280: Sarah Hill | This Is Your Brain on Birth Control

Cavalier Prescriptions

Sarah Hill highlights the cavalier approach to prescribing birth control to women compared to the strict regulation of anabolic steroids for men. She points out that young women are often prescribed birth control for non-essential reasons, such as skin issues or menstrual cramps, without considering the profound impact on their developing brains 1. Jordan Harbinger adds that this casual prescription is more reckless than how drug dealers manage steroid use among athletes, emphasizing a cultural blind spot in understanding the pill's effects 1.

There's something wrong when the local drug dealer sells steroids to the football players at some university and is more careful than the doctors dishing out birth control pills.

--- Jordan Harbinger

This discrepancy raises concerns about the long-term consequences of altering women's hormonal systems without adequate research or understanding.

   

Impact on Young Women

The potential developmental impact of prescribing birth control to young women is a significant concern. Sarah Hill notes the lack of research on how the pill affects brain development during crucial post-pubertal years, which can extend into the early twenties 2. She shares her own realization of the pill's broader effects on the brain and motivation, which she had previously overlooked despite her expertise in hormones 2.

Of course, the pill is going to change everything because it's changing your endocrine system, and that's like one of the major communication systems that creates the experience of being the person that you are.

--- Sarah Hill

This oversight underscores the need for more comprehensive research and awareness about the pill's full range of effects on women's health and development.