Posted by Experts have raised concerns about a recent TikTok trend urging women to ditch hormonal birth control. The trend promotes “natural” contraception alternatives, & has gained attention with videos earning hundreds of thousands of views. And according to users who have participated, hormonal contraception such as the Pill has caused them to feel less attractive while others reported experiencing side effects such as weight gain, acne, and depression.
These claims from the trend have alarmed experts and sparked a debate about the potential risks of the back-to-nature movement, as it has been called.
Instead of using hormonal contraception, many women are now relying on apps that track their menstrual cycles and using temperature data to determine their fertility window, signaling when protection should be used. While relying on menstrual cycle tracking apps is a popular trend among women, it is not always reliable, with many reporting unwanted pregnancies.
But then, the hashtag #gettingoffbirthcontrol has gained significant traction on TikTok, with over 7 million views.
Some videos claim that natural family planning methods are up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy, while others highlight the negative effects of hormonal contraception. For example, a video posted by @pcos.teacher shares her personal experience of having adverse effects such as cystic acne, weight gain, and negative impacts on mood and libido from trying five to six types of hormonal birth control.
@pcos.teacher also provided a link to the fertility app Natural Cycles, writing: ‘Use code PCOS for 20 per cent off your subscription (link in bio). Natural Cycles is for 18+ and does not protect against STIs.’
The menstrual cycle tracking apps typically require women to measure their temperature daily and record the data in the app. The app uses an algorithm to analyze the data and calculate the user’s fertility window. It then generates “green days” when it is less likely to conceive and “red days” when contraception is necessary to avoid pregnancy. Dr. Janet Barter, the Chair and President of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, has expressed concern on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.
Dr. Janet spoke on the influence of social media on patients seeking contraception information while stating that this issue had been a concern for her and her colleagues.
She added: ‘Every day I speak to women who are absolutely terrified of using hormonal contraception. Terrified to start, worrying about whether they should come off it, because they’re hearing information that it’s risky or that it’s going to give them side effects. We’re always also keen for there to be more research into hormonal contraception.’
Dr. Janet continued, ‘But what we do know is that it’s extremely safe. So, the Pill for example has probably had more research on its safety than any other tablet that you might swallow.’ Common side effects of the pill are said to include nausea, breast tenderness or enlargement, headaches, weight gain, missed periods, mood changes, decreased sex drive, and vaginal discharge. There are also rare side effects, including the formation of blood clots, high blood pressure, liver tumors, and risk of breast cancer.
But Dr Janet insisted, ‘We also know about its [the Pill’s] effectiveness and we know that any method of hormonal contraception, so that’s the Pill but also the patch, vaginal ring, the hormonal IUD, the implant, we know exactly their effectiveness, we know a lot about their side effects.’
‘We do know that some women do suffer from mood changes or want another method of contraception. But it’s so important that they have the chance to have a conversation with a healthcare professional, so they can work out what the problem is and what they could do instead.’ Yet recent TikTok videos include @breakupwithbirthcontrol, who told her followers: ‘I have used the fertility awareness method for the last five years of my life to successfully prevent unwanted pregnancy, to heal my PMS, to finally lose my stubborn belly fat and to stop having such intense mood swings and depression and anxiety.’
In another video with over 17,000 views, TikTok user @angelinanicollle wrote ‘when you thought you were ugly, hated yourself, had zero sex drive and felt like a robot everyday but you realized it was just because you were on birth control’. Another TikTok account @leeann5.oh shared photos of herself while using birth control and after stopping taking the pill. ‘On birth control, unable to control my weight. So unhappy/depressed,’ she wrote.
Research indicates that hormonal contraception does not directly cause weight gain. However, it may increase appetite in some women, which could lead to weight gain. According to the NHS, natural fertility awareness methods of contraception, such as tracking cycle length and changes in cervical secretions, can be up to 99% effective if used consistently and correctly. ‘Natural family planning can be very effective if it’s done perfectly,’ Dr Janet noted.
She continued, ‘But doing it perfectly involves a huge amount of input. So, the temperature can be affected by all sorts of things: travel, changes to your sleep pattern, if you’re not well that can affect your temperature change.’
‘Not everybody logs their periods every month and of course, it involves not having sex on the days when it’s not safe to have sex, which is around ovulation, which is the time that most women feel like having sex. And if in fact you have sex, but you protect yourself with a condom, then the effectiveness of that is only as good as the effectiveness of the condom. So, we would feel that these methods are good if you’re someone for whom pregnancy wouldn’t be a disaster.’
‘But for each woman, you have to look at your priorities at this particular point in your life and think about what’s most important. If not getting pregnant is the most important thing, then one of these apps probably isn’t for you.’ The growing trend towards natural, hormone-free, and non-invasive methods of contraception gained popularity after the UK began offering the Pill as over-the-counter contraception. This landmark decision was announced in 2021 and was seen as a significant step forward.
As a result, fertility apps such as Natural Cycles, Flo, and Clue have gained millions of users worldwide, as they offer an alternative to traditional hormonal contraceptives. Currently, the Swedish-based fertility app, Natural Cycles, claims to be 93% effective with typical use and 98% effective with perfect use. For comparison, condoms are 98% effective with perfect use, while the Pill, implant, IUS, and IUD are 99% effective with perfect use, according to the NHS. Natural Cycles allows its users to either plan or prevent pregnancy, with prevention being the most popular use among young women.
Lauren Hanafin, the head of brand and communications at Natural Cycles, told MailOnline today: ‘Almost all fertility apps are not intended to be used as contraception and should not be used or marketed as such.’ Lauren added, ‘Natural Cycles, while an app, is a regulated medical device and is intended to be used to prevent pregnancy in the US and Europe. We’ve received the proper regulatory clearances as well as do a lot of work to educate women on the differences between fertility apps and a birth control app as they are very different in terms of how they work and their effectiveness when it comes to preventing pregnancy.’
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