Hormonal contraceptive shows lower suicide rate

Attempted suicide rates in women using hormonal contraception are lower than in women not using it, research suggests.

The University of Helsinki used the Finnish national databases to compare attempted suicide rates of hormonal contraceptive users and non-users derived from the 2017-19 data.

The study found that attempted suicide rates between hormonal contraceptive users and non-users were similar in those aged between 15 and 19, but dropped in older age groups. It found 474 cases of attempted suicide in women who did not use hormonal contraceptives, and 344 attempts in women who did.