Here's How Birth Control Actually Affects Your Mood

    Can the pill really make you crazy/anxious/bitchy/depressed? We spoke with two experts to find out more about this link.

    Everyone knows someone who swears that birth control made them depressed, anxious, crazy, jealous, or just a general monster.

    Overall, there is not strong evidence that birth control causes mood changes or mental health disorders.

    But these studies all come with limitations, and it's possible that they're not telling the whole story.

    What the research does tell us is that for the vast majority of people, hormonal birth control is well tolerated and does not influence your mood.

    But we also know that some people report negative mood changes, depressive symptoms, or mood swings while taking hormonal birth control, and they seem to get better when they stop taking it or switch to another method.

    So how might hormonal birth control affect your mood or mental health?

    Or it might have to do with something going on in your brain.

    ALL THAT SAID, if you are experiencing new mood changes or mental health disturbances while taking hormonal birth control, talk to your doctor.