Social media may be discouraging use of contraceptive pills among women: study

Social media may be driving negative opinion on contraceptive pills, leading to women discontinuing birth control drugs within two years of starting them, according to a study.

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Researchers at the University of Sheffield identified a “nocebo effect” in relation to the contraceptive pill, where psychological factors such as negative expectations or anxiety about using a medicine drive a physical response in the body when the medicine is taken.

Nocebo responses to the oral contraceptive pill are real and can include feelings of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. The nocebo effect is the “evil twin” to the placebo effect, where people get a positive boost from taking a dummy tablet or pill.