Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Men should take contraceptive pill for Covid-19? Good Morning Britain’s doctor guest under fire after program’s misleading tweet

Men should take contraceptive pill for Covid-19? Good Morning Britain’s doctor guest under fire after program’s misleading tweet

A medical expert who appeared on Good Morning Britain was bombarded on social media for making ‘dangerous claims’ after the show posted a misleading tweet about his advice regarding men taking the contraceptive pill for Covid-19.

The popular TV program invited Dr Amir Khan to discuss a new medical study on Wednesday linking milder Covid-19 symptoms in women with levels of estrogen. The hormone is one of the primary components in oral contraceptive pills and some other medications.

“The idea is that estrogen specifically can be protective. What it does is boost your immune system, so your immune system reacts quicker to the virus once it takes hold and you get less of a severe response,” the guest explained.

Host Kate Garraway suggested that, given the precarious situation with the disease in Britain, the instinct of some men might be to say: “I’ll risk my man-boobs and just go and get myself on the contraceptive pill.”

Dr Khan said that this wouldn’t be a good idea, considering how “all hormones have side effects” and estrogen in particular may lead to certain types of cancer, for example.

“We certainly wouldn’t want everyone just going on estrogen pills or hormone pills because that can cause problems in itself,” he said.

Soon after the broadcast, Dr Khan found himself on the receiving end of some online anger, with people calling him “stupid and corrupt,” demanding that the British medical regulator GMC launch an investigation into his comments.

 


The reason behind this reaction, however, was how Good Morning Britain had chosen to promote his appearance on Twitter.


A now-deleted tweet posted by the program started with a rhetorical question: “Should everyone in the country, including men, take the contraceptive pill to protect against coronavirus?” before outlining Dr Khan’s acknowledgement that the pill “could offer ‘potential protection’ against the virus.”

The link between estrogen and the severity of Covid-19 symptoms was hypothesized by researchers at King’s College London, who noticed that women taking oral contraceptives were 13 percent less likely to have a bad case of the disease than those who didn’t.

Statistically, men are more likely than women to develop acute symptoms after being infected with the coronavirus, so scientists throughout the world have been looking for possible ways to use sex hormones to battle the virus.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×