London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×