No personality differences between oral contraceptive users and naturally cycling women: Implications for research on sex hormones

Beltz, Adriene M.; Loviska, Amy M.; Kelly, Dominic P.

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.034

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…However, a more recent study by Ross et al (2001) demonstrated the opposite result, i.e., significantly higher neuroticism in COC-users than in non-users. Finally, the most recent studies (Hamstra et al, 2017;Beltz et al, 2019) did not find significant differences in personality scores between OC users and non-users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Weak associations between personality and contraceptive choice

et al. 2022

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Prospective randomized controlled trials on hormonal contraceptive (HC) effects on the brain are rare due to a number of methodological challenges. Thus, much of the evidence on HC effects on the brain comes from cross-sectional studies comparing HC-users to non-users. In interpreting these findings, it is of importance to be aware of potential confounds associated with women’s contraceptive choices. Previous studies have discussed age, education, social status, sexual orientation, relationship status, and tolerability of HC. Given the current trend toward a reduction in HC use and increased skepticism toward HC it seems relevant to also identify variables associated with women’s attitudes toward HC and whether they may represent confounds for neuroscientific studies. In the present study, we investigated whether women’s personality characteristics were associated with their choice to use or not use HC in the present, past and future and the type of HC chosen. 1,391 females aged 18–45 years participated in an online survey including the HEXACO-60 personality questionnaire, as well as two different measures of gender role, and provided information about their current and previous contraceptive status, as well as experiences with and attitudes toward contraceptive use. We compared (i) current, previous and never-users of HC, (ii) prospective users of HC to women who opposed future HC use, and (iii) current users of IUDs to current users of oral contraceptives. Results revealed that associations between personality and the decision to use or not use HC were negligible, while differences in personality were observed corresponding to contraceptive type. Current users of IUDs showed higher agreeableness and extraversion compared to current users of oral contraceptives. The results suggest that personality is more strongly associated to the choice of contraceptive type rather than the choice between hormonal and non-hormonal options.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Weak associations between personality and contraceptive choice

et al. 2022

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“…These comparisons also indicate whether there may be differences between women who do and do not use OCs, as self-selection into OC use has been posited as a potential confound of research using NC-OC comparisons to make inferences about ovarian hormone influences (Oinonen et al, 2008). The limited research comparing NC women and OC users (that included women from this sample) indicates that groups do not differ in Big Five personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness; Beltz et al, 2019), nor in gendered personality qualities most closely tied to the sex-role mediation hypothesis, such as instrumentality and expressivity as well as self-perceptions of masculinity and femininity (Nielson and Beltz, 2021). Moreover, these studies showed that the androgenicity of progestins, which vary across different types of OCs, did not impact results (Beltz et al, 2019;Nielson and Beltz, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The limited research comparing NC women and OC users (that included women from this sample) indicates that groups do not differ in Big Five personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness; Beltz et al, 2019), nor in gendered personality qualities most closely tied to the sex-role mediation hypothesis, such as instrumentality and expressivity as well as self-perceptions of masculinity and femininity (Nielson and Beltz, 2021). Moreover, these studies showed that the androgenicity of progestins, which vary across different types of OCs, did not impact results (Beltz et al, 2019;Nielson and Beltz, 2021). Progestin androgenicity is the extent to which progestins have androgenic properties and actions that are primarily due to their structural derivatives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Previous reports use some data from this sample (e.g., to show that NC women and OC users do not differ in personality or gender self-concept; Beltz et al, 2019;Nielson and Beltz, 2021), but study variables have not been investigated in concert, and the coding scheme for examining unique effects of estrogenic, progestational, and androgenic activity in OCs is novel. All participants provided informed consent before contributing to this research, which was conducted under the auspices of the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, this research is important not only for the empirical findings it uncovered, but also for introducing and illustrating the utility of a new coding scheme for OCs that disentangles the estrogenic, progestational, and androgenic properties of the pills. Past work has highlighted the importance of considering heterogeneity in ovarian hormonal milieus afforded by different OCs (Beltz and Moser, 2020), but most work has accomplished this by classifying users based on the types of hormones in their pills, such as androgenic or anti-androgenic progestins (e.g., Wharton et al, 2008;Griksiene and Ruksenas, 2011;Gurvich et al, 2020) or according to active ingredients specified by the FDA (e.g., Puts et al, 2010;Beltz et al, 2015Beltz et al, , 2019. Some studies have also accomplished this by considering the exogenous dose of one hormone in the pills (e.g., ethinyl estradiol) without simultaneously considering other hormones (e.g., Beltz et al, 2015;Griksiene et al, 2018).…”

Section: Interpretation Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Link Between Masculinity and Spatial Skills Is Moderated by the Estrogenic and Progestational Activity of Oral Contraceptives

Beltz

Loviska

Kelly

et al. 2022

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Conversations about gender and spatial skills frequently dissolve into a hackneyed debate over nature and nurture. This is particularly true for conversations concerning three-dimensional (3D) mental rotations skill, which shows the largest gender difference of all aspects of cognition, with men—on average—outperforming women. To advance this empirical area of inquiry, biopsychosocial influences on spatial skills should be considered, and a unique opportunity do to that is provided by combined oral contraceptives (OCs). OCs with relatively low estradiol doses and with highly androgenic progestins have been positively related to spatial skills. Gender self-concepts, including masculine and feminine self-perceptions, have also been positively related to spatial skills. It is wholly unknown, however, whether the exogenous sex hormones contained in OCs moderate the link between self-perceived masculinity and 3D mental rotations. This study filled that knowledge gap by utilizing a sample of 141 naturally cycling (NC) women and 229 OC users who completed a computerized survey and cognitive tests. A series of moderation analyses examined whether the link between masculinity and 3D mental rotations depended on pill use or on the estrogenic, progestational, or androgenic activity in OCs, which were operationalized using a novel coding scheme. Results showed that the positive masculinity-3D mental rotations link was only present for NC women, presumably because it was altered by the exogenous hormones in OCs. Indeed, the link was accentuated in users of OCs with relatively low estrogenic and high progestational activity. Future research on menstrual cycle and pill phase is needed, but these findings importantly delineate ways in which biological and psychosocial factors combine to explain variation in spatial skills among women. They also suggest that focus should be placed on the under-investigated progestational activity of OCs, which is facilitated by the novel quantification of OC action used in this study. Thus, this research increases understanding of the neurocognitive and behavioral correlates of ovarian hormones and has implications for the betterment of women’s health.

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