TY - JOUR
T1 - YouTube and the implementation and discontinuation of the oral contraceptive pill
T2 - A mixed-method content analysis
AU - Niemann, Jana
AU - Wicherski, Lea
AU - Glaum, Lisa
AU - Schenk, Liane
AU - Stadler, Getraud
AU - Richter, Matthias
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Niemann et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2024/5
Y1 - 2024/5
N2 - Background Women living in high-quality healthcare systems are more likely to use oral contraceptives at some point in their lives. Research findings have sparked controversial discussions about contraception in the scientific community and the media, potentially leading to higher rates of method discontinuation. Understanding the underlying motives for method discontinuation is crucial for reproductive health equity and future programming interventions. To address this question, this study aims to explore women’s experiences of oral contraceptive use and discontinuation on YouTube. Methods A concurrent explanatory mixed-methods design was used to conduct content analysis of German YouTube videos. The information from 175 videos of 158 individuals was extracted through quantitative descriptive content analysis. Twenty-one individuals were included in the qualitative content analysis. Findings The body was a recurring theme in the pill biographies. Women described, for example, bodily sensations as reasons for taking and stopping the pill. They also described positive and negative side effects while taking the pill and after stopping. The most common side effects of taking the pill mentioned by YouTubers were mood swings (76/158), weight gain (45/158), headaches (33/158), and depressed mood (45/158). The symptoms after discontinuation reported most were facial skin impurities (108/158), decreased mood swings (47/ 158), hair loss (42/158), and weight loss (36/158). Overall, women overwhelmingly rated their discontinuation experience as positive (87/91). Conclusions The study identified key symptoms of oral contraceptive initiation and discontinuation by portraying the experiences of female YouTubers, adding valuable insights to the understanding of method initiation and discontinuation. Further research is needed to explore women’s personal experiences with method discontinuation beyond the YouTube platform.
AB - Background Women living in high-quality healthcare systems are more likely to use oral contraceptives at some point in their lives. Research findings have sparked controversial discussions about contraception in the scientific community and the media, potentially leading to higher rates of method discontinuation. Understanding the underlying motives for method discontinuation is crucial for reproductive health equity and future programming interventions. To address this question, this study aims to explore women’s experiences of oral contraceptive use and discontinuation on YouTube. Methods A concurrent explanatory mixed-methods design was used to conduct content analysis of German YouTube videos. The information from 175 videos of 158 individuals was extracted through quantitative descriptive content analysis. Twenty-one individuals were included in the qualitative content analysis. Findings The body was a recurring theme in the pill biographies. Women described, for example, bodily sensations as reasons for taking and stopping the pill. They also described positive and negative side effects while taking the pill and after stopping. The most common side effects of taking the pill mentioned by YouTubers were mood swings (76/158), weight gain (45/158), headaches (33/158), and depressed mood (45/158). The symptoms after discontinuation reported most were facial skin impurities (108/158), decreased mood swings (47/ 158), hair loss (42/158), and weight loss (36/158). Overall, women overwhelmingly rated their discontinuation experience as positive (87/91). Conclusions The study identified key symptoms of oral contraceptive initiation and discontinuation by portraying the experiences of female YouTubers, adding valuable insights to the understanding of method initiation and discontinuation. Further research is needed to explore women’s personal experiences with method discontinuation beyond the YouTube platform.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85194177968&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0302316
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0302316
M3 - Article
C2 - 38787833
AN - SCOPUS:85194177968
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 19
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 5 May
M1 - e0302316
ER -