If you’ve ever searched for information about menopause, periods, fertility, or vaginal health on social media, you may have noticed some posts are difficult to find or have heard creators saying they’re experiencing a sudden drop in reach.
While social media platforms remove potentially harmful content to keep users safe, these automated algorithms don’t always distinguish between legitimate health education content and explicit content.
The result? Vital medical information about women’s bodies becomes harder to find. This can lead to barriers to health education and reinforced stigma around women’s health and bodies.
Research also seems to suggest that women’s health content is disproportionately affected by content moderation systems compared with men’s.
In this article, we take a look at why women’s health content may be suppressed, what can be done about it, and where to find trusted health information.
Shadow banning is when a platform reduces the visibility of content without clearly informing the person who posted it. Rather than removing a post entirely, platforms may limit how often it appears in feeds, search results, hashtags, or recommendations.
Shadow banning is not the same as flagging or removing content. In these instances, the creators are informed or can clearly see that their content has been removed and may be able to find ways to appeal.
Platforms face pressure to remove pornography, abuse, and harmful content quickly, making AI systems an easy and quick way to do so. However, because AI doesn’t readily understand context, it may miscategorize content, particularly without human oversight.
Since AI depends on the data it’s trained on, it’s also vulnerable to the same biases that exist within the data. We know that the female body has long been sexualized. So, if AI models are trained on outdated data, algorithms might just be perpetuating these historical biases.
Without human oversight, clinical terms such as “vagina,” “breast,” “menstruation,” or “cervix” can be mistakenly interpreted as “sexual” or “inappropriate” even when they’re used to explain anatomy, discuss symptoms, or provide health advice.
Advocacy groups also report instances where educational posts about breastfeeding, menopause, fertility, or sexual assault were removed or restricted while similar discussions using male anatomical terms remained visible.
Access to reliable health information is crucial to making informed healthcare decisions. And for many people — particularly younger demographics — social media has become the first place to look for health information.
When trustworthy educational content on health topics such as periods, contraception, menopause, pregnancy, pelvic pain, or sexual health and well-being is harder to find, people may be left only with misinformation or no information at all.
Content suppression can also reinforce long-standing stigma surrounding women’s bodies. When medically accurate words are wrongly perceived as “inappropriate,” it can discourage open conversations about health concerns.
Some women’s health content creators have resorted to replacing words like “period” or “vagina” with altered spellings such as “p3riod” or “v@gina” to avoid automated moderation.
While these workarounds can help improve visibility, many argue that medically accurate language should never need to be disguised and that doing so could contribute to the stigmatization of these terms and the trivialization of women’s health concerns.
Social media companies continue to refine their moderation systems and often allow users to appeal moderation decisions. However, critics claim that appeals are inconsistent, slow, or difficult to navigate. And, in the case of shadow banning, creators may not be aware that their content is being suppressed at all.
Advocacy organizations such as the Center for Intimacy Justice and CensHERship have called for greater transparency around moderation decisions, better training for AI systems, and policies that clearly distinguish medical education from explicit content.
While social media, Google, or ChatGPT can be a helpful starting point, it shouldn’t be your only source of medical advice.
Also consider looking to government health agencies, professional medical organizations, and peer-reviewed research.
And if you do use platforms that rely heavily on algorithms, try to stay mindful of the potential drawbacks and remember that you might not be seeing the whole story.
You can also choose to search directly for your health query on reputable health information platforms.
If you’re experiencing symptoms or have questions about your health, it’s always best to speak with a qualified healthcare professional who can provide advice tailored to you personally.
Healthline’s Women’s Wellness hub
Our dedicated hub offers trusted women’s health content that undergoes strict medical and integrity review.
You can also browse approved women’s health products that have passed our vetting and review process.
Social media has transformed the way people learn about health, but it has also introduced new challenges.
As platforms increasingly rely on AI moderation, legitimate women’s health education can sometimes become caught in systems designed to filter out explicit content.
Although protecting users from harmful material is important, experts say those safeguards should not come at the cost of restricting evidence-based health information.
To find the health information you’re looking for, stick to trusted health organizations. And always speak with a healthcare professional for tailored advice that considers your specific health situation.