The Association of Hormonal Contraception with Depression

Derickson, Pamela

Item

The Association of Hormonal Contraception with Depression

Derickson, Pamela

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

Hormonal contraceptives are widely used by women during their reproductive years. Currently, over 100 million women worldwide use the pill, and 82% of sexually active women in the USA will use oral contraceptive pills at some time during their reproductive years (Carrol, 2017). Oral contraceptive use, especially among adolescents, is associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression may be a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use (Skovlund, 2016). This project focused on educating health care providers at the Community Health Center of Burlington, VT (CHCB) about the association of depression and oral contraceptives. The data was presented to physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, and pharmacists at CHCB, and subsequent providers were interviewed for more specific reactions to the data.