The pill shrinks the part of the brain that controls your sex drive, according to new research.
Top scientists found that women taking the contraceptive pill have a significantly smaller hypothalamus — a brain region responsible for regulating hormones.
Damage to the hypothalamus can wreak havoc with a woman’s sex drive, mood, appetite, heart rate and sleep cycles.
The shocking revelation comes following a study, presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, that examined 50 women, 21 of whom were using the pill.
All 50 women underwent a brain scan, and doctors measured the size of the hypothalamus of each participant.
Doctors were stunned to discover the difference in brain structures in women taking the pill compared to those who weren’t.
Dr. Michael Lipton, professor of radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said: “We found a dramatic difference in the size of the brain structures between women who were taking oral contraceptives and those who were not. 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.”
Lipton also found a strong correlation between smaller hypothalamic volume and greater anger and depressive symptoms.
Despite this, he said that this finding was “preliminary.” This is the first time structural effects of sex hormones, including oral contraceptive pills, on the human hypothalamus have been reported, according to the researchers.
It comes after it was revealed that the pill can dictate whom you fall in love with and significantly lower your sex drive.
Top psychologist Dr. Sarah Hill revealed that it affects “sex, attraction, stress, hunger, eating patterns, emotion regulation, friendships, aggression, mood, learning, and so many other things.”
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.
She said: “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.”
Earlier this year, experts warned that 1 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 3 million women are plagued by nasty side effects of their contraception.
Yet a third have never raised the issue with their doctor, meaning they are likely unaware there could be a solution.
Earlier this year, a nurse claimed that the pill triggered two strokes in one week.
Hannah McGrath, 23, revealed she felt a sudden burst of pain in the back of her head while in the kitchen and the room started to spin.
