A new study from Michigan State University found increases in binge eating when taking hormone pills in the form of oral contraceptives — but not in all women. This is the first large-scale study of changes in binge-related symptoms with oral contraceptive use.
The longitudinal study tracked 422 women from the Michigan State University Twin Registry who were taking combined oral contraceptives or contraceptives that include both synthetic estrogen and progestin hormones.
These contraceptives include active pills that contain synthetic hormones including synthetic estrogen and progestin, as well as inactive pills, or hormone-free placebo pills. The inclusion of both active and inactive pills provided a unique opportunity for researchers to examine changes in binge eating when a woman was taking her active versus inactive pills.