Rejecting the contraceptive pill. Times are changing faster than physicians’ minds: Gen Z’s pledge to be listened to

The conflict between Gen Zs and Baby Boomers is becoming evident also in the choice of contraception. In the last decades Western countries have witnessed a considerable drop in the number of women taking combined oral contraceptives and a simultaneous surge in the use of non-hormonal methods of contraception. Authors have attributed such trend to the dissatisfaction with side effects of hormonal contraceptives as well as to hormone hesitancy, which appears to be amplified by social media. However, blaming unscientific sources of information, as well as the supposed reduced literacy of those who resort to such polarised and incomplete evidence, may be a form of simplification. We believe there exists a number of literate young women who are far from 1) the recent far-right backlash against hormonal contraception; 2) online promoters of ‘hormonophobia’; and 3) advocates of excessive ‘healthism’; women who are no longer keen to endure the impact hormonal contraception has on their body for the sole sake of preventing pregnancy. Boomers’ daughters are asking for a type of effective contraception which 1) is free of disturbing side effects on mental health and sexuality, which probably the previous generation was willing to endure in the name of self-determination; 2) has less of an impact on women’s bodies’ functioning. It is urgent physicians start taking into account the needs of this generation. Personalising treatment and empathising with their critical view may promote research towards forms of contraception that are perceived by women as less invasive and aligned with their values.