Women who pop the Pill are less likely to suffer depression

London:  Women who take the most widely prescribed type of contraceptive pill are less likely to suffer depression, a new study has claimed. In the study published by Journal of Affective Disorders, psychiatrists from universities in Australia and Norway, including Melbourne and Bergen, looked at Pill use and the prevalence of mood disorder in women aged 20 to 50, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported. [caption id=“attachment_407741” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The research shows those taking the combined Pill – which contains the hormones oestrogen and progestogen (of which progesterone is the most commonly known form) – were two-thirds less likely to develop a mood disorder. However, those using progestogen-only contraceptive pills were three times more likely to have a mental illness than women who were not on any medication. The researchers who carried out the study say that doctors should use caution in prescribing progestogen-only pills because of these potential side effects. Progestogen is known to act on the brain chemical glutamate, and research has shown that higher than usual levels of the chemical are found in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder and major depression. PTI