Social Media Fueling Negative Perceptions of Contraceptive Pills Among Women, Finds Study

New Delhi — A new study has revealed that social media is playing a significant role in shaping negative opinions about contraceptive pills, which is contributing to many women discontinuing the use of birth control drugs within two years of starting them.

The research, conducted by the University of Sheffield, identified what is known as the “nocebo effect” in relation to oral contraceptives. This phenomenon occurs when psychological factors—such as negative expectations, fear, or anxiety about taking a medicine—trigger actual physical symptoms once the medicine is consumed.

According to the researchers, nocebo responses to the oral contraceptive pill are genuine and can manifest as depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The nocebo effect is described as the “evil twin” of the placebo effect, where people experience positive outcomes even from taking an inactive pill.

The study noted that due to these negative perceptions and experiences, many women choose to abandon the pill in favor of alternative contraceptive methods, which in several cases are less effective. For most of the participants, side effects were the primary reason behind their decision to stop using oral contraception.

Dr. Rebecca Webster, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sheffield, explained:

“The contraceptive pill receives a lot of negative attention, particularly on social media, and we were interested in how these negative views could be influencing the way women are experiencing oral contraception. The side effects are very real, but could some of them have a psychological component? If they do, that means we could develop interventions to help people deal with them.”

The findings, published in the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, were based on the participation of 275 women aged between 18 and 45. All of them had been on the contraceptive pill at some point during the past 18 months. They were invited to take part in an online survey to record their experiences.

A statistical analysis of the data revealed four key psychological factors associated with women reporting negative side effects:

1. Having negative expectations from the start that the medicine would be harmful.

2. Lacking confidence in how medicines are developed.

3. Believing that medicines are overused and generally harmful.

4. Considering themselves highly sensitive to medicines.

Strikingly, almost every woman in the study (97 percent) reported experiencing at least one side effect while on the pill. Over the 18-month observation period, 149 women (54.2 percent) continued to use oral contraception. However, 126 women (45.8 percent) discontinued its use, with 42 of them switching to alternative forms of contraception.

With inputs from IANS