If you are reading this response, maybe you or someone you love also feels depressed like Elena. Many women of childbearing age have depressive symptoms such as sudden mood swings, irritability, nervousness, excitability and anxiety, many of which can worsen during menstruation. The interaction that sex hormones have with the central nervous system (CNS) has been known for a long time; the appearance of these symptoms while taking the classic pill or other combined hormonal contraceptives (CHC) may be a reason for discontinuing treatment. Nevertheless, according to the supporting scientific literature, there is no evidence that the use of CHCs increases these symptoms in women with depression compared to their level of appearance prior to intake, or compared to depressed women who don’t use the pill or other combined hormonal contraceptives. In fact, in some women, the use of CHCs resulted in a reduction in depressive symptoms compared with the situation prior to intake.
