Not a Conservative Conspiracy: Hormonal Birth Control Has Known Side Effects
NBC News recently published an article slamming anti-hormonal birth control (HBC) sentiments as simple alarmism, not at all backed by science — but several well-known side effects are not heavily debated among the medical community.
The article references conservative media personalities, including Ben Shapiro, Tim Pool, Ashley St. Clair, and Turning Point USA contributor Alex Clark. According to the article, the conservative voices have “coalesced in recent months around talking points that connect birth control with a variety of negative health outcomes, which experts say instill fear in women who could otherwise benefit from using birth control.”
Continuing in its rampage against the holistic ideals that have gained traction on the right, the article states, “Alex Clark, who hosts a pop culture show for the youth conservative messaging organization Turning Point USA, is one conservative woman who has railed against hormonal birth control in recent months.”
Media Matters also criticized Clark for stating that it is her “mission to get young women off this pill.” Writers titled the piece, “Turning Point USA’s Alex Clark is on a misinformation campaign against hormonal birth control.”
Clark has affirmed several times that “Birth control can be right for some in some cases, but we shouldn’t just take it blindly because of acne and we shouldn’t treat it as the default for all women.” In her response to NBC News, Clark said that women should be “radically thoughtful” about what medications they ultimately decide to take. “That starts with understanding the potential side effects, not downplaying them,” she explained.
NBC’s article attempts to show readers that the medical community is not on board with conservative influencers’ messaging surrounding HBC. “They are neglecting the scientific consensus in favor of alarmist sentiments,” the outlet summarized.
To debate just one problem conservatives have with hormonal contraceptives, the NBC article established that a Dutch study from 2018, which found that HBC was linked to an increased risk of suicide, was “disproven” by a more recent study. The newer research coincidentally landed on the exact opposite conclusion from the 2018 study and effectively deemed HBC safe and effective.
The 2018 study, for comparison, followed one million Dutch women over 8 years, with a mean age of 21. The 2022 study “took results from 587,823 women, which represents around 50% of the total number of women in the 15-49 age group in Finland.” The methods used to conduct the studies vary in length and quantity of participants significantly.
There is also conclusive evidence to suggest that contraceptives containing high amounts of estrogen and progesterone “influence neurochemistry, brain function and the activity of neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, and dopamine.” In short, “Progesterone can worsen mood symptoms.”
“There is mounting evidence suggesting a significant relationship between taking oral contraceptive pills and lowered mood and mood disorders such as depression.”
NIH, National Library of Medicine
Less severe but still serious side effects to be aware of before being placed on HBC are headaches, nausea, sore breasts, infections, mood swings, and decreased libido in women. Blood clot formation, medically known as thrombosis, also occurs in “about 9 to 12 out of 10,000 women who regularly take a birth control pill containing desogestrel, gestodene or drospirenone,” and “about 5 to 7 out of 10,000 women who regularly take a birth control pill containing levonorgestrel or norgestimate.”
Additionally, oral contraceptives have been found to cause “key nutrient depletions concern folic acid, vitamins B2, B6, B12, vitamin C and E and the minerals magnesium, selenium, and zinc,” according to the NIH and World Health Organization research.
Another study found in the NIH’s National Library of Medicine states that “There is good evidence that [hormonal contraceptive] use is associated with an increased risk of several serious autoimmune diseases,” the study explains. Researchers linked “Crohn’s disease (which causes inflammation of the bowels), Lupus (which causes inflammation in many organs), and interstitial cystitis (which causes inflammation in the bladder),” and other “rare” autoimmune diseases with HBC use.
“Additionally, it can be argued that the obligation of informed consent compels physicians to discuss these risks with their patients and apprise them of alternative methods to avoid pregnancy that do not increase the risks of autoimmune diseases,” the researchers recommend.
Not a single woman benefits from progressive journalists parroting talking points for large pharmaceutical companies instead of giving credence to conservatives when their concerns have validity.
