Kathmandu, December 28

A recent research found that the women taking birth control pills had a significantly lower hypothalamus volume than those who were not using oral contraceptives.

At the base of the brain is a small but crucial area that acts as a control hub for the nervous and hormonal systems. And the researchers found that among women, it is significantly smaller in those using birth control pills, as per Medical News Today.

Michael Lipton, who is a professor of radiology at the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and medical director of MRI Services at the Montefiore Medical Center, both in New York City, NY, and his team recruited 50 women in good health, 21 of whom were taking birth control pills, and carried out MRI scans, which use radiology to generate images of organs, to look at the brain of each of the 50 women. They then used a validated methodology to gauge the hypothalamic volume.

"We validated methods for assessing the volume of the hypothalamus and confirm, for the first time, that current oral contraceptive pill usage is associated with smaller hypothalamic volume," told Lipton as quoted by Medical News Today.

"I was not expecting to see such a clear and robust effect. We found a dramatic difference in the size of the brain structures between women who were taking oral contraceptives and those who were not," ," said Lipton.

Although the researchers found that there was no noteworthy link between hypothalamic volume and a woman's cognitive ability, or ability to think, the preliminary findings suggest that there is an association between smaller hypothalamic volume and reduced anger.

Actually, the pill—oral contraceptive—is one of the most popular forms of birth control, but people also use it to help with a wide range of conditions, including irregular menstruation, acne, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and cramps.

Hamro Doctor