The Pill: Is It Messing Up Our Brain and Body?

Hi. I'm Wendy Zuckerman, and you're listening to Science Versus. This is the show that pits facts against fallopian tubes. Today, we are tackling the pill. The pill burst onto the scene in the nineteen sixties. And for tons of folks, it was seen as this wonderful thing. Country singer Loretta Lynn even wrote a song about how the pill was gonna open up all of these possibilities for women. But all I've seen of this old world is a bed and a doctor bill. I'm tearing down your frugal ass because now I've got the pill. This song was a hit, and the freedom that she's singing about, about choosing when to get pregnant and how many babies you're gonna have, it just resonated with loads of women. In fact, since the pill came out, women are more likely to go to college, become lawyers, judges and doctors. Plus, the wage gap between men and women has narrowed by 30%. And some economists say that this is a direct result of the pill. But you fast forward to today, and for many, the pill has gone from hero to zero. People say that pumping ourselves with these hormones can be harmful. Birth control is one of the most damaging things you can put in your bodies. And that it can even change parts of our personality, like who you're attracted to, and also who is attracted to you. Birth control can actually affect a woman's taste in men. We actually choose mates that are less compatible when we're on hormonal birth control. Is birth control ruining relationships and people don't even realize it? We're hearing the pill can tank your mental health. I was the most depressed I've ever been. I I didn't feel like me. I had no energy. Every morning, I wake up and I just, like, struggle to get out of bed. And I couldn't get myself to not be mad. I was, like, not even in control of my own emotions, you know? Folks are even worried that the pill will mess with your brain. We're talking significant structural changes in the brain in regions involving memory and emotional processing. We're talking significant changes in the brain in regions involving memory and emotional processing. And these ideas are huge right now. Even Elon Musk is worried about this. I think hormonal birth control is is is making is making a lot of women sad and depressed. Yes. And they don't realize it. Here he is talking to feminist icon, Tucker Carlson, in a video that's been watched millions of times, saying that women just don't understand how dangerous the pill is. Significant risk of depression, significant increase in suicide, and will make you wanna go out with people that you don't actually like. That's actually true, by the way. And with all these concerns, some people are saying bye bye to the pill for good. It's time for me to come off the pill. A …