"Charlotte Freed first got a hormonal IUD when she was a teenager. She wasn't sexually active at the time, but she wanted to be protected from pregnancy before she started college. This was also a time when she experienced anxiety, depression and fatigue. But it wasn't until a friend of hers quit her birth control, and recommended a book on the topic, that Freed started wondering if the two could be related."
"It was really upsetting and almost like a little disturbing that no doctor had ever brought it up, said Freed, now 27. At that point, Freed had had an IUD for about eight years. I kind of just [wanted] to, like, meet myself in a way that I hadn't since I was 16, 17, she said. And, you know, maybe I would experience some changes in my mental, emotional, physical well-being that I didn't even really know were a possibility."
"Social media is full of stories from women like Freed quitting or questioning hormonal birth control but not because they want to get pregnant. Some are concerned about effects on their mood and mental health. Others say doctors dismissed their complaints about weight gain, nausea and decreased sex drive. But doctors and researchers say misleading and inaccurate claims about birth control which decades of research has shown to be safe and effective abound on social platforms."
Charlotte Freed received a hormonal IUD as a teenager for pregnancy prevention and experienced anxiety, depression and fatigue over several years before questioning a link after a friend's recommendation. She removed the IUD seeking changes in mental, emotional and physical well-being. Social platforms contain many similar personal accounts of quitting or questioning hormonal contraception over mood, weight, nausea and libido concerns. Medical professionals and researchers warn that misleading claims circulate widely online and emphasize that decades of research supports the safety and effectiveness of birth control. Clinicians such as OBGYN Jennifer Lincoln create content to counter myths and provide accurate information.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]