Billionaire Elon Musk highlighted the potential link between hormonal birth control usage and increased risks of depression and suicide, underscoring the importance of prioritizing women’s health.
Noting that it’s “not a value statement” but “a public service announcement” the SpaceX founder said that “other forms of birth control do not have these effects.”
He posted the comments while sharing the X post of US television commentator and author Ashley St. Clair. “I’ve never been on anti-birth control, it can be a life-changing medication for some. However, it does have serious side effects including increased risk of depression and suicide,” she wrote in the post.
Concerns Raised Over Medical Approach to Hormonal Birth Control Side Effects
“When women talk to their doctors about these symptoms, doctors never suggest getting off of the pill or trying alternative, non-hormonal birth control. They typically just prescribe an additional psychiatric medication, put women on a pharmaceutical cocktail,” she added.
Hormonal contraceptive methods majorly include oral pills or implants, patches or vaginal rings, which release small amounts of one or more hormones to prevent ovulation. Other methods of contraception include intrauterine devices (IUDs) devices, and condoms.
Several studies have pointed out the risk of depression with hormonal birth control, however, proper research is still lacking. The studies have stressed the role of care providers in making women aware of the potential risk of depression as a side-effect of the medicine.
Reference:
- Hormonal contraception and suicide – (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6193788/)
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