190 sign letter against women’s health censorship

More than 190 organisations, founders, health professionals and campaigners have signed an open letter urging social media platforms to stop censoring women’s health content.

The letter calls on platforms to update moderation policies to reflect medical context and promote gender equity.

Reported examples of censorship include educational posts being flagged for using anatomical terms, health condition videos hidden from visibility, and adverts for women’s health products rejected without clear reason.

Clio Wood and Anna O’Sullivan, co-founders of CensHERship, said: “It’s time to level the playing field for women’s health content.

“This isn’t about isolated errors. It’s about an entire digital ecosystem that treats women’s health as inappropriate.

“This censorship isn’t just frustrating – it’s economically damaging and, in some cases, can cost lives.”

The letter, published by CensHERship and The Case For Her, outlines how LinkedIn removed posts from a femtech founder promoting a menopause product, citing violations of adult content policies.

Facebook and Instagram also rejected adverts for fertility tracking apps, misclassifying them as adult or sexual content.

One Instagram health coach said posts were repeatedly flagged for using the word “vagina” despite the content being educational rather than sexual.

A TikTok creator’s endometriosis videos – about a condition where tissue similar to the womb lining grows outside the uterus – were also hidden from feeds and search results without explanation.

High-profile signatories include figures from businesses such as Essity (Bodyform), Love Honey and Fertility.

The letter states: “We will not replace vagina with ‘V-word’ or refer to menopause as ‘the change.

“We will not avoid topics like libido, discharge, prolapse, or periods – because we need to talk about real bodies, real experiences, and real health concerns.”