{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T13:11:27Z","timestamp":1784812287164,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]],"date-time":"2025-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752019200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Glob. Women\u2019s Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Research regarding the period after the discontinuation of oral contraceptives remains largely confined to the return of fertility and menstruation, reflecting a narrow and medicalizing approach to sexual and reproductive health. Still, beyond this biomedical discourse, there is a growing debate concerning the experiences of those who discontinue oral contraception. This debate gravitates around the term \u201cpost-birth control syndrome\u201d and mostly takes place in various online communities.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>In this perspective, we aim to explore this discourse on German and English language (social) media and highlight how the absence of reliable studies creates a void that is actively filled by commercial agendas, unchecked online information, and personal accounts.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Argument<\/jats:title><jats:p>Instead of merely turning to the internet because of insufficient research, it is the commercial exploitation of this gap that intensifies certain narratives, risking spreading misinformation and disempowering former pill users by depriving them of scientific perspectives on their health. We emphasize the necessity of addressing this gap through feminist research that prioritizes biopsychosocial well-being, including its structural dimensions, rather than focusing solely on reproductive outcomes. Bridging this knowledge gap requires classical clinical and socioepidemiological research into post-pill physiological mechanisms and contexts, complemented by qualitative studies capturing user experiences.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>By shifting contraceptive health research towards comprehensive, user-centered perspectives, feminist science can empower individuals to make informed decisions and promote contraceptive autonomy within medical and public health frameworks.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fgwh.2025.1556810","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,10]],"date-time":"2025-07-10T05:46:33Z","timestamp":1752126393000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Bridging the knowledge gap: a feminist lens on the post-birth control syndrome and media narratives"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Jana","family":"Niemann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amand","family":"F\u00fchrer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2055-3160","article-title":"Nutzung und bewertung von verh\u00fctungsinformationen in sozialen medien: eine interviewstudie mit jugendlichen und jungen erwachsenen","volume":"36","author":"D\u00f6ring","year":"2023","journal-title":"Z Sex"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"116081","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2023.116081","article-title":"Interrogating the pill: rising distrust and the reshaping of health risk perceptions in the social media age","volume":"331","author":"Schneider-Kamp","year":"2023","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"80","DOI":"10.1080\/13625187.2018.1563067","article-title":"Contraception and the media: lessons past, present and future","volume":"24","author":"Foran","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1016\/S0277-5395(02)00280-7","article-title":"Bodies, health, gender\u2014bridging feminist theories and women\u2019s health","volume":"25","author":"Kuhlmann","year":"2002","journal-title":"Womens Stud Int Forum"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0002959","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0002959","article-title":"Towards a feminist global health policy: power, intersectionality, and transformation","volume":"4","author":"Eger","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Glob Public Health"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"844","DOI":"10.1089\/whr.2022.0032","article-title":"Evidence-based medicine: feminist criticisms and implications for women\u2019s health","volume":"3","author":"Merone","year":"2022","journal-title":"Womens Health Rep"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/17455057251338401","article-title":"Expectations versus reality: two cross-sectional studies on expected and experienced discontinuation symptoms in current and former contraceptive pill users","volume":"21","author":"Wienand","year":"2025","journal-title":"Womens Health"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e057089","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2021-057089","article-title":"What happens when you stop using the combined contraceptive pill? 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