Beth Messenger says medical staff are fielding questions from confused patients. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Fact vs Fear: Doctors are pushing back on the viral birth control myths and warnings over the contraceptive pill that are flooding social media
It's a trend, exploding on social media, namely TikTok and Instagram, where wellness influencers warn women to "get off the pill", calling hormonal birth control "poison" and "evil", and urging a return to "natural" fertility tracking.
Videos with the hashtags #StopThePill, #HormoneFree, #NaturalBirthControl, and #CycleTracking have clocked billions of views and millions of likes.
But doctors warn behind the glossy filters and wellness influencer advice lies a dangerous cocktail of misinformation, fear, and frustration.
Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa medical director Beth Messenger tells The Detail New Zealand medical staff have fielded questions from confused and anxious patients.
"We have had instances where staff have been like, 'what are we supposed to tell people about it?'" she says.
"Even we can be tempted to tailor our advice based on what's on social media. We have had to remember that actually we need good research, we need to be giving information that is evidence-based rather than a reaction to what's happening on social media."
Going "natural", she says, for instance using the withdrawal method instead of condoms, could lead to sexually transmitted diseases or unplanned pregnancies, and adds hormonal birth control is not "evil" or "poison".
"If you don't want to get pregnant, it is really important to use a method, and your health provider should be able to help you pick the method that's right for you now.
"If people are not consistently using a form of birth control, then unintended pregnancies will happen".
This could lead to an increase in abortions.
"That's certainly the concern, that this is what will happen".
Hormonal birth control - including the pill, IUDs, patches, and implants - works by regulating or suppressing ovulation to prevent pregnancy.
For most women, it's safe and effective, and it can ease heavy, painful periods, reduce acne, and manage endometriosis or PCOS.
"And, if you don't want to have a period, you don't have to have one."
The most common side effect is a change to bleeding, and there's an increased risk of blood clots or breast cancer with the combined pill, says Messenger, who had a blood clot caused by the pill in the 1990s, causing her to switch to a copper IUD.
"Some of these risks can be quite significant," she says.
This has prompted wellness influencers to promote fertility awareness-based methods, where women track their basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and menstrual cycles. The influencers, along with advocates, say this helps women "reconnect" with their bodies.
And their movement has taken off online, prompting researchers at La Trobe University in Australia to analyse 100 videos on TikTok from the top five hashtags related to contraception methods that had collectively gained nearly five billion views and 14.6 million likes.
"Most of these videos were ranked quite poorly in terms of accuracy and reliability", says Megan Bugden, a lecturer in public health in Australia, who co-authored the study.
"We saw a number of concerning things. Almost half of the videos explicitly rejected hormonal birth control, things like the pill, implants, or IUDs.
"And one in three expressed distrust towards health care professionals."
She also tells The Detail that "completely incorrect contraceptive information" was discovered.
"Things like if you eat papaya seeds or use coconut oil, that these are effective spermicides, in other words, they are effective at preventing pregnancies, there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support that."
She says this was promoted by people calling themselves wellness influencers and health influencers, but who have no medical background.
"That was a little bit surprising and worrying to see."
She was equally worried about the promotion of natural or fertility awareness-based contraception.
"These ones were particularly worrying to us, because while this method in itself is not an inherently bad one, what was, was how these videos were failing to disclose the potential limitations of this method."
Messenger tells The Detail she's not against women coming off hormonal contraception - but insists decisions should be grounded in evidence, not internet fearmongering.
"So, it is really important to talk to a health provider who is experienced at providing contraception, who is able to talk about all the available options.
"The important thing is to not stop your current method until you have made a decision about what is the right thing to do."
When it comes to birth control, the truth - like women's bodies - is a little more complex than a hashtag.
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