Women who start taking hormonal contraceptives within a year of giving birth are at 49% higher risk of developing depression than those who do not.
Results from a large Danish study published in JAMA Network Open show that the earlier the women began to use contraceptives the higher their risk for developing depression.
“Hormonal contraceptive initiation has been associated with an increased risk of developing depression,” wrote lead author Vibe Gedsø Frokjaer, a researcher based at Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, and colleagues.
However, they added that “it is unclear whether this also applies in the postpartum period, when women are already at a heightened risk of developing depression… Only a few studies have previously addressed…