In the first publication from the project, the researchers found no negative impact of the most common contraceptive pill on overall sexual function among women. However, among some subdomains, they found a negative effect of the pill: in a sample of about 340 women who are randomized to either the contraceptive pill or placebo over a three-month period, the researchers found that the pill may have a negative effect on desire, arousal and satisfaction, but not when it comes to, for example, the ability to have an orgasm.

"The pill has played such an important role in empowering women in many ways. However, so little is known about its potential impacts on wellbeing and behavior: our research aims to help fill gap", says Anna Dreber Almenberg, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics

"This research project is part of a larger set of projects that we have with KI. It is unique in its kind -  no research about the pill has been done in this way before", says Magnus Johannesson, Professor at the Department of Economics.

For more information contact Anna Dreber Almenberg or Magnus Johannesson  who are responsible for the study at SSE.

The other researchers in this project are Angelica Lindén Hirschberg, Niklas Zethraeus, Liselott Blomberg and Bo von Schoultz at the Karolinska Institutet, Eva Ranehill at the University of Zurich, and Fernand Labrie at Laval University.

Publication:

Combined Oral Contraceptives and Sexual Function in Women – a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, online  August 15, 2016, doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-2032.