Birth control pills linked with a serious new risk

Since the 1960s, many women in the United States admitted they were not ready for a baby. These women were given the option to take birth control to prevent the unwanted pregnancy.

While family planning has helped women's progress by leaps and bounds, some methods do come with health risks.

Women have reported feeling depressed while taking oral contraceptives, but finally, a scientific study published in the Journal of The American Medical Association has proven what many have been saying for years.

Researchers from the University of Copenahgen studied the medical records of more than one million women between ages of 15 and 34 years old. These studies showed those taking combination birth control pill were 23 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

Women who were prescribed a progesterone only pill were shown to be 34 percent more likely to suffer from depression.

Teenagers have the biggest depression risk. The study showed women between 15 and 19 on the pill were 80 percent more likely to have depression.

Weight gain and mood swings have been listed as possible side effects of the pill. However, this is the first study to officially correlate clinical depression with oral contraceptive use.

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