How to Fix a Sexist Internet 🔧

This Week’s Signal

There were two moments that made me snap.

First: back in February, we were ready to promote a brand-new, video-first version of From First Period to Last Period on YouTube. Kristyn, my brilliant co-founder and the brains behind all of Rescripted’s content, and Dr. Jenna Kahn had just recorded three incredible first episodes. We were proud. We were ready. And then YouTube blocked our ads. Why? Because our website mentions birth control. Legal, prescribed to millions of women, used for everything from acne to PCOS to perimenopause. Flagged.

Second: while working on a piece about changes to the HHS women’s health site, I asked ChatGPT to compare the Biden-era site to the Trump-era one. The response? “On April 1, 2025, Joe Biden is in office. Would you like me to do a hypothetical compare/contrast had Donald Trump been elected?” Reader, I gasped.

Two different problems, same sinking feeling: the places where women go for answers are failing us.

What We’re Missing

It’s giving 1984, but it’s actually 2025. Censorship and misinformation now decide what women see, what they don’t, and if what they’re seeing will actually make them less healthy & well than they already are.

If you can’t run an ad about birth control, women don’t learn about the options available to them (and PSA: birth control is not just about pharmaceuticals; Natural Cycles, for example, is FDA-approved as a Class II medical device to prevent pregnancy). And if AI tells you a president who isn’t in office is in office, what might it get wrong about your body?

These aren’t edge cases — they’re everyday realities. 1 in 3 women say they’ve been misled by online health info (JMIR, 2025). And Big Tech more often than not censors women’s health content unfairly: posts mentioning birth control are 3x more likely to be flagged or removed than comparable men’s health terms (CensHERship, 2025).

The result? A trust gap. And when trust erodes, women are left with unanswered questions while trying to navigate a broken healthcare system in a country that never taught them comprehensive sex ed in the first place.

What We’re Seeing

My friend Dr. Lara Zibners, the Co-Founder of Calla Lily Clinical Care, said it best on LinkedIn this week: necessity is the mother of invention. Clara was born out of necessity. Not because the world needed another flashy tech tool, but because women weren’t getting the clarity or visibility they deserve.

This week, we launched Clara alongside powerhouse partners including Brightside Health, Midi Health, Needed, Gaia, Proov, Teal Health, and MyReceptiva because fixing this isn’t something one company can do alone.

It has to be an ecosystem play.

These innovative companies already produce science-backed, medically reviewed content to help women understand their bodies. The problem? Too often, that content isn’t being found — even when women are searching for it.

Clara changes that, leveraging Rescripted’s ~20 million monthly reach to connect women with the information they need, when they need it.

What It Means

Those two stories — the podcast blocked for “birth control” and the chatbot that couldn’t get the name of the president right — aren’t one-offs. They’re daily reminders of why women struggle to find accurate, stigma-free health information.

Clara is our way of saying: enough.

Enough censorship.
Enough misinformation. 

If the existing systems can’t or won’t serve women, we’ll build our own.

And maybe that’s the real signal this week: when the tools don’t exist, women’s health leaders build them. Together.

What I’m Asking Clara

And because I’m always my own test case, here are a few things I’ve been asking Clara lately:

• Ask Clara: How early can perimenopausal sleep disturbances start?

• Ask Clara: What’s the smartest way to support heart health in my late 30s?

• Ask Clara: Which supplements actually help with brain health as I head into perimenopause?

And now, a question for you: Which science-backed companies creating long-form content for women’s health do you think would make great additions to Clara?

With more signal and less noise, Spotting is your weekly lens on what’s next in women’s health and why. See you right here next time, in your inbox.

With hugs, science & freedom,
Abby

P.S. Whether this hits or misses for you, I’d love to hear your thoughts — just hit reply. Thanks for being here 🤗

Reaching 20M women monthly and partnering with trusted brands like Pfizer, Kotex, BetterHelp, and Noom, Rescripted is the leading media platform for all women and her health, from first period to last period.