![]() ![]() Yet another popular claim, which also featured prominently in the Ricki Lake documentary The Business of Birth Control, is that birth control changes who you’re attracted to. “Overall cancer rates are actually decreased among patients on the combined hormonal contraceptive pill,” Serna said. It is, in fact, true that hormonal contraceptives may increase the risk of certain types of cancer, but they significantly decrease the risk of others. Tania Basu Serna, an OB-GYN practicing in the San Francisco Bay area, who added that this is by far the most frequent misconception about hormonal contraceptives she encounters.Īnother common refrain in this space is that birth control is a carcinogen. “Of the FDA-approved methods that we have available, none of them have been shown to impact future fertility,” said Dr. One of the most common myths they’re spreading is that hormonal contraception destroys the body’s natural hormone production, with the implication being that it could lead to infertility. ![]() Aside from occasional giveaways-like the false claim that birth control is an abortifacient-if you were to watch a series of #naturalbirthcontrol videos without looking at the creator’s profile, you might find it difficult to guess whose page would describe them as a “follower of Christ” versus a “holistic hormone coach.” The content is nearly identical. But if you’ve dipped into the digital world of “wellness,” you may have seen some content remarkably similar to theirs. You might not follow any Christian or “cuteservative” influencers. And in this post- Roe world, the damage this disinformation campaign stands to cause is catastrophic. In fact, for some conservative groups, disinformation about contraceptives is part of a larger campaign to cast gender as something that is rigid and biologically determined, and encourage a return to traditional and oppressive gender roles. However, other content decidedly falls into the category of disinformation: It’s intentionally misleading, and spread by people who have an ideological or financial interest in promoting it. Some of this content is misinformation: It’s misleading, but not intentionally so, and often spread by people who have misinterpreted scientific evidence. But many influencers are promoting FABMs by exaggerating the risks of other methods of contraception-or fabricating new risks entirely-while also failing to give their audiences the kind of detailed information they need to use FABMs effectively. These forms of contraception are perfectly legitimate, and people might prefer them for many reasons, past negative experiences with pharmaceutical options being a common one. This can include tracking the cycle on a calendar as well as measuring biomarkers like basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and urinary hormones-or various combinations of these things. This umbrella term includes a wide range of methods, all intended to help people identify the days of their menstrual cycle on which sex is most likely to lead to pregnancy. So-called “natural” forms of contraception are more scientifically known as fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs). On this front, they have some unusual bedfellows: wellness influencers who are also urging women to toss their pills, take out their IUDs, and do things the “natural way.” And increasingly, they’re coalescing around another message: Birth control is bad for you. While some of this content screams housewife kink (#sandwichmaker #obedientwife), other creators seem entirely earnest and are clearly motivated by conservative Christian-usually evangelical, but sometimes Catholic-beliefs. And along with that means learning how to submit to them, which is a new concept for a lot of women,” a beautiful young woman says, mugging for the camera with subtle makeup and glossy dark hair. “Welcome to the side of TikTok where instead of us, as women, tearing down our guys, our men? We actually uplift them, motivate them, inspire them, and hype them up. But not to worry: “traditional values” content comes in that format as well. Though clearly popular, the video lacked a certain slickness we’ve come to expect on social media: professional-quality lighting, suspiciously poreless skin, carefully chosen camera angles. ![]() the Instagram reel, which has since been taken down, had been viewed over 1.9 million times and had more than 115,000 likes as of March 9. She then solemnly nods along to a clip of a 24-year-old YouTuber and purported “self-made millionaire,” who explains that women working outside the home is a government conspiracy to make more money in taxes, make families weaker, and stop parents from “programming” their kids as they see fit. “The government does not want you to know this,” a young woman says with a conspiratorial look into the camera. ![]()
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