The long-term use of oral contraceptives during adolescence can cause irreversible developmental changes to the amygdala that potentially increase anxiety and fear.

“They had two groups we had 14 to 16 year olds and we had 20 to 22 year olds they put on OC's and followed for two years and they saw that there was uh not as a robust development of the amydala in either group and when the 14 to 16 year olds tapered off there were no changes”