Sixteen-year old girls taking the pill are more likely to report crying, eating disorders and hypersomnia than those not using oral contraception.

But older adolescents and young adults using the pill do not show such an association, the researchers report in JAMA Psychiatry.

The findings suggest teens should be monitored for depressive symptoms when starting the pill, particularly as the condition may lead to non-adherence and risk of pregnancy, the authors say.

The study, which tracked more than 1000 girls in the longitudinal Dutch cohort known as TRAIL, used data from questionnaires completed when the participants were aged 13, 16, 19, 21 and 25.