New Delhi, Sep 13 || 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.
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 drives 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.
The team highlighted that many women switch to alternative but less effective forms of contraception. In many cases, side effects were central to their decision to discontinue using oral contraception.