{"id":21311,"date":"2022-09-06T11:11:46","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T09:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=21311"},"modified":"2022-09-06T11:12:02","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T09:12:02","slug":"can-taking-the-contraceptive-pill-increase-your-levels-of-oxytocin-the-love-hormone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/can-taking-the-contraceptive-pill-increase-your-levels-of-oxytocin-the-love-hormone\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Taking the Contraceptive Pill Increase Your Levels of Oxytocin (The \u2018Love Hormone\u2019)?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019re taking the contraceptive pill or not, or you\u2019re possibly thinking about it, there are many questions that usually come to mind. Will the pill make me put on weight<\/a>? Will it affect my emotions? Is it actually an effective form of birth control? All of these questions are completely valid.<\/p>\n

But during these questionable moments, there\u2019s another aspect that you may want to factor in. That is, does the contraceptive pill increase your levels of oxytocin?<\/p>\n

Does The Pill Increase the Hormone Oxytocin?<\/h2>\n

Today, we\u2019ll be looking at the connection between the pill and oxytocin (aka the \u2018love hormone\u2019). We\u2019ll also do a quick little run-through, defining what the contraceptive pill and oxytocin are, as well as the role that oxytocin plays.<\/p>\n

What is the Contraceptive Pill?<\/h2>\n

The contraceptive pill often called the birth control pill or simply \u201cthe pill\u201d is a type of birth control<\/a> that\u2019s taken orally by women in order to prevent pregnancy. To use this contraceptive pill effectively, one pill is taken a day. It comes in a blister pack and is composed of oestrogen and progestin. What are oestrogen and progestin?<\/p>\n

Oestrogen is a sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system<\/a> and secondary sex characteristics. Progestin is a type of synthetic medication that mimics the natural female sex hormone, progesterone. Progesterone is a steroid sex hormone involved in the menstrual cycle<\/a> and pregnancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These two hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) are naturally made in a woman\u2019s ovaries<\/a>, but when the birth control pill is taken, these hormones are changed as a means to prevent the release of an egg during ovulation. Progestins, for example, create a thick and sticky mucus around a woman\u2019s cervix<\/a> which will then prevent sperm from entering the uterus.<\/p>\n

There are some contraceptive pills that don\u2019t contain oestrogen, only progestin. This kind of birth control is great for those who experience negative side effects of oestrogen or for those who cannot take it for medical reasons. This contraceptive pill is called BCP and must<\/em> be taken every single day to avoid unwanted pregnancy. If taken as such, only two or three women out of 100 will get pregnant.<\/p>\n

What is Oxytocin?<\/h2>\n

Oxytocin is a hormone that\u2019s produced in the hypothalamus part of the brain<\/a>, and is released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland (right below the hypothalamus).<\/p>\n

Oxytocin is often known as the \u2018love hormone\u2019 for a number of reasons:<\/strong><\/p>\n