Survey study, 1991
Do birth control pills affect mood during the menstrual cycle?
Yes. Women taking birth control pills reported more positive feelings than those not taking them, with positive feelings higher than negative feelings throughout the cycle for both groups.
What they did
50 women completed a daily mood questionnaire during their menstrual cycle. Researchers compared those taking birth control pills to those not taking them.
What they found
Birth control users had significantly higher positive affect throughout the cycle. Positive affect was significantly higher than negative affect during menstruation, follicular and luteal phases in both groups. Neither group showed phasic changes in negative affect.
What it means for you
Birth control pills may boost positive mood during your cycle. However, this was a small study of one cycle, so we cannot conclude the pills cause this effect. The comparison between groups was not clearly described.
50
women
About the study
- Original title
- Mood changes during the menstrual cycle and their relation to the use of oral contraceptive
- Authors
- Almagor M, Ben-Porath YS
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 50
- What was tested
- Oral contraceptive use
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(91)90123-6
Topics
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