Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, is newly FDA approved — making birth control more accessible than ever. But birth control pill use has declined, and a wave of women on TikTok have been using #PillTok to talk about the uncomfortable side effects of the pill and other forms of hormonal contraception. Joined by Ali Rodriguez (MD) and Sarah Hill (PhD), Sheena investigates how the sex hormones in the pill affect our body’s functioning, what other hormonal and non-hormonal contraception options are out there, and what researchers are doing to advance male birth control.
Please SUBSCRIBE! ►► bit.ly/pbsvitals
Let’s Connect:
IG: instagram.com/pbsvitals
Twitter: twitter.com/pbsvitals
Facebook: facebook.com/pbsvitals
Find our experts and hosts:
:: Sheena William, RN ::
Twitter: @Keepingitkinky1
Instagram: @keepingitkinky
:: Ali Rodriguez, MD ::
TikTok: @alirodmd
Instagram: @alirodmd
::Sarah Hill, PhD::
Instagram: @sarahehillphd
Twitter: @sarahehillphd
Website: sarahehill.com
::Adam Bengis::
TikTok: @AdamBengis
Instagram: @AdamBengis
Learn more about hormonal & non-hormonal birth control:
- plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control
- webmd.com/sex/birth-control/non-hormonal-birth-control-options
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-different-nonhormonal-birth-control-option-202108302582
- my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22464-hormones
- plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-birth-control-pill
The Pill, Its Side Effects, & Social Media
- ttps://refinery29.com/en-gb/pcos-pill-mongering-tiktok
- refinery29.com/en-us/coming-off-hormonal-pill-experience
- cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a18930043/are-young-women-over-the-pill
The Pill’s Social Impact
- academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/121/1/289/1849021?redirectedFrom=fulltext
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24988652/#:~:text=We%20estimate%20that%20early%20legal,employment%20status%2C%20and%20household%20composition
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8099178
Male birth control
- pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/feature/new-approaches-to-male-contraception
- endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2018/dimethandrolone-undecanoate-shows-promise-as-a-male-birth-control-pill
- malecontraceptive.org/uploads/1/3/1/9/131958006/reproductive_health_summit_male_ct_research_feb2023.pdf
- acs.org/pressroom/newsreleases/2022/march/non-hormonal-pill-could-soon-expand-mens-birth-control-options.html
Studies mentioned:
- kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/oral-contraceptive-pills
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23743450
- jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2552796
- cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-psychiatric-sciences/article/populationbased-cohort-study-of-oral-contraceptive-use-and-risk-of-depression/B3C611DD318D7DC536B4BD439343A5BD
This episode of Vitals is licensed exclusively to YouTube.
00:00 Intro: The Pill, Side effects, & Male Birth Control
01:49 How does the pill work?
03:18 Different Birth Control, Different Outcomes
03:48 The Pill’s Impact
04:39 Hormonal birth control: Why the side effects?
06:59 The pill and your mood/behavior
08:01 Other birth control options?
10:23 Male Birth Control
12:29 Outro/Sheena’s Story
Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, is newly FDA approved — making birth control more accessible than ever. But birth control pill use has declined, and a wave of women on TikTok have been using #PillTok to talk about the uncomfortable side effects of the pill and other forms of hormonal contraception. Joined by Ali Rodriguez (MD) and Sarah Hill (PhD), Sheena investigates how the sex hormones in the pill affect our body’s functioning, what other hormonal and non-hormonal contraception options are out there, and what researchers are doing to advance male birth control.
Please SUBSCRIBE! ►► bit.ly/pbsvitals
Let’s Connect:
IG: instagram.com/pbsvitals
Twitter: twitter.com/pbsvitals
Facebook: facebook.com/pbsvitals
Find our experts and hosts:
:: Sheena William, RN ::
Twitter: @Keepingitkinky1
Instagram: @keepingitkinky
:: Ali Rodriguez, MD ::
TikTok: @alirodmd
Instagram: @alirodmd
::Sarah Hill, PhD::
Instagram: @sarahehillphd
Twitter: @sarahehillphd
Website: sarahehill.com
::Adam Bengis::
TikTok: @AdamBengis
Instagram: @AdamBengis
Learn more about hormonal & non-hormonal birth control:
- plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control
- webmd.com/sex/birth-control/non-hormonal-birth-control-options
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-different-nonhormonal-birth-control-option-202108302582
- my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22464-hormones
- plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-birth-control-pill
The Pill, Its Side Effects, & Social Media
- ttps://refinery29.com/en-gb/pcos-pill-mongering-tiktok
- refinery29.com/en-us/coming-off-hormonal-pill-experience
- cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a18930043/are-young-women-over-the-pill
The Pill’s Social Impact
- academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/121/1/289/1849021?redirectedFrom=fulltext
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24988652/#:~:text=We%20estimate%20that%20early%20legal,employment%20status%2C%20and%20household%20composition
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8099178
Male birth control
- pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/feature/new-approaches-to-male-contraception
- endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2018/dimethandrolone-undecanoate-shows-promise-as-a-male-birth-control-pill
- malecontraceptive.org/uploads/1/3/1/9/131958006/reproductive_health_summit_male_ct_research_feb2023.pdf
- acs.org/pressroom/newsreleases/2022/march/non-hormonal-pill-could-soon-expand-mens-birth-control-options.html
Studies mentioned:
- kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/oral-contraceptive-pills
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23743450
- jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2552796
- cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-psychiatric-sciences/article/populationbased-cohort-study-of-oral-contraceptive-use-and-risk-of-depression/B3C611DD318D7DC536B4BD439343A5BD
This episode of Vitals is licensed exclusively to YouTube.
00:00 Intro: The Pill, Side effects, & Male Birth Control
01:49 How does the pill work?
03:18 Different Birth Control, Different Outcomes
03:48 The Pill’s Impact
04:39 Hormonal birth control: Why the side effects?
06:59 The pill and your mood/behavior
08:01 Other birth control options?
10:23 Male Birth Control
12:29 Outro/Sheena’s Story
