- Lucy JonesA top psychologist found that the contraceptive pill can significantly affect a woman’s brain and change their personality, she claims.
Dr Sarah Hill revealed that it affects “sex, attraction, stress, hunger, eating patterns, emotion regulation, friendships, aggression, mood, learning, and so many other things”.
In particular, she said women on the Pill are attracted to less masculine men and are less interested in sex.
That’s because the hormone progesterone, which sends a message to the body that ovulation is not required, is dominant throughout your cycle.
Dr Hill told the Daily Mail: “When you’re on the Pill, progesterone dominates the entire cycle.
“And rather than experiencing an increased preference for sexy men at high fertility like naturally cycling women do, Pill-taking women exhibit an unwavering preference for men with less masculine faces and voices.
“This is the sort preferred by naturally cycling women during the second half of their cycles, when progesterone is high.”
Less interested in sex
Several studies have supported this – with one led by Craig Roberts at the University of Stirling revealing that those not taking the Pill when they met their partners generally found their other halves sexier.
On the other hand, those who had met their partner while they were on the Pill didn’t have as good sex lives.
Despite this, women who chose their partners when they were on the Pill were more satisfied with their partners’ financial providing and intelligence than the women who chose their partners when they were off it.
And women who chose partners when they were on the Pill were significantly less likely to divorce than women who chose their partners when off it.
Dr Hill added: “It seems a natural cycle makes a woman more attuned to sexiness thanks to oestrogen levels, but progesterone dominance in Pill-taking women emphasises qualities that would have helped to keep them safe and secure when preparing for pregnancy.”
More desirable to men
On top of this, the Pill makes your brain “less interested in sex” and can “dial down your sexual motivation”.
This may have an impact on how attractive a woman may look.
Dr Hill revealed that women not on the Pill are more open to “new experiences” and put more effort into their appearance as they’re at a high fertility.
She said: “When women are coming into their fertile period, hormones do their utmost to make them attractive to a mate.
“Women at high fertility also wear more make-up, wear sexier clothes, and wear more red, a colour known to make women appear particularly attractive and desirable to men.”
One unconventional study, taken out by the University of New Mexico, even revealed that dancers at a strip club earned more money when they were not on the Pill in comparison to those that were.
Dancers not on the Pill earned an average of £56 per hour, whereas those on the Pill averaged around £30 per hour.
Numbs emotions
It comes after a recent study found that the Pill “numbs a woman’s emotions” and “harms relationships”.
It revealed that while women on the Pill can tell if someone else is happy or scared, they’re 10 per cent less likely to pick up on pride or contempt.
Dr Alexander Lischke, from the University of Greifswald in Germany, said: “More than 100 million women worldwide use oral contraceptives but remarkably little is known about their effects on emotion, cognition and behaviour.
“Findings suggest oral contraceptives impair the ability to recognise emotional expressions of others, which could affect the way users initiate and maintain intimate relationships.”
Other side effects…
Earlier this year, experts warned that one million women could be taking the wrong contraceptive pill – and could be suffering nasty side effects in silence.
Common side effects of the contraceptive pill include:
- nausea
- headaches and migraine
- weight gain
- mood changes
- loss of libido
- missed periods
- vaginal discharge
- breast tenderness
- spotting between periods
Doctors estimate three million women are plagued by nasty side effects of their contraception.
Yet a third have never raised the issue with their GP, meaning they are likely suffering in silence unaware there could be a solution.
Earlier this month, a nurse claimed that the Pill triggered two strokes in one week.
Hannah McGrath, 23, revealed she felt a sudden burst of pain explode in the back of her head while in the kitchen and the room started to spinning.
Woman who suffered from hormonal mood swings on The Pill launches website inviting women to review their contraception methods
