Case-control study, 2026
Are women with PMS history more likely to experience side-effects from birth control pills?
Women with a history of PMS were 2.5 times more likely to stop the birth control pill due to side-effects, and those with anxiety or mood disorders were also at higher risk. Mood disorders were the most common reported side-effect.
What they did
A case-control study of 1133 people in the UK who used hormonal contraception in the past 10 years. Researchers compared those who stopped due to side-effects (796 people) with those who had no side-effects (337 people).
What they found
Having PMS symptoms before using contraception was associated with 2.5 times higher odds of stopping the combined oral pill and 2.3 times higher odds for the minipill. Pre-existing anxiety or mood disorders also increased the risk of stopping the pill due to side-effects. Hormonal IUD users with a history of PMS did not show this increased risk.
What it means for you
If you have a history of PMS or mood symptoms, you may be more likely to experience side-effects from hormonal birth control, especially mood-related ones. Extra counselling and support might help. The study only looked at UK users, so results may differ in other countries.
1133
Total participants
2.5
Times higher odds for combined oral pill with prior PMS
2.3
Times higher odds for minipill with prior PMS
About the study
- Original title
- Patterns of contraceptive side-effect variation: Assessing medical and lifestyle factors associated with side-effects among those using hormonal contraception in the United Kingdom
- Authors
- Stevens R, Ochi T, Wojcik J et al.
- Journal
- European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 1,133
- What was tested
- Hormonal contraceptive use (combined oral pill, minipill, hormonal IUD)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2026.115125
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