LNG-IUS users reported significantly less anhedonia than nonusers in the previous year (19% vs 22%; P<.05). Moreover, in a partial correlation analysis, LNG-IUS was negatively correlated with anhedonia (r=0.024; P<.05) and symptoms of depression over the previous month (r=0.098; P<.05).
Did relationship satisfaction, rather than contraceptive, influence depression?
A multicenter prospective cohort trial analyzed the effect of the levonorgestrel implant on mood in 267 women followed for 2 years by evaluating depressive symptoms reported from the Mental Health Inventory, a 6-item questionnaire scored 0 to 24.3
The women demonstrated a significant increase in depressive symptom scores from 7.9 at baseline to 8.8 (P=.01). However, the study authors suggested that relationship satisfaction, not method of birth control, was the cause of depressive symptoms. The 62 women who experienced a decrease in relationship satisfaction exhibited a significant increase in depressive symptoms (6.7-10; P=.001) compared with the 156 women who reported an improvement or no change in relationship satisfaction (7.8-8.2; P=.30).