Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Last summer, senior reporter Julia Lurie noticed a shift: She was calmer and happier than she’d been in years.
But it took her a while to realize that these changes synced up with something else that had happened recently: the removal of her IUD.
For years, studies in reputable scientific journals have found that people on hormonal contraceptives—and, it seems, especially people on non-oral contraceptives, like IUDs—have significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and other mood issues.
And while it’s important to note that the likelihood of dramatic mood changes is still quite low, with this research out there, why did the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call them a "myth"?
This story comes at a fraught time for hormonal birth control, which is under attack from a bunch of different directions. Misinformation on contraceptives is rampant on social media. The birth control conversation feels like two camps: defend it at all costs, or tear it down.
This piece is about the quieter third camp—scientists scrutinizing contraceptives not to get rid of them, but to make them better.
Read the investigation here: motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/hormonal-birth-control-iuds-depression-anxiety-mental-health-tiktok
Last summer, senior reporter Julia Lurie noticed a shift: She was calmer and happier than she’d been in years.
But it took her a while to realize that these changes synced up with something else that had happened recently: the removal of her IUD.
For years, studies in reputable scientific journals have found that people on hormonal contraceptives—and, it seems, especially people on non-oral contraceptives, like IUDs—have significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and other mood issues.
And while it’s important to note that the likelihood of dramatic mood changes is still quite low, with this research out there, why did the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call them a "myth"?
This story comes at a fraught time for hormonal birth control, which is under attack from a bunch of different directions. Misinformation on contraceptives is rampant on social media. The birth control conversation feels like two camps: defend it at all costs, or tear it down.
This piece is about the quieter third camp—scientists scrutinizing contraceptives not to get rid of them, but to make them better.
Read the investigation here: motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/hormonal-birth-control-iuds-depression-anxiety-mental-health-tiktok
