Hormonal birth control is used by millions of women throughout the United States – not only to prevent pregnancy, but also to manage conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and irregular menstrual cycles. In addition to the effect these drugs take on the body, a new study led by scholars at Rice University has found that hormonal contraceptives also shape how women experience and remember their emotions.
For their study, the authors recruited a sample of 179 women between the ages of 18 and 35, with approximately half taking hormonal contraceptives and the other half naturally cycling. The participants viewed positive, negative, and neutral images and were asked to apply different emotion regulation strategies, such as distancing from or reinterpreting negative images and immersing in positive images.
Women on hormonal birth control demonstrated stronger emotional reactions compared to naturally cycling women. However, when they used the distancing or reinterpretation strategies, they remembered less details about the negative images than naturally cycling women, but maintained their general memory of the event. The authors theorize this phenomenon could be helpful, allowing women to move on from negative experiences instead of ruminating on the details. Notably, the immersion strategy boosted the memory of positive images for all participants.
Going forward, the study authors believe their findings highlight the importance of including emotional regulation and memory outcomes in future hormonal drug research, as well as integrating cognitive considerations when prescribing and managing hormonal birth control.