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Women’s health content censored and blocked on social media
Nine out of 10 accounts which shared women’s health content said they experienced some form of censorship in the last 12 months
Women’s health and sexual wellness content is being routinely censored or restricted on social media platforms, a new study has found.
Research by the campaign group CensHERship has found content is being incorrectly taken down on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Instead, it is labelled as pornographic because it uses anatomical terms such as “vagina” and “breast”.
In a survey of 54 organisations and creators, nine out of 10 accounts which shared women’s health content said they experienced some form of censorship in the last 12 months. Nearly 40 per cent of respondents had experienced 10 or more separate issues of censorship.
Examples of content censored include advice on how to identify symptoms of cancer, breast exam tips and facts about menstruation.
One respondent revealed that a breast cancer awareness campaign resorted to showing a male nipple instead of a female one to avoid censorship.
“Creators, charities, medical practitioners and brands are being censored constantly through algorithms picking up words like sex, vagina, vulva or period. But you can’t be a period care brand without talking about periods,” said author Clio Wood, co-founder of CensHERship and founder of &Breathe.
“Creators end up using written symbols and numbers to disguise these words and bleep them out in speech to try to get around this censorship, which is just ridiculous.”
She said: “I’ve experienced this first hand on Instagram, with my reach being restricted for simply posting a body confidence reel of me dancing in a bikini.
“What’s especially galling is that every day men’s health topics are left uncensored and hyper-sexualised women’s bodies, unsolicited ‘dick pics’ and fake accounts using nearly naked female profile pictures are making their way into social media feeds and inboxes unchecked. It’s hypocritical.”
Anna O’Sullivan, co-founder of CensHERship and founder of FutureFemHealth, said: “The current rules are damaging and harmful.
“They are preventing charities communicating life-saving education about gynaecological cancers, campaigners battling to break the taboo of menopause, and small businesses trying to share with the world their transformative health solutions. It’s just not right that they aren’t able to reach people.
“This is an entirely avoidable situation if social media platforms agree to adjust their policies to avoid the restriction and censorship of women’s health content.”
The CensHERship campaign aims to now collaborate with social media platforms including Meta to ensure women’s health and sexual wellness content can be shared without censorship.
Following the survey, which ran from 7-20 February, an initial roundtable was held in London on Friday 23 February for creators, brand representatives and charities.
CensHERship is now working on a roadmap for 2024. To get involved please submit your details in the survey here.
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Small bowel microbiome differences between women and men may help explain why some conditions are more common in women, a study suggests.
The small bowel microbiome is the community of microorganisms living in this part of the digestive tract, where they play vital roles in immune function, metabolism and hormonal regulation.
Researchers found differences between women and men in the composition and organisation of these microbial communities. One bacterial community containing Granulicatella was found only in women.
The study was conducted by investigators at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.
Ruchi Mathur, director of clinical research and clinical operations for the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study, said: “One intriguing finding was a bacterial community containing Granulicatella, which we found only in women.
“Bacteria in this community appear at increased levels in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome.”
The researchers also identified differences between women and men in how microbes in the small bowel produce fructans, complex carbohydrates known to trigger digestive symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
IBS is far more common in women than men.
Mathur, who is also a professor of medicine, said: “Our findings show that biological sex is a critical variable in the small bowel microbiome.
“We must consider it as we move toward more personalised approaches to understanding and treating disease.”
An experimental cancer drug reduced bone loss and body fat in mice modelling post-menopausal changes, early research suggests.
The compound, CADD522, appeared to strengthen bones and help the animals stay leaner after surgery designed to mimic hormonal changes seen after menopause.
The treatment remains at an early experimental stage and has so far only been tested in animals.
The study, led by the University of East Anglia, investigated CADD522, which was originally developed to block a protein involved in the growth and spread of several cancers.
Mice treated with the compound for eight weeks showed significant improvements in bone health. Scans found increased bone volume and better preservation of the honeycomb-like structures inside bones that are crucial for strength and resilience.
Blood tests suggested the treatment stimulated new bone growth without interfering with the body’s normal process of breaking down and rebuilding bone.
Dr Darrell Green, lead researcher from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Osteoporosis affects around one in three women over the age of 50, leaving sufferers vulnerable to painful fractures that can seriously impact quality of life.
“Current treatments exist, but many are plagued by side effects, safety concerns or inconvenient dosing schedules that make long-term use difficult.”
The researchers also found that mice receiving CADD522 weighed less than untreated mice despite eating the same amount of food.
They had less body fat and fewer fat deposits in their bone marrow, a process commonly seen after menopause and linked to declining bone health.
The team also examined brain tissue and found that the drug appeared to reverse several menopause-related changes in fatty acids.
Levels of omega-3 fats including DHA remained largely intact, while several other lipid abnormalities shifted back towards healthier patterns.
Green said: “We didn’t directly test for memory or thinking ability, but our work raises questions about whether this drug could one day help address wider menopause-related health problems.”
Safety experiments in mice, rats and dogs found that CADD522 could be taken orally and was well tolerated.
The compound also appeared to be metabolised more slowly in human tissue than in rodents, potentially improving its performance in people.
“This is still in the early stages and has so far only been tested in animals but we hope that the benefits will translate to humans to ultimately reduce fracture rates,” added Green.
The research was led by UEA in collaboration with the University of Maryland, the Scintillon Research Institute in San Diego and the University of Stirling.
Safety testing was funded by The Sir William Coxen Trust as part of the development of CADD522 as a childhood cancer treatment.
Weight loss surgery was linked to more regular periods and fewer polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) symptoms in women aged 18 to 45 living with obesity in a recent study.
The researchers recommend that women undergoing the procedure have access to preconception care and reproductive counselling to support their reproductive health.
Researchers at the University of Surrey analysed data over 24 months from 84 women who underwent bariatric surgery and 18 women living with obesity who did not have surgery.
Of those who underwent surgery, 49 had gastric bypass procedures and 35 had gastric sleeve surgery.
Women who underwent metabolic bariatric surgery lost more than 30kg on average at 12 and 24 months after the procedure.
Among women with polycystic ovaries, the condition persisted in only 10 per cent after 24 months.
Women also reported a resolution of clinical hirsutism, or excess body hair, by 12 months.
Women who had previously experienced irregular periods reported more regular menstrual cycles after surgery.
Professor Martin Whyte, co-author of the study and professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Surrey, said: “A large proportion of those undergoing bariatric surgery are women of reproductive age, who may be planning a pregnancy in the coming years.
“So much remains unknown about the impact of this type of surgery on women who are planning to have children.
“This raises the question of when the ideal time after surgery is to conceive.”
Women have a higher prevalence of obesity than men, with 57 per cent of women in the UK classified as overweight and 27 per cent living with obesity, which can affect fertility and the health of an unborn baby.
The researchers said 17 women had healthy pregnancies following surgery.
Although this was not specifically examined in the study, no difference in birth weight was observed between babies conceived within or after the first year.
Dr Kathryn Hart, co-author of the study and associate professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Surrey, said: “What we have found is that bariatric surgery positively affects the reproductive health of women living with obesity and can improve the likelihood of them having a healthy pregnancy after surgery.
“Dysregulated hormone levels, irregular periods and conditions such as polycystic ovaries are affected by obesity.
“By reducing this, what we have seen is that it can lead to improvements without the need for medication.
“We would suggest that clinicians consider medical intervention for obesity to treat irregularities in the menstrual cycle and issues with fertility.”
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