Birth Control - The Biggest Myths

Everyone’s got a myth or two about birth control they want cleared up. Like... is 'pulling out' AKA withdrawal really such a bad

Everyone’s got a myth or two about birth control they want cleared up. Like... is 'pulling out' AKA withdrawal really such a bad idea? Does the pill change your brain? Are IUDs safe? And why isn’t there a pill for men, already?! We ask gynecologist Dr. Amita Murthy, neuroendocrinologist Dr. Nicole Petersen, men’s health researcher Prof. Robert McLachlan and a whole roomful of experts on sex -- teenagers.

UPDATE 05/12/17: We have updated this episode to further emphasize that the pre-cum studies are only very small. Use withdrawal at your own peril!


Check out our full transcript here.


Selected readings:

• The Guttmacher report on unintended pregnancies
• Nicole’s research on the brain
• The Nurses’ Health Study results on oral contraceptives
• A history of the Dalkon Shield
• The latest on male contraception

Credits: This episode has been produced by Wendy Zukerman, Shruti Ravindran, Heather Rogers and Rose Rimler. Our senior producer is Kaitlyn Sawrey. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Extra editing help from Alex Blumberg and Eric Mennel. Fact checking by Michelle Harris. Sound design by Martin Peralta and Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord. 
An extra thanks to Dr Aparna Sundaram at the Guttmacher Institute, Dr Sarah Prager, Prof Brittany Charlton, Dr Lisa Iversen, Prof James Trussell, Dr Sara Holton. Big thank you to Libby Shafer and all the Chicago teens, plus Jonathan Goldstein and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show from Gimlet Media that finds out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. We do the hard work of sifting through all the science so you don't have to. This season we tackle alcohol, fasting diets, DNA tests, race and the fertility cliff.