Contraceptive pill negatively impacts mental health, believe 74% of millennial women

A controversial new study has discovered that 74% of women aged 25-34 believe the contraceptive pill has had a negative impact on their mental health.

When it comes to women of all ages, a significant 40% who have taken birth control pills at some point in their life said they felt it had impacted their mental wellbeing.

The survey of over 2,000 UK adults revealed that more than half of British women think the development of contraception pills for men is a good thing because "it will encourage a more equal spread of responsibility".

Men seem to be on board with this too, with over a third of UK males believing men should (and would) take more responsibility for contraception if a male pill were created.

In fact, 60% of men in relationships said they would be happy to take a male contraceptive pill, if their female partner asked them to.

The results show both sexes agree it's high time we addressed the current gender imbalance of contraception responsibility.

But it's not quite as simple as that. Despite liking the idea in principle, some women were skeptical about whether their other half could be trusted to take the pill.

While 73% of UK women would have faith in their men to take a male pill as their main form of contraception, only 5% of women would place "absolute" trust in a male partner taking it.

Of the women who wouldn't fully rely on a man to take the male pill, over half (57%) doubt men’s ability to take a male contraceptive pill properly, so, therefore wouldn't trust this form of contraception.

Shockingly, almost half (49%) of those concerned women wouldn't put their faith in a man to take the pill as they believe men would use it as an excuse not to wear a condom.

Read more: Contraceptive pill for males is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy

It turns out the younger generation of women are keenest to be liberated from their current birth control pills. Over half of women aged 16-24 (54%) would be less inclined to take a contraceptive pill if their male partner were to take the male pill.

This is likely to be because many women were worried about the impact their contraception was having on their mental health.

Read more: Your contraception options: What does the future of birth control look like?

Watch: Meet the French men breaking the taboo of male contraception

Men in relationships were found to be more open-minded about switching to male contraception, than single men. Across all relationship statuses, however, over half (53%) of men said they would feel more comfortable having sex for pleasure if they were correctly taking a male contraceptive.

One of the key reasons for taking a male pill is that men would feel more assured if they were in control of their contraception.

For example, half of UK men in relationships claimed to have worried in the past about whether a woman has lied about being on contraception.

The study was carried out by The Independent Pharmacy to see if the UK population is mentally ready for the male contraceptive pill, which could soon be on the way.

The survey was sparked by "exciting" new research from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis which found male contraceptive pills to be 99% effective in studies on mice. Now these findings are progressing to human trials.

Read more: Male contraceptive pill a step closer, after clinical trial finds it safe to use

Scott McDougall, co-founder/manager of The Independent Pharmacy, said he was "pleased to see the majority of UK men are open" to the idea of a male contraceptive pill.

“We hope to see the new male birth control treatment in human trials soon," he enthused. "If a male contraceptive pill does become available, this will be a huge achievement and progression in society."

“We are pleased to see the development of a male contraceptive pill would provide a more equal balance of contraceptive methods across both sexes.

“Our survey indicates a new male contraceptive pill would be warmly received in the UK. We hope this becomes a reality in the not-so-distant future.”