Women Who Used Hormonal Birth Control Had More Gray Matter Later
Graded Preliminary — a one-time MRI scan of 459 women, with hormone use recalled from memory, shows links but cannot show cause and effect.
- Design
- Cross-sectional study
- Participants
- 459
- Duration
- —
- Funding
- US National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging, NCATS, NIGMS)
Women who had used hormonal birth control had more gray matter in several brain regions at ages 65 to 80.
Women aged 65 to 80 who had once used hormonal birth control had more gray matter, the brain tissue made of nerve cells, in several regions. That is the finding of an analysis from the United States. Whether female hormones protect the brain is still debated, because earlier imaging studies gave mixed results.
The study included 459 women without memory problems who were not physically active. They reported whether they had ever used hormonal birth control or hormone therapy for menopause. Each then had a brain MRI scan. The longer a woman had used birth control, the larger a region that helps recognize faces and shapes. Women who had used both had a thicker brain cortex than women who used neither. Women whose menopause came later also had a thicker cortex toward the back of the brain. The age at which women started taking hormones showed no clear link.
Each woman was scanned only once and had to recall choices from decades ago. The exact products were not recorded. The authors note that brain health might instead shape who takes hormones, rather than the other way around.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Some authors consult for companies or received research funding from drug makers such as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk; they report no conflict with this work.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.