By: Hannah Ford
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Women over the age of 18 are asked to participate in a study on women’s reproductive decisions.
Mikayla Tolliver, Experimental Psychology Ph.D. Student, and her team are conducting a study on how different birth controls affect women physically and mentally.
With the stigma on women’s reproductive decisions, Tolliver hopes to put control back into the hands of women.
“By doing this research, we hope to put the power and information back into women’s hands when it comes to making informed decisions about their reproductive health care,” Tolliver said.
The study is based on understanding whether different generations of progestins that are found in hormonal birth controls influences women’s health and psychology differently.
“This study mainly seeks to understand the effects that hormonal contraception has on women’s mental and physical health,” Tolliver said. “There is a massive knowledge gap.”
“Unfortunately, the lack of information surrounding the topic has the potential to be harmful as research suggests that women have a significantly increased risk for developing mood disorders if they begin taking hormonal contraceptives before the age of 20,” Tolliver said.
Tolliver and her team are also interested in understanding more about the general health and psychology of women who are not on birth control.
“We want to make accurate comparisons and advocate for women’s health and informed decision making,” Tolliver said. “We’ve noticed the lack of information that is provided by pharmaceutical companies and OB-GYNs regarding the potential side effects of hormonal contraception.”
“By studying women’s reproductive health and decision making we have the tools needed to inform women about the ways that sex steroids influence both the brain and body,” Tolliver said. “Through this, we can empower women to make the best decisions for themselves as individuals.”
The main survey takes around 20 minutes to complete. There is also a second optional survey that asks questions about your general social and sexual attitudes and behaviors.
The study is still in the recruiting phase so Tolliver encourages women to participate.
Women who participate can enter a raffle to win a $50 Amazon gift card. If you choose to complete the second optional survey, you will get an additional entry to win the gift card.
You do not have to be associated with the University of Arkansas to participate. You can find the survey on uark.qualtrics.com.