Here’s what to know about claims birth control is harmful : NPR

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According to articles on Tiktok, the hormonal contractual can cause an almost unlimited list of ailments: depression, irreversible infertility, acne, destruction of the intestinal bioma, weight gain, baldness and libido decreased to name just a few.

At the same time, an increasing number of influencers advocate the monitoring of fertility cycles naturally – or with applications – to avoid pregnancy, while completely avoiding birth control.

How did the pill get such a bad reputation and is there something to fear? Is the cycle monitoring a valid alternative? We asked researchers and doctors.

The complaint

Hormonal contraception is dangerous. You can effectively prevent pregnancy with natural methods.

The proof

Decades of use and research have shown that control of hormonal births, such as oral contraceptives, IUDs, patches, injections and implants, is safe and effective in avoiding pregnancy.

Although there are potential side effects, people on social media exert or distort risks. A study of Tiktok videos on contraception concluded that they “showed bad reliability and quality”. Only 10% were created by health professionals.

Some of the most common side effects include headaches, mood changes and sensitivity to breasts. These can be unpleasant enough to bring some women to leave them, depending on the research.

More serious – but rare – complications of certain types of contraceptive include blood clots or the risk of uterine perforation from an intrauterine device. The evidence suggests that oral contraceptives can slightly increase the risk of certain types of cancer, but provide protective advantages against others.

Although they are safe for most people, clinicians emphasize that it is essential to assess the risks on an individual basis, in conversation with your doctor. People who smoke, for example, can be at higher risks of blood clots if they take oral contraceptives.

“Google or social media will never have the answer because you are your own unique being,” said Dr. Jennifer Conti, an obstetrician who works at the University of Stanford. “Even the AI which brings together tons and tons of experiences from different people – it is not yours,” she warns.

Keep in mind that social media can distort the accuracy of risk-avantage calculations when it comes to making decisions concerning birth control, explains Emily Pfender, researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who studied the way contraception is represented on social networks.

“This is a case of – the minority shouts the strongest,” she said. His research shows that testimonies on the side effects rarely occurred by birth control and contraception are rewarded on social networks.

Alternatives

Instead of effective hormonal treatments, online influencers push “natural” methods to prevent pregnancy, including cycle tracking applications or fertility awareness, which involves taking your temperature daily. Some even recommend non -proven plant supplements.

Experts warn the cycle follow -up can lead to a false feeling of security when it comes to preventing pregnancy, as it is difficult to predict fertility with precision. A study showed a failure rate from 8% to 9% in users of an application to avoid pregnancy. (Hormonal contractulation methods have a failure rate of less than 1%, when used properly.)

“The old joke that we said is that those that use natural family planning have naturally large families,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jensen, vice-president of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University.

“For individuals who have very regular cycles and who are ready to have periods of voluntary abstinence, it will work,” he said. “But many of my patients have a busy life and it may not be the thing they want to focus on.”

Conti says that a person’s experience with these applications should not be predictive for others. “”[Cycle tracking]Works for some people, “said Conti.” But telling you that this is the only way to do it is a very privileged approach because you only consider your exact situation and scenario. “”

The nuance

Complaints concerning birth control merge with another real problem – that women often feel overlooked in medical environments, explains Pfender. Messages that highlight “medical experiences deprived of their rights which involve being silenced or ignorance as a woman”, attracts a lot of attention.

For example, a woman named Lizzy Morris recently talked about her experience with a hormonal IUD on Tiktok. “I did not know the risks,” said Morris in the video, while she points to an image of an x-ray where, she says, her IUD has become anchored in her uterus. She had to have him surgically removed.

Morris, a mother of three young children who live in Georgia, said in an interview that her intention was not to scare people from constraint, but to raise awareness that, according to doctors, are not often clear enough to patients.

An investigation has shown that 29% of women said their doctor had rejected their health problems in the previous two years.

Morris says that she has often felt rushed or neglected by doctors. Even when the risks of a type of contraception are weak, she says, she prefers to know them – and she thinks that doctors should discuss it. “People deserve this enlightened choice,” she said.

Many in the medical community agree that the lack of conversation on side effects is a problem.

But Jensen says that in short period of time, clinicians often have with their patients, focus on rare side effects can mean less time to focus on those that are more likely.

With a IUD, for example, says Jensen, complications that require surgery are rare-a study has suggested that for 1,000 IUD, between one and two cause “intrauterine migration”, which may require surgery to eliminate, and it is often a mini-invasive procedure.

Current side effects like irregular bleeding is more worthy of discussion, he said: “This is something on which clinicians should do a much better work to focus.”

Overview

Clinicians highlight the importance of weighing the potential side effects of hormonal birth control over the risk of unplanned pregnancy.

Aside from the choice of having a child or not, pregnancy itself can be dangerous, underlines Jensen. Abortion restrictions aggravate this risk.

“It was not so long ago that the most likely way you would die as a woman would be in an obstetrics -related event during work,” said Jensen. “Social media often does not give any context regarding what exposure to pregnancy means for women.”

Maternal mortality rates have improved in the last century, but there are still significant health risks, explains Jensen, as well as considerations of equality. “The ability to avoid pregnancy means the ability of women to be equal players in all aspects of modern life,” he said.