Tea at Trianon: Birth Control Hormones and the Adolescent Brain

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Birth Control Hormones and the Adolescent Brain

From IFL Science:

Synthetic hormones, such as those found in contraceptive pills, injections, and patches, may affect brain development during adolescence, according to new research. The study, performed in rats, showed an association between hormonal birth control and higher levels of a stress hormone, as well as signaling changes in the prefrontal cortex. The researchers stress that these findings should not be a cause for alarm for adolescents who are currently taking these medications or their caregivers.

“Birth control has had a major positive impact for women’s health and autonomy – so it’s not that we’re suggesting adolescents should not take hormonal contraceptives,” said senior author Benedetta Leuner in a statement.

“What we need is to be informed about what synthetic hormones are doing in the brain so we can make informed decisions – and if there are any risks, then that’s something that needs to be monitored.”

Previous research has suggested that there could be a link between hormonal birth control and depression. In the new study, the team from Ohio State University specifically looked at the potential effects of contraceptives while the brain is developing in adolescence. According to statistics from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, almost 5 percent of girls and women aged 15-19 years in the US use a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method. Most LARC methods, such as injections and implants, contain synthetic hormones.

While there are efforts to develop long-term male contraceptives (some more out-there than others), the lack of options means that the burden of contraceptive planning still rests primarily on women's shoulders. However, it's also important to note that these products can be prescribed for lots of other reasons, not only for birth control. For example, hormonal contraceptives are a common treatment for heavy periods.

Despite their widespread use, there's still a lot that scientists don’t know about how synthetic hormones may affect the brains of teenagers. “Adolescence is a crucially under-investigated period of dramatic brain change and dramatic hormonal change that we really haven’t understood,” said study author Kathryn Lenz.

In the study, a combination of estrogen and progesterone – hormones commonly used in birth control – was given to adolescent female rats for a period of three weeks. The researchers then took blood samples, and were able to show that the rats had elevated levels of another hormone, corticosterone, compared with untreated animals. This is similar to the human hormone cortisol, known to be associated with stress.

When the rats were exposed to environmental stress and given time to recover, their corticosterone levels remained high. Their adrenal glands were also enlarged; adrenaline, or epinephrine, is another key hormone involved in stress. (Read more.)