Oral contraceptives, childbirths, and hormone levels – which are causal factors for depression and other mental health disorders?

Main Supervisor: Åsa Johansson
Assistant Supervisor: Torgny Karlsson, Weronica Ek, Alkistis Skalkidou, Philip Fowler

What is your educational background?
BSc and MSc in Medical Science with a major in Biomedicine

Why did you apply to WOMHER's interdisciplinary graduate school?
I applied to an interdisciplinary research school because I recognize the value of approaching complex problems from multiple perspectives. Traditional disciplinary boundaries often limit a comprehensive understanding of intricate issues, and by enrolling in an interdisciplinary program, I aim to break down these barriers.

Tell us more about your research project?
My projects within the WOMHER research school is to understand the impact of contemporary hormonal contraception on depression. By using nationwide Swedish-registers and applying new advances within causal inference we can systematically examine and estimate the effect of different types of contraceptives as well as investigate whether the risk is different in different age groups.

What do you hope the impact of this project to be?
I hope my projects will provide valuable insights for healthcare providers to make informed decisions regarding the prescription and use of hormonal contraceptives, leading to improvements in patient care and mental health outcomes. Further, it might contribute to discussions around reproductive health policies and provide additional guidance to protect public health. Ultimately, it might aspire to empower women with more comprehensive information about the potential mental health implications of different contraceptive methods.

Other information, references and links

1. Lo Faro V, Johansson T, Johansson Å. The risk of venous thromboembolism in oral contraceptive users: the role of genetic factors-a prospective cohort study of 240,000 women in the UK Biobank. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Sep;
2. Hadizadeh F, Johansson T, Johansson Å, Karlsson T, Ek WE. Effects of oral contraceptives and menopausal hormone therapy on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective cohort study. Rheumatology [Internet]. 2023 Sep 29;kead513. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kead513
3. Johansson T, Larsen SV, Bui M, Ek WE, Karlsson T, Johansson Å. Population-based cohort study of oral contraceptive use and risk of depression. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2023;32:e39.
4. Johansson T, Fowler P, Ek WE, Skalkidou A, Karlsson T, Johansson Å. Oral Contraceptives, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and Stroke Risk. Stroke [Internet]. 2022 Aug 16;0(0):10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.038659. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.038659
5. Johansson T, Birgegård A, Zhang R, Bergen SE, Landén M, Petersen L V, et al. Polygenic association with severity and long-term outcome in eating disorder cases. Transl Psychiatry [Internet]. 2022;12(1):61. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01831-2