Women risking pregnancy over online fad, experts warn

Social media fads are leading young people to risky “alternative” methods of contraception, including weed killer, fruit seeds and even withdrawal as misinformation grows.

Wellness social media fads have popularised “alternative” and ineffective methods to avoid pregnancy – from a natural weed killer to fruit seeds – among young women, experts warn.

Misleading, selective or simply false claims online about contraceptives like the pill or IUD have led to a spike in young couples relying on useless viral – or old school – fads instead.

An estimated 70 per cent of Australian women use contraceptives but Family Planning Alliance Australia chair Caroline Mulcahy said, while misinformation on the topic was not new, it had increased since the pandemic.

“We hear all sorts of things about people using neem oil, which is actually a herbicide, you kill weeds with it,” she said.

“We’ve seen lotions and drinks that are vegetable based … also papaya seeds.

“A lot of boys and girls are now talking about relying on the withdrawal method, and we know that fails.”

She said products and apps suggesting women could accurately track their cycle to identify non-fertile days were also not reliable for avoiding pregnancy.

“They fail about 25 per cent of the time, so we’re not recommending them,” she said.

Ms Mulcahy, also Sexual Health Victoria’s chief executive, said many were “spooked” by a “campaign” spreading on TikTok that told them the pill would make them gain weight, or have other hormonal side effects.

“Once you’ve actually put something in front of a young person, then the algorithm then sends them more and more misinformation … and I think we’re having a difficult time trying to dispel some of that.”

Minsinformation on contraception has increased since the pandemic. Picture: iStock

She said doctors could help women choose the best option for them from a wide variety, including IUDs and other long-acting reversibles, which – despite being the most effective – have a lower uptake in Australia.

“In the last five to ten years there’s been some really great new contraceptives come out into the market, but I don’t think a lot of women know about them,” she said.

Ms Mulcahy joined the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to call for a national education campaign, plus better Medicare rebates for IUDs and contraceptive appointments.

The group pointed to data showing one in five young women aged 18 to 24 get information on contraception from online, while a staggering 70 per cent of women said they had insufficient education.

The survey of a thousand women, commissioned by pharmaceutical and biotech company Bayer, also found 22 per cent of women had an unplanned pregnancy, while almost 40 per cent had taken emergency contraception.

F ederal assistant health minister Ged Kearney says bias against women in the health system is ‘deeply entrenched’.

Ms Mulcahy said women deserved “access to effective and affordable contraceptives, like long-acting reversible contraceptives” and a health system that met “their needs”.

She and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners called for a national education campaign and improved Medicare rebates.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners board chair Dr Lara Roeske said ensuring patients were informed on all their options was “key” to improving health, and GPs should be supported to undergo training on IUD insertion.

Federal assistant health minister Ged Kearney, who met with the group on Thursday to release the report, said bias against women in the health system was “deeply entrenched” and the government was “taking women’s health seriously”.

Originally published as Women risking pregnancy over online fad, experts warn