A study shows that synthetic estrogen, the primary ingredient in oral contraceptives, can increase anxiety.
The results of a murine study on the relationship between ethinylestradiol, a synthetic estrogen, and anxiety behavior were presented at the annual endocrinology conference ENDO 2024.
The main components of oral contraceptives are female hormones: estrogen and progesterone. Specifically, the estrogen used is a synthetic compound called ethinylestradiol, which was developed 60 years ago and remains widely used.
However, estrogen is known to cause a variety of side effects compared to progesterone. The most common side effects include skin changes, weight gain, depression, anxiety, nausea, and vomiting.
The researchers investigated the effects of three types of female hormone compounds: ethinylestradiol, progestin, and estradiol valerate, on anxiety behavior in 12 female mice.
Progestin is a female hormone compound with progesterone, while estradiol valerate is an estrogen naturally produced in a woman’s body.
To observe the degree of anxiety behavior exhibited by mice, researchers conducted a maze test. The test is known to induce anxiety-like behavior in mice when given a spatial memory task such as a maze.
The study revealed that mice given ethinylestradiol struggled with the spatial memory task during the maze test, unlike other mice. This indicates a heightened level of anxiety in the mice.
Furthermore, serum sample analysis showed a decrease in the levels of male hormone testosterone and progesterone.
The researchers explained that a decrease in testosterone, which typically reduces anxiety behavior and improves spatial memory, may have been due to ethinylestradiol, leading to increased anxiety behavior.
Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that synthetic estrogen ingredients can increase anxiety behavior in mice.
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