Contraceptive pills aid brain function, finds study

A riveting research by scientists from Salzburg University in Austria has found that birth control pills are instrumental in increasing the brain size, thus enhancing memory and social skills.

Contraceptive pills boost memory?
The study conducted by German scientists is the first of its kind to look at the impact of the hormonal contraceptives on the brain.

It was found that contraceptive pills taken by 3.5 million British women, to curb unwanted pregnancy increased the brain size by 3 percent and lead to improvement in brain function, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Scientists took high-resolution images of the brain of 14 men and 28 women on pill, irrespective of the brand or formulation of the drug, or how long it had been prescribed.

The MRI scans clearly depicted that certain areas in the brain looked larger for women who took the pill.

These 'swelled parts' of the brain are said to be responsible for memory and conversational skills.

“The behavioral changes due to contraceptive use are likely to affect those skills that are already better developed in women compared to men like, for example, memory,” The Daily Mail quoted Dr Belinda Pletzer, of Salzburg University, as saying.

It is however unknown whether the parts that grew on taking pill returned back to their original size when the intake was stopped.

An interesting theory that explains the possible link between the pill and brain function stated that the oestrogen or progesterone contained in the pill, suppresses ovulation, strengthens the links between nerve cells in the brain.

Since 1960, when the pill was approved for use in the United States, it has been the leading method of birth control used by more than 100 million women around the world.

The study has been published in the journal 'Brain Research.'

Women taking birth control pills live longer?
Though it may sound weird, but a previous research by Royal College of General Physicians have suggested that a pill might increase a woman's average life expectancy.

According to experts, it reduces the chances of developing ovarian, bowel or endometrial cancer.

They also clarified that the beneficial effects of the pill may only be true for women who have taken older-style pills rather than those who took newer drugs, having slightly different formulations.