Doctor Fights Health Myths for 2M Indian Women Online

A late-night Google search about irregular periods used to lead down rabbit holes of miracle cures and detox myths. Dr Tanaya Narendra decided enough was enough.

The doctor, known online as Dr Cuterus, started creating content after watching Instagram fill with videos encouraging women to follow medically dangerous advice. With actual qualifications in women's health, she combined her expertise with what she calls "a healthy dose of my angry feminist traits" and began posting videos that debunk the nonsense.

The response was immediate. Nearly two million people now follow her frank explanations about periods, contraception, sex education, and reproductive health in language anyone can understand.

Social media revealed something clinic visits couldn't: the questions patients are too embarrassed to ask out loud. Dr Tanaya says women constantly worry about breast shape and size, genital pigmentation, and whether everything from their periods to their lifestyle might damage future fertility.

Men carry their own anxieties too. What appears in her comments sections and direct messages often reveals concerns that never make it into medical textbooks.

Her work comes at a critical time. India now has over one billion internet users and around 500 million on social media, creating massive appetite for health information online. A recent study found that 66 percent of Indians have encountered health or wellness scams online, many amplified by misleading social media claims.

The Ripple Effect

Dr Tanaya's influence extends beyond individual questions. She regularly encourages HPV vaccination for people aged nine to 45 and stresses the importance of regular screening after age 30. Her advocacy work has actually influenced public health policy around vaccination awareness.

For doctors entering social media, the mission is clear: people are already searching for health advice online. The choice isn't whether to engage, but whether to let misinformation win by default.

On this Doctors' Day, stethoscopes increasingly share space with ring lights and editing software. What started as frustration with dangerous myths has become a public health intervention reaching millions who desperately needed accurate, accessible answers.