New Study Finds Hormonal Birth Control Triples Women’s Risk Of Suicide

By Kelsey Harkness - Posted at The Federalist:

When today’s feminists say “reproductive rights,” they’re usually referring to the “right” to taxpayer-funded abortion and contraceptives. But many feminists conveniently ignore a far more basic “reproductive right”: the right of a woman to know whether the prescriptions she takes may increase her chances of committing suicide. According to a new study, some do.

“In a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers in Denmark report that women taking hormonal contraceptives — like birth control pills, the patch, the ring and hormonal IUDs — have up to tripled the risk of suicide as women who never took hormonal birth control,” Time reports, adding:

Among women who used hormonal contraceptives currently or recently, the risk of attempting suicide was nearly double that of women who had never used contraceptives. The risk was triple for suicide. The patch was linked to the highest risk of suicide attempts, followed by IUD, the vaginal ring and then pills.

The study, published on November 17, followed nearly half a million women for an average of more than eight years. Notably, the risk for suicide and attempted suicide is still low. Of the women researchers tracked, 6,999 made a first suicide attempt and 71 committed suicide. Across the United States, overall suicide rates have risen from 11 per 100,000 individuals in 2006 to 13.26 in 2015. Women are more likely than men to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to succeed.

When compared with women who never used hormonal contraceptives, the suicide uptick among hormonal contraception users was alarming enough for researchers to conclude that “use of hormonal contraception was positively associated with subsequent suicide attempt and suicide.”

The study, which can be accessed here, has still not been picked up by mainstream news outlets such as The Washington Post and New York Times. Planned Parenthood, which was founded on “the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives,” has also been silent, instead focusing on advocating for “birth control for all.”

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