Scrolling although #birthcontrol on social media is sort of a field of goodies. You by no means know what you’re going to get.
In a single video, a girl turns to disclose a dramatic weight acquire, blaming contraception capsules. In one other, healthcare suppliers (HCPs) carry out a choreographed dance holding vaginal rings. A 3rd put up says, “Contraception makes you date crappy males.”
Social media makes it simple to place a message — any message, actually — into the world, however media has lengthy influenced conversations about girls’s well being.
Melissa Jordan, a registered nurse, stated she remembers the extremely publicized Girls’s Well being Initiative research in 2002 that incorrectly stated taking estrogen causes breast most cancers. The outcomes of the poorly performed research dominated the information and scared hundreds of thousands of ladies away from secure and efficient hormone remedy. Jordan stated some girls nonetheless imagine these outcomes as a result of there’s a number of misinformation about girls’s well being on the market — particularly on social media.
“There’s little [accurate] info or training concerning menopause. I can solely think about that there’s even much less concerning sexual well being and contraception,” Jordan stated.
On one hand, social media provides extra accessibility to info general. Analysis exhibits some girls, particularly youthful girls, look to social media for perception on necessary subjects like contraception.
However how are you aware what you’re listening to is true? And worse, what if it’s not?
Social media influencers and contraception
“Mis- and dis-information round contraception and sexual well being run rampant on social media,” stated Raegan McDonald-Mosley, M.D., MPH, CEO of the nonprofit group Energy to Determine.
It may be even tougher to inform what’s reality vs. fiction when it seems like the knowledge is coming from a trusted pal. Social media influencers — individuals with a number of followers — can play a component in swaying opinions about contraception. And damaging private experiences can lead individuals to unfold misinformation.
For instance, one research discovered that influencers who had a damaging tone about hormonal contraception exaggerated the dangers and negative effects in comparison with non-hormonal choices.
“Readers ought to be involved as a result of hormonophobia [fear about hormones based on irrational causes] can gas misinformation and forestall girls from making knowledgeable reproductive healthcare selections,” stated Emily Pfender, an creator of the research and Ph.D. candidate on the College of Delaware.
One other research co-authored by Pfender discovered that influencers who talked about stopping hormonal contraception didn’t speak about alternative choices. “This sends a message to viewers that utilizing contraception is just not necessary and will promote dangerous conduct,” Pfender stated. “When influencers did begin a brand new contraception, it was most frequently fertility awareness-based strategies, which have excessive error charges and require particular data to make use of accurately.”
Social media and shared decision-making
Relating to making well being selections in your sexual and reproductive well being, it’s necessary to know the supply behind the knowledge you’re taking in.
When doubtful, McDonald-Mosley stated to ask your self the next questions:
- Is the knowledge from a reputable medical supply or supplier?
- Can you discover the identical info from one other trusted useful resource?
- When was the knowledge you’re revealed?
- Does the individual’s perspective appear overly biased or political?
Robyn Faye, M.D., an OB-GYN and member of HealthyWomen’s Girls’s Well being Advisory Council, stated she turns to her trusted social community — science — when sufferers deliver up questionable theories. “I’ll pull up the newest articles from the CDC database and present them the knowledge I’ve,” she stated. “I actually simply need to argue the purpose and, normally, it really works.”
Faye famous that the majority healthcare suppliers need to have an open dialog in regards to the unusual belongings you learn on social media. They need to take the time to share info and ask questions. This results in shared decision-making and discovering the perfect contraception possibility that works for you, your well being and your reproductive objectives.
Nonetheless, it could be laborious to alter somebody’s opinion in the event that they really feel strongly about what they’ve learn on-line. That is completely high-quality, Faye stated. However she cautioned towards placing an excessive amount of inventory in individuals you don’t know.
Misinformation on social media can have a harmful impact on girls’s well being. But it surely doesn’t need to be this fashion. Data is energy, and confirming any info or considerations along with your HCP can assist you see the entire image — not only a small sq..
McDonald-Mosley stated too many individuals lack general data about reproductive and sexual well being as a result of they by no means realized about it at school or the group. That is the place the optimistic results of social media channels can shine by bridging the hole in accessible well being info.
“Social media is just not all dangerous. It’s, in actual fact, a robust software that can be utilized to succeed in individuals the place they’re with correct info they should take management of their reproductive and sexual well being.”
You possibly can’t belief every little thing you learn on-line. However for those who do analysis and speak to your HCP, you possibly can defend your self from misinformation.
This useful resource was created with help from Organon, a HealthyWomen Company Advisory Council member.
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