#birth-control

#birth-control

Before that, I had no idea that I had a genetic blood-clotting disorder. Nearly 20 years later, I panic inside when I see birth control being sold over the counter, knowing that other women could have the same experience I did and that some won't survive. I really wish women were required to be tested for blood clotting disorders before they're prescribed birth control! I escaped with permanent vascular damage to most of the deep veins in my leg, but it could have been fatal.

In the 1960s it was considered a watershed moment of liberation for women. Now, a new generation is being inundated with messages online that birth control is evil and poison. Across social media feeds, influencers are venting about hormonal contraception. Some are spreading false claims that taking synthetic hormones causes infertility, or can even be responsible for bad romantic decisions because you are attracted to different men than you would be if you were off the pill.

On TikTok and Instagram, a chorus of young influencers are advising women in their age bracket to ditch their hormonal birth control pills, saying they cause a cavalcade of problems for physical and mental health. The only problem? Unless you also ditch men entirely, going off birth control means it's statistically way likelier that you're going to get pregnant. Look no further than a Texas-based young woman named Ashley Hamrick,