Is it possible that my contraceptive pill changed my attitude and a very big drop in libido (intercourse once a week or less)?

Hello,

Which pill is it?

How long have you been taking the pill?

How long have you noticed these side effects?

In taking the birth control pill Alesse, for example, some rarer side effects have indeed been reported in some women using the combined hormonal birth control pill, such as mood disorders (depression, etc.). Does the "change in attitude" you mention refer to this type of side effect? If the symptoms are only related to a change in mood (not related to a "mood disorder" that requires medical attention (e.g. depression)), a solution would be to change the contraception to a pill or device containing less progesterone. You can discuss this with your pharmacist or doctor.

As for the change in libido, according to the company that makes the Alesse pill, some women have mentioned this side effect. However, there is still no evidence to show that Alesse does put one at risk for decreased libido, due to lack of data.

Although these are side effects that seem rather rare, with the name of your pill, I might go check specifically in the manufacturing company's study, if there are indeed reported cases.

Please note that if you are experiencing depression-like symptoms, regardless of whether the pill is a risk factor, I would suggest talking to a health care professional. Also, there are several risk factors that can decrease libido. Anxiety and mood disorders can be examples.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Maeva Di-Ré, Pharmacy Student

Supervised by Alexandre Chagnon, Pharmacist

Thank you for these details.

Know that the only real way to be able to find out for sure is to go off the pill for 2-3 cycles, and replace it with a condom. Do you think this would be possible in your situation?

The pharmacist can change the kind of pill. One could even try a pill modification before attempting to stop altogether. Just talk to your pharmacist about it :)

Happy day,

Alexander