The use of contraceptives is already part of the routine of many women. Worldwide, more than 100 million use this type of oral contraceptive. The practice is an option for those who want safety and control of pregnancy.
In addition, the pill can also help with other problems in the female body, among them are the improvement of the skin, reduction of menstrual cramps and symptoms of PMS.
However, research in Germany and published in Frontiers in Neuroscience revealed that contraceptives can influence the way a woman interprets other people’s facial expressions , making it difficult to recognize some complex feelings or emotions, such as contempt and pride, for example.
For the study, the researchers gathered 95 women – all of them healthy – and separated them into two groups: those who took contraceptives (42) and those who did not use the pill (53).
The objective was to compare the results of these women from different groups through a test that allowed the participants to answer which emotions were present on the face or in the eyes of the images represented on the device.
The results obtained showed a small change in the performance of these women. Those who took contraceptives proved to be 10% less accurate in facial recognition than others who did not use the medication.
Influence of hormones
This loss in the recognition of emotions happens because contraceptives work by decreasing the levels of estrogen and progesterone , both hormones of the ovary.
Consequently, the change in the levels of these hormones can cause slight damage to certain regions of the brain, as observed in the study.
