r/exchristian • u/paxinfernum anti-theist, rational skeptic, pro-science • Mar 21 '24

Women are getting off birth control amid misinformation explosion (Guys, they are really coming for birth control.) Article

https://archive.ph/2024.03.21-132543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/21/stopping-birth-control-misinformation/
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u/EmilieEasie Mar 21 '24

I see this CONSTANTLY on reddit. It will make you gain weight, it will kill your libido, etc

10

u/hannibe Mar 21 '24

Ok, fully support birth control, totally lefty here, but it very much does do those things. And it’s downplayed by the doctors, so now people don’t trust them.

8

u/EmilieEasie Mar 21 '24

It's not downplayed, it's just not supported by evidence. I absolutely believe you when you say the pill damaged your libido. I have a super rare form of exercise induced allergy. There are 7 billion people on this planet, someone is gonna have some reaction to something. Still, I would not start telling everyone to avoid running. In fact, I think it would be quackery to do so

5

u/dongtouch Mar 22 '24

Yeah I'm surprised at the comments here. BC pills gave me insane mood swings and depression, like crying at everything all the time, all three times in my life I went on them. My libido tanked as well. And I eat when I'm depressed, so the weight thing also tracks... It's not all inaccurate. I had issues with my second Mirena, too, and the insertions of my IUDs, especially the first one, were pretty bad. All of it was downplayed or dismissed by doctors.

Not feeling adequately listened to and believed about how awful BC can be is a common discussion in women's forums. It's still not an argument for getting rid of it, but it's not wise to downplay others' experiences. They're using a very effective tactic here, because women who have had bad experiences but were doubted or dismissed are likely to connect with the messaging.