National Geographic Facing Backlash For Promoting Birth Control And Minimizing Its Effects

This week, National Geographic wrote an article on contraceptives, titled "Birth control pills: What you should and shouldn’t worry about." Except, the article definitely seemed to lean more toward the "don't worry" side of things. In their conclusion, they say pregnancy is far more dangerous than hormonal birth control.

"When it comes to health risks, however, there’s no denying the fact that pregnancy is the most serious of them all, experts say. Pregnancy complications include depression, heart conditions, diabetes, anemia, infection, and death. Meanwhile, maternal mortality rates are rising in the U.S., standing at 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021 compared to a rate of 23.8 in 2020, and 20.1 in 2019," they wrote.

While it did admit that the pill can cause mood swings and even increase the risk of suicide among teenagers, it states that "studies have not found that the pill leads to significant weight gain." Regardless of the existing studies on this topic, many testimonies of women experiencing weight fluctuations on the pill can be found. A quick search of the hashtag #birthcontrollawareness on TikTok yields millions of results, with women detailing their weight gain stories from the pill.

It also touches on how the studies on breast cancer and birth control are "conflicting," adding that risk increases the longer a woman is on birth control. Studies say that women who take the mini-pill (progestogen-only or progestin-only pills) have a 20-30% higher risk of breast cancer than when they weren't taking contraceptives. If a woman is on the mini-pill for five years, that risk for late teens is 8 out of 100,000 women and 265 out of 10,000 women in their late 30s. The risk goes away once they stop taking the pill.

The article also mentions Professor Gillian Reeves, who says there's nothing to be concerned about. "I don't really see that there's any indication here to say that women need to necessarily change what they're doing," he said. "The main purpose of doing this research was really to fill a gap in our knowledge." Is there really nothing to be concerned about, though? Is birth control worth the risk of blood clots, breast cancer, suicidal thoughts, or weight gain?

National Geographic goes on to say that the pill has a chance of protecting women from other cancers, stating that those who used the pill have a 30-50% lower risk of ovarian cancer, and that "you can get pregnant immediately after you stop taking the pill, no matter how long you've been on it." Again, this doesn't sound great, considering hormonal contraceptives are still classified as carcinogens. As for their statement about having the ability to get pregnant after taking the pill – it's not promised. Swedish researcher, Dr. Erik Odeblad, spent years researching cervical mucus.

Cervical mucus plays a crucial role in natural fertility by facilitating the passage of healthy sperm through the cervix and into the uterus. He categorized the mucus into three types (G, L, and S) and suggested that each plays a different role in women's bodies. Dr. Odeblad explains that S type increases the chances of sperm fertilizing an egg, and women on birth control were at risk of diminishing the S-type mucus. “For each year the pill is taken, the cervix ages by an extra year,” he said.

There are a lot of other side effects and chronic health issues that National Geographic failed to touch on, including depression, gut issues, liver tumors, an increased risk of Crohn's disease, depleted vitamin levels and minerals, and heart problems. Luckily, many women who had a negative experience with the pill spoke out against the magazine's biased post on Instagram. "I wonder when as a society we will stop defending pharmaceutical products and start defending women," @empoweredmamamovement wrote in the comment section.

@trip1174 added, "Can we start a lawsuit for all of us who suffered infertility at the hands of BC and big pharma’s push to put women on it in their early teen years!!! #classactionlawsuit."

"Reported for miss-information," said @bellahadidntt. "You are nothing but a propaganda machine. We know. We all know."

@rita.mahon.artist received nearly 10,000 likes on her comment. She wrote, "Thanks for contributing to the gaslighting of millions of women who have suffered severe side effects from birth control… as if it wasn’t enough for our providers to indicate that reported side effects were all in our heads.."

"Who paid for this?" asked @authentically.julie. "Asking for a Pfriend."

Listing all the comments similar to the ones I've shared would take forever. It has garnered over 5,000 replies, and many are from angry women who feel they have been gaslit about birth control.

Two weeks ago, the FDA approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, the Opill. "Today marks a truly momentous day for women's health nationwide," Perrigo President and CEO Patrick Lockwood-Taylor said. A momentous move indeed, since the potential risks it poses to women who take it for extended periods remain uncertain.

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