A local doctor has weighed in on a new viral TikTok trend that urges women to stop taking hormonal birth control.
The health trend, which has racked up thousands of views, promotes the use of natural contraception in place of the contraceptive pill as it claims it is leading to poor body image in women.
Nenagh-based Dr. Mary Ryan, a consultant endocrinologist, says there are also many big positives to using the hormonal contraceptive pill, such as regulating periods and safeguarding against unwanted pregnancies.
She says everyone is different and this trend could be seen as scaremongering.
“I never like scaremongering. It’s fine to use natural methods of contraception if people want to. I suppose the one thing is that they’re not as foolproof as the contraceptive pill. Certainly, all medications, the majority of contraceptive pills, both the oral contraceptive pill and the progestogen-only pill (there are two types), are very, very well tolerated. You’ll always have some patients who don’t suit them, some people they do cause migraine headaches in, and some people who do feel emotional on them. Thankfully, we have a wide range of them, so we can change and find ones that suit people. But you’ll always have some patients that some things don’t suit.”
While she sees the positives of hormonal contraceptive, she says, as a doctor, she says more research is needed on the length of time young girls and women are taking the contraceptive pill.
Dr Ryan says she’s always open to the conversation around all contraceptives, whether natural or hormonal, and welcomes all discussion, as she adds that trends have changed.
“Girls are sexually active now, a lot younger than we ever were. Some girls might be on the oral contraceptive for 20 years; some girls are sexually active from 15 right down to 35. So, it does mean they’re on the pill a lot longer. When I do hear this conversation, it’s great to have, and I always listen because I would love to see, as a doctor and endocrinologist, more research into this area to see if there are even better and safer things, because the oral contraceptive pill is very, very safe, but, obviously, it was never designed that girls were going to be on it for 20 years either. But that’s the way things are happening; people are sexually active from much younger.”
