Podcast Summary: Short Wave – "Do Birth Control Side Effects Make It Worth Skipping?"

Date: November 10, 2025
Hosts: Emily Kwong (NPR), Katia Riddle (Science Desk Correspondent)
Featured Guest: Dr. Jennifer Conti (Obstetrician Gynecologist, Stanford University)

Episode Overview

This Short Wave episode dives into a timely and contentious topic: misinformation about hormonal birth control, especially as it spreads among health influencers on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Hosts Emily Kwong and Katia Riddle, with expert input from Dr. Jennifer Conti, explore how these influencers’ narratives impact public perception, the real risks and side effects of contraceptives, and why evidence-based conversation with healthcare professionals is critical.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of Health Influencers and Misinformation

[00:25-01:29]

• Katia Riddle flags a trend: health influencers now hold significant sway over healthcare decisions, especially for under-35s.
  • 38% of respondents in an Edelman survey trust social media over physicians.
• Influencers are spreading unverified, sometimes outright false, claims about birth control.
  • Common claims include destroyed gut biome, skin issues, depression, weight changes, loss of libido, and even personality changes.
  • Katia: “Some of those [claims] are totally manufactured. Hormonal birth control does not change your personality.” [02:03]

2. The Scope of the Problem on Social Media

[02:29-04:55]

• A Latrobe University study analyzed 100 top TikTok videos on contraception:
  • Only 10% were by medical professionals.
  • Over half discouraged hormonal birth control and a third explicitly distrusted healthcare professionals.
  • Katia: “There was a ‘prominent prevalence of misinformation’ is how they phrased it.” [04:44]
• Emily observes that this trend pulls people into “a bit of a rabbit hole of perhaps conspiracy-minded approaches to thinking about contraception.” [04:55]

3. Real-World Impact: Clinical Encounters

[05:05-07:57]

• Dr. Shereen Ghorbani (Planned Parenthood, Utah) notes that access to reproductive info is already hard in rural/restrictive-law states, amplifying reliance on influencers.
• Dr. Jennifer Conti regularly has to debunk social media myths in clinic.
  • She emphasizes empathy when patients quote online stories:
    Dr. Conti: “Yes, absolutely, I understand that that sounds hard. Here’s why that’s sort of overblown or not completely accurate. Like, that's only a part of the picture.” [06:05]
• Patient stories from influencers (like embedded IUDs) get widely shared but are extremely rare—e.g., uterine perforation occurs in about 1 in 1,000 cases, and is treatable.
  • Katia: “People posting about these things on social media, of course, don’t have an obligation to explain these statistics.” [07:29]

4. Context is Key: Actual Risks vs. Perception

[07:57-09:49]

• Outlier negative testimonials online often lack vital context, especially about likelihood and treatability.
• Dr. Conti: “Much more common…is an unplanned pregnancy without the use of contraception.” [08:19]
• Doctors stress the need for individualized conversations—neither AI nor Google can account for personal medical nuances:
  • Dr. Conti: “There’s no way that Google or AI is going to have your exact answer to your exact question for your exact body…” [08:55]
• The importance of professional, nuanced risk assessment, especially for known complications like rare blood clots.

5. Advocacy and Barriers to Care

[10:02-10:24]

• Many women report feeling dismissed by providers or having limited access/time for thorough healthcare conversations.
  • Katia: “You may have to advocate for yourself… or even try different providers.” [10:13]
• Emily notes the added challenge of lack of access to care for many.

6. Understanding and Weighing Side Effects

[10:26-11:33]

• Katia and Jeffrey Jensen, MD (Oregon Health and Science University), highlight that some uncertainty about side effects is unavoidable.
  • Doctors can clarify likelihood: “Common, uncommon, extremely rare.”
  • The risk of not using birth control—unintended pregnancy—often outweighs most side effects.
  • Dr. Jensen: “The exposure to pregnancy means… their ability to avoid it means the ability to be equal players in all aspects of modern life.” [11:08]

7. Pregnancy as Medical and Societal Context

[11:45-12:40]

• Katia contextualizes pregnancy as both a health risk and a factor limiting women's independence and earning power.
  • “The critique of birth control is… not taking into account the full picture. They're not talking about the risks involved in having an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.” [12:08]

8. Final Takeaways

[12:25-13:02]

• Discussions about hormonal birth control need nuance and full context, which social media rarely provides.
• Katia: “It is important to consider your own risk tolerance for pregnancy and access to reproductive freedoms when thinking about the role of birth control.” [12:40]
• Emily encourages listeners to ask their own “health vs. hype” questions for the show.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Misinformation’s Reach:
  Katia: “Over a third of Gen Z is getting their medical advice from sources like Instagram or TikTok?” [01:08]
• On Testimonial Stories:
  Dr. Jennifer Conti: “It’s just kind of an exercise with each person… okay, so this was only an n of 1, meaning only one person had this experience.” [06:33]
• On Context and Probability:
  Emily: “Without that context and knowing the probable risks, people don’t really know how to think about birth control.” [07:57]
• On Limits of AI Advice:
  Dr. Conti: “You are your own unique being and, you know, even AI, that's pooling tons and tons of different people's experiences, not your own.” [09:41]
• On Pregnancy & Social Impact:
  Dr. Jensen: “…the ability to avoid [pregnancy] means their ability to be equal players in all aspects of modern life.” [11:18]
• On Comprehensive Conversation:
  Katia: “Hormonal birth control needs to be talked about in a far more comprehensive, nuanced way.” [12:25]

Notable Timestamps by Segment

• Social Media Influence on Health: [00:25 – 01:29]
• Prevalence of Misinformation on TikTok: [02:29 – 04:55]
• Impact at Clinics & Real Patient Stories: [05:05 – 07:57]
• Doctors’ Strategies for Addressing Claims: [06:05 – 06:49]
• Power and Limits of Online Advice: [08:55 – 09:49]
• Patient Advocacy and Barriers: [10:02 – 10:24]
• Side Effects vs. Pregnancy Risk: [10:40 – 12:08]
• Summary and Call for Nuance: [12:25 – 13:02]

Summary Tone

Informative, empathetic, lightly humorous, and accessible. The hosts maintain a conversational, non-judgmental tone, aiming to empower listeners with context and evidence rather than fear.

Conclusion

This episode explores why nuanced, science-based information about hormonal birth control is essential—and why it can be difficult to find amid the noise of social media “health” influencers. Main takeaway: medical decisions are best made in partnership with qualified healthcare providers who can consider personal histories, not through viral outlier testimonials or AI search results.

For questions or topics, listeners can write to the show at shortwave@npr.org.