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Part of the brain in women taking oral contraceptives appears to be smaller than in women not taking the drug, a new study suggests.
Data presented to the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago on Wednesday show women on birth control pills have “significantly smaller” hypothalamus volume.
The hypothalamus – which is located at the base of the brain, above the pituitary gland – produces hormones and helps regulate essential bodily functions.
Among those functions are body temperature, mood, appetite, sex drive, sleep cycles and heart rate.
"There is a lack of research on the effects of oral contraceptives on this small but essential part of the living human brain," said Michael L Lipton, professor of radiology at the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
"We validated methods for assessing the volume of the hypothalamus and confirm, for the first time, that current oral contraceptive pill usage is associated with smaller hypothalamic volume."
Dr Lipton’s study was based on a group of 50 healthy women, 21 of whom were on oral contraceptives.
All 50 of the women were given MRI exams.
"We found a dramatic difference in the size of the brain structures between women who were taking oral contraceptives and those who were not," he said.
"This initial study shows a strong association and should motivate further investigation into the effects of oral contraceptives on brain structure and their potential impact on brain function."
Preliminary findings from the research include that hypothalamic volume was associated with greater anger and depressive symptoms.
Crucially, however, the study found no significant correlation between hypothalamic volume and cognitive ability.
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