https://www.tuko.co.ke/business-economy/technology/548038-attacking-birth-control-pills-influencers-push-misinformation/
US wellness influencers are increasingly targeting birth control pills, pushing their followers to abandon the contraceptives with false claims about infertility and low libido that researchers say leave them vulnerable to unintended pregnancies.
The explosion of misinformation on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram comes as reproductive rights take center stage in the looming presidential election, in a country where abortion is banned or restricted in nearly half the states.
Many influencers -- who are not licensed medical specialists -- are part of what appears to be a cottage industry of self-proclaimed health gurus monetizing misinformation as they hawk "healing" oils and fertility-tracking services.
People seeking reliable information about contraception are met with internet personalities overemphasizing the side effects of pills.
That includes Taylor Gossett, a TikTok influencer with nearly 200,000 followers who explicitly called the medication "toxic" alongside offers to join her "master class" in "natural" birth control.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens suggested on TikTok that birth control causes infertility problems, while "life coach" Naftali Moses told his 280,000 followers that it "changes your sexual behavior."
Podcaster Sahara Rose called birth control the "divorce pill" in a video viewed more than 550,000 times, claiming it impacts who "you're attracted to" and leads users to choose the wrong mate.
The pill's effect on libido has been debated for decades, with some women complaining of impacts on their sex drive.
But while some women may experience such side effects, medical experts say individual experiences do not represent widespread causal links.
Experts also say there is no direct causal evidence that birth control pills lead to widespread infertility or altered attraction and sexual behavior.