97 | Cortisol, Your Stress Response, and your Brain on Birth Control with Dr. Sarah Hill

Dr. Sarah Hill is a research psychologist and professor specializing in health, relationships, and other forms of social behavior from the lens of evolutionary science. She’s also the author of This is Your Brain on Birth Control, which is the topic of today’s discussion! We’re talking about how birth control not only changes how your hormones work in your whole body, buy how it changes who you are as a person, your brain, and your stress response in major ways. One of my major takeaways from today’s interview was that women on the pill are missing a key feature of their stress response – we’re discussing how this impacts things like adrenal fatigue, learning and memory, anxiety and depression. Interestingly enough, this is NOT a scare tactic book to freak you out over taking any kind of hormonal birth control. Instead, it’s a book that is designed to empower you with the tools to understand how this medication actually works, what it can do to your body, how to understand those changes, and then how to make a decision on the best path of action for you depending on your unique health history, genetics, and current life stage. 

Discussed on today’s episode:

Women on the pill are missing a key feature of their stress response. How does this impact things like adrenal fatigue, learning and memory, anxiety and depression 

Hormones 101 and why they’re so important to your whole body health and functioning

How the pill changes who you are completely. 

The pill and mental health 

Many people who take the pill, take it for a targeted effect (acne, to not have babies, etc.) but as discussed in the book: “targeted effects aren’t possible when taking a hormone…you’ll get the desired effect, but the effects are not targeted.” 

Birth control is not one size fits all. One pill or method of birth control can affect people in many different ways. 

The pill and mental health, and how the pill influences anxiety and depression

Hang out with Dr. Sarah!

* Website: www.sarahehill.com 

* Book: This is Your Brain on Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the Law of Unintended Consequences

* Instagram: @drsarahehillphd

PS – I have something really exciting coming up to help you survive the craziness of the holidays without feeling crazy around food and your body. Check out a preview here.

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