The Pill: Is It Messing Up Our Brain and Body?
6Description
For decades, taking the birth control pill to prevent pregnancy was seen as a no-brainer. But lately, people are saying that it’s actually a brain-changer. They say that the pill can affect who you’re attracted to, that it can tank your libido, and that it can make you depressed. Instead, some influencers are telling us to try an amazing, hormone-free method — where all you have to do is listen to your body. So … are they right?? We’re tackling these birth control claims and more, with psychologist Dr. Julia Stern, biologist Madita Zetzsche, neuroscientist Dr. Caitlin Taylor, and ob-gyn Dr. Jasmine Patel.
This episode does mention depression. Here are some crisis hotlines:
United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Dial 988 (Online chat available); US Crisis Text Line Text “HOME” to 741741
Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available)
Canada: Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (See link for phone numbers listed by province)
United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI)
Full list of international hotlines here
Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsThePill
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00 ) The Pill Under Fire
(04:08 ) Does The Pill change who you’re attracted to?
(13:00 ) Could The Pill turn off your ovulation scent?
(18:59 ) How bad is The Pill for our sex drive and mental health?
(21:10 ) Does The Pill really change your brain?
(24:40 ) Does The Pill make you gain weight?
(26:16 ) So how dangerous is The Pill — really?
(27:10 ) Fertility Awareness Methods — are they too good to be true??
(31:32 ) Can pre-cum get you pregnant?
Credits:
This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Wendy Zukerman, along with Michelle Dang, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, and Meryl Horn. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Recording assistance from Emile B Klein. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, and Emma Munger. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke with for this episode, including Dr. Adriene Beltz, Prof. Alison Edelman, Dr. Emily Pfender, Prof. Jayashri Kulkarni, Dr. Jill Krapf, Dr. Rachel Urrutia, and Dr. Therese Johansson. Special thanks to Miah Foster.
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United States
Why even let that man speak on this at all, especially on this podcast. Why would anyone listen to him?
It might just be me, but couldn't societal Pressures cause all of the issues that they're studying in the pill. Instead of looking at a specific medication that is causing this wide range of symptom should we not be looking at the over sexualization of women on social media? Instead. Of blaming a medicine for divorce rates.Could we not look at the way that medicine has affected society in allowing females to have more options?
The jokes and word games in this episide are 💯 I feel as if the science & especially the reporting on it- not so much.. It's so much easier to mess up the awarness method than the pill, and anybody smoking while taking the pill bounces wayyyyyyy up on the clot danger scale! Or am I wrong?