Hormonal birth control raises depression, suicide risk: Musk on women's health

NEW DELHI: Using hormonal birth control may raise the risk of depression and suicide, said billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday, calling out on the need to understand women's health.

“It is important that women know the effects of hormonal birth control, as it is a significant cause of depression and increases suicide risk,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Noting that it's “not a value statement” but “a public service announcement” the SpaceX founder said that “other forms of birth control do not have these effects.”

He posted the comments while sharing the X post of US television commentator and author Ashley St. Clair.

“I’ve never been on anti-birth control, it can be a life-changing medication for some. However, it does have serious side effects including increased risk of depression and suicide,” she wrote in the post.

“When women talk to their doctors about these symptoms, doctors never suggest getting off of the pill or trying alternative, non-hormonal birth control. They typically just prescribe an additional psychiatric medication, put women on a pharmaceutical cocktail,” she added.

Hormonal contraceptive methods majorly include oral pills or implants, patches or vaginal rings, which release small amounts of one or more hormones to prevent ovulation. Other methods of contraception include intrauterine devices (IUDs) devices, and condoms.

Several studies have pointed out the risk of depression with hormonal birth control, however, proper research is still lacking. The studies have stressed the role of care providers in making women aware of the potential risk of depression as a side-effect of the medicine.