The Pill could cause women to be jealous

Women taking the combined contraceptive Pill could be putting their relationships at risk

According to a new study, sex hormones in the contraceptive Pill can cause women to become more possessive and jealous due to the levels of oestrogen.

Experts warn that brands of the combined contraceptive Pill, particularly those with the highest levels of oestrogen, could disrupt female hormones inducing emotion-driven suspicions that could jeopardise their relationship.

Dr Craig Roberts, from Stirling University says: ‘It seems that women, and perhaps pharmaceutical providers, are not fully aware of the range of potential psychological side-effects associated with pill use, and more specifically brand choice.’ Working with Dutch psychologists, Dr Roberts asked 275 women, aged between 17 and 35 and taking the contraceptive pill, a series of questions designed to gauge the level of trust between themselves and their partner.

Comparing these answers alongside the brand of contraceptive pill each woman was taking, the team found a clear link between the level of oestrogen in the drug and jealousy. Progesterone however, was not implicated in jealousy suggesting progesterone-only pills interfere less with female emotions.

Writing in the journal of Personality and Individual Differences, the researchers claimed that women using brands with the highest doses of oestrogen could find it harder to form and maintain relationships.

This is supported by previous studies, which suggest that the contraceptive Pill can affect our choice of partner by suppressing our interest in masculine men, leading us to find boyish features more attractive.

The team from Liverpool University, who conducted the research, say the findings suggest growing evidence that the hormones in the Pill influence the way women assess male sexual attractiveness.

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