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POSTPARTUM
Paid Time Off Leads to More Breastfeeding, Lower Depression
What: A study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that breastfeeding was 9% more likely in states with more substantive paid leave for new moms, and 32% more likely among deliveries covered by Medicaid. It was also associated with lower rates of postpartum depression.
Why it matters: More evidence that giving new moms time after delivery pays off.
Source: Obstetrics and Gynecology
BIRTH CONTROL
Biden Administration Marks Roe Anniversary By Reminding Insurers Birth Control Should Be Free
What: The Biden administration marked the 51st anniversary of Roe vs. Wade by making it clear that they support access to contraception. They issued guidance to health insurance companies on expanding access to free birth control, and how to make sure they are complying with Obamacare rules that required no-cost birth control.
Why it matters: It’s a reminder that greater access to birth control has been a priority since President Obama was in office, while Republican candidates back positions that could threaten access to birth control.
Source: Axios
ABORTION ACCESS
Texas OB-GYN: Trump Put My Life at Risk
What: The Biden campaign released an ad featuring Dr. Austin Dennard, an OB-GYN from Texas who had to leave her home state to get an abortion after her baby was diagnosed with a fatal condition.
Why it matters: As Dennard put it – “In Texas, you are forced to carry that pregnancy and that is because of Donald Trump overturning Roe v. Wade. The choice was completely taken away. I was to continue my pregnancy, putting my life at risk.”
Source: The Hill
METABOLISM + WEIGHT
Will Being Overweight Become the New Crooked Teeth?
What: An op-ed posing a question for our weight loss drug future – will being overweight become the new crooked teeth? Something you must fix to become part of polite, middle-class society?
Why it matters: It’s an important question to consider, especially when it comes to kids.
Source: Washington Post
ENDOMETRIOSIS
Waiting Years for Treatment, All Over the World
What: A report finds that it can take over 6 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis, and up to 27 years in the United Kingdom.
Why it matters: Women suffering in extreme pain are told their conditions are in their heads, versus getting the treatment they need.
Source: New Scientist
CARDIOVASCULAR
The Most Common Cardiac Surgery in America Routinely Kills More Women
What: A deep dive from the New York Times on how the “most common cardiac operation in the United States” is much more likely to be fatal for women than it is for men, and the (slow but growing) efforts to change that.
Why it matters: A study that pointed out the differences in mortality rates last year said it “should be regarded as an exploding flare in the sky for all clinicians who care for women,” but as one cardiologist put it: “This has been something we’ve known since the 1980s.”
Source: New York Times
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