A Sex Educator’s Dilemma

Milly Evans, a certified sex educator with six years of experience, has spent years guiding others on contraception. Yet, when she prepared to get a hormonal coil (IUS), she found herself uncertain. Her social media feed had become overwhelmed with posts questioning hormonal birth control. For six months, Evans hesitated, torn between her knowledge and the growing doubts she encountered.

She noticed a pattern: content often framed hormonal contraceptives as harmful, sometimes linking them to broader ideologies. “Some of the claims I saw were so compelling that they made me question what I already know to be true,” she explains. This sentiment is echoed by others, like Lauren Haslam, a 25-year-old from Manchester. Haslam, who has relied on the combined pill for four years, credits it with managing her premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Yet she feels frustrated by fitness and wellness influencers who portray hormonal contraception as “unnatural” and “demonise” it.

Virality of Misinformation

In the US, the spread of anti-hormonal messages has surged on platforms like Instagram. A recent post by a new mother, holding her unplanned child, sparked over 800 likes for a comment declaring, “Birth control is so bad for you.” Another user lamented, “Contraception sucks,” while detailing how the pill worsened their mental health. Even qualified professionals, such as Evie Plumb, a psychosexual therapist, have joined this discourse, sharing misleading information in podcasts and online.

Dr. Fran Yarlett, medical director at the Lowdown, acknowledges that some claims are exaggerated but notes others stem from small studies with questionable methods. For instance, the assertion that the pill can “shrink your clitoris” is often taken out of context. Despite this, the viral nature of negative narratives continues to shape perceptions, even as the NHS lists common side effects—like headaches, nausea, and mood changes—as typically temporary.

Shifting Attitudes in the UK

These debates aren’t confined to digital spaces. London GP Jenny Dhingra reports increased hesitation among patients, many citing fear from social media. “They were scared,” she says, noting that concerns about side effects have grown more vocal. The NHS highlights that while hormonal contraception carries minor risks, such as blood clots and breast cancer, the overall risk remains “very low.”

Jenny Hall, a UCL professor of reproductive health, points out that NHS data may underrepresent trends because it doesn’t include users who access pills through pharmacies or those on extended prescriptions. Still, data suggests a noticeable decline in hormonal contraceptive use in the UK. A study from 2023 found that between 2018 and 2023, the percentage of women in England and Wales relying on hormonal methods dropped. Another review noted that negative side effects are more frequently discussed online than the benefits of contraception, fueling a cycle of fear and doubt.

“Some of the claims I saw were so compelling that they made me question what I already know to be true,” says Milly Evans.

“Honestly changed my life,” Lauren Haslam says of the combined pill, though she feels her positive experience is being “invalidated” by online criticism.

The challenge lies in measuring how much these conversations influence real-world decisions. As scary stories gain traction, their impact on contraception choices grows harder to quantify.