I’ve been a sex educator for six years. Why did I start doubting my contraception choices?

I’ve been a sex educator for six years. Why did I start doubting my contraception choices?

For years, Milly Evans has been a trusted voice on reproductive health, sharing insights with audiences who rely on her expertise. Yet, as she prepared to opt for a hormonal coil (IUS), she began questioning her decision. Social media seemed to be filled with voices casting doubt on hormonal birth control, prompting her to delay the appointment for six months. “Some of the claims I saw were so convincing that they made me reconsider what I thought I knew,” she explains.

Online conversations shaping contraception choices

Evans isn’t alone in her hesitation. Many young women in their 20s, constantly scrolling through feeds, encounter debates about hormonal methods like the pill, coil, and implant. These discussions often fall into two camps: personal anecdotes of side effects and deliberately misleading posts, sometimes tied to ideological arguments. The latter has sparked her biggest concerns, especially the right-wing, religious, and American-focused narratives framing contraception as a threat to “clean living” and “divine femininity.”

From fitness influencers to medical misinformation

Lauren Haslam, a 25-year-old from Manchester, also feels the impact. As a long-term combined pill user, she credits it with transforming her life, easing symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. But posts from fitness and wellness influencers, which label hormonal contraception as “unnatural,” have made her question her positive experience. “It feels like my choice is being dismissed,” she says.

Across the Atlantic, the trend has gained momentum. In the US, social media platforms have become breeding grounds for negative portrayals of hormonal methods. A viral post shows a new mother holding her unplanned child, with a comment under it claiming birth control is “so bad for you.” Another user laments that the pill “sucks” and even links it to depression. Even those with medical credentials contribute to this spread, according to psychosexual therapist Evie Plumb.

Are these concerns grounded in science?

Dr Fran Yarlett, medical director at the Lowdown women’s health platform, notes that while some claims are misleading, others stem from small studies with questionable methods. For instance, the idea that the pill “shrink[s] your clitoris” is often presented without context. “It’s not just fear-mongering,” she says, “but sometimes misinterpretation of data.”

These debates aren’t confined to screens. In the UK, London GP Jenny Dhingra reports rising anxiety among patients, with some citing fears of side effects after exposure to online content. The NHS lists common effects like headaches, nausea, mood changes, weight gain, breast tenderness, and acne, noting they often improve over time. However, it also acknowledges that hormonal methods slightly increase blood clot and breast cancer risks, though these are “very low.”

Data suggests a shift in contraceptive trends

Quantifying the impact of these discussions is tricky. Professor Jenny Hall of UCL highlights that NHS statistics don’t account for pharmacy-based pill prescriptions or newer devices that last longer without replacement. Despite this, data hints at a trend: a study last year found that the share of women using hormonal contraception dropped between 2018 and 2023, based on abortion seekers in England and Wales. A separate review noted that negative side effects are frequently highlighted on social media compared to the benefits of birth control.

“Scary stories get attention and go viral,” says Hall. “That’s not always bad, but it can skew perceptions.”