The Surprising Effects Birth Control Might Have on Your Relationship (You Want the Good News or the Bad News First?)

You may take birth control to purposely affect your relationship--specifically to keep your relationship baby free, for now at least. But the pill may be affecting your relationship in ways you never anticipated...

According to a survey of 2,500 women in various countries, women who used birth control when they met their significant other were less attracted to their partner and less sexually satisfied. Yikes! That's especially disappointing because it seems like a lot of women choose to be on hormonal birth control in monogamous relationships so that sex can be more enjoyable without condoms.

However, it wasn’t all bad news for relationships. Pill users reported being happier with non-sexual aspects of their relationship and were actually less likely to break up. Previous lab research has shown that women who use birth control aren’t as attracted to “masculine” men with higher testosterone levels. Researchers hypothesize that this could account for the increased relationship stability among women who use the pill--men with lower testosterone tend to be more faithful.

Because of these findings on the effects of birth control on relationships, the psychologist who headed the study even suggests that women who were on birth control at the time they met their guy might want to consider going off the pill for a few months before getting married to test whether their feelings remain the same. Whoa! That seems pretty extreme. You should probably talk to both your doctor and your boyfriend before making that call.

Sheesh, less sexual satisfaction and possibly fake feelings for your man? Oh, and let's not forget these possible effects of using birth control: getting fired and being called a slut. It has been a rough time in birth control news lately. Feel free to chime in with reminders of all the great effects birth control has for women too.