodies, they have no effect?

The first time I used hormonal contraception I went back for my check-up after 3 months and explained that I had been feeling very low and not myself; my boyfriend at the time had actually suggested maybe it was the pill as my moods were all over the place. The doctor said that it was because I'd had an abortion (I'd gone on the pill immediately afterwards). I said no, I was actually fine about that, I didn't have any regrets etc. He insisted that was why I felt the way I did.

I didn't bother arguing, I just lied and said I'd been spotting so he would prescribe me something else. I tried a different pill and it was a dream, I was on it for about 15 years apart from when trying for children/pregnant.

Doctors (including some female docs) need to accept that women know their own bodies. If we feel there's an issue, it's worth investigating.

It's the same with medical professionals dismissing period pain, birth injuries etc. It would never happen if these things affected men.

They've been badly trained. I was on a contraception update course the other day and we discussed mood changes as one of the side effects of hormonal contraception, including which alternatives to offer if women are suffering with this. I would complain (and I say that as a HCP myself), there's no excuse for such poor care.

Yeah sexism, I hate progesterone only, I get quite depressed. Combined pill I feel more myself (swear to god oestrogen is a happy hormone).

A female GP at my local surgery on e told me that PMT was a myth and that I probably had depression. She was a former OB-GYN

I couldn't tolerate the 'mini pill' (made me want to cry under my desk all day!) and didn't get on with the combined ones I tried either, but mood wise I was fine with the Mirena. I took mine out for other reasons. It caused ovarian cysts that were really painful and gynaecologist refused to consider it may be the cause, funny how I never got the pain again after I took it out (myself).
I would not hesitate to recommend it though, as I was just unlucky (around 12% will get cysts on it but most aren't symptomatic). It was great in terms of lighter periods, less period pain and much reduced PMT. I'm actually considering trying it again!

simple: sexism.

All so true, I had the contraceptive injection once and I swear to go it turned me into a complete crazy person.

The I tried a pill, which made me put on weight, when I spoke to my GP I was adamantly told, no it doesn’t make you put on weight but it can increase your appetite 🙄 ffs well yeah that’s kind of the same thing isn’t it?!