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PREGNANCY
COVID-19 Vaccine Protects Babies from Brain Troubles
What: A JAMA study of 200,000 babies adds more evidence to the fact that pregnant women who get the COVID-19 vaccine protect their babies from complications. Looking at nearly all babies born in Sweden and Norway over around 18 months, they found those born to moms with the vaccine were less likely to have cerebral hemorrhages and brain oxygen deprivation.
Why it matters: Researchers say the results mean pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Source: US News
Vanishing Twin Syndrome: ‘Shrouded in Mystery’
What: An essay from Eleanor Barker-White on experiencing “vanishing twin syndrome”, when one fetus is absorbed by the other in the womb.
Why it matters: Barker-White puts into words how so many things can feel when pregnant, writing that “medical professionals dismissed the syndrome as ‘one of those things.’ There is nothing that can be done to prevent or treat the condition. Whispers between similar grief-stricken, guilt-ridden parents on parenting and fertility forums showed that it was a relatively common phenomenon, yet the syndrome was still shrouded in mystery.”
Source: Time
BIRTH CONTROL
The Cocktail of Hormones
What: An essay from Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff on how the birth control pill can work for years, and then suddenly start causing side effects, for unknown reasons.
Why it matters: Brinkhurst-Cuff highlights the lack of research into hormonal birth control side effects, writing that “for everyone, it seems to be a personal experiment with a cocktail of hormones, a shot in the dark.”
Source: The Guardian
ABORTION ACCESS
Studies Claiming Abortion Pill Danger Retracted
What: Sage Publications retracted two studies written and used by the anti-abortion movement to claim the abortion pill is dangerous. The studies were cited in a rightwing Texas judge’s ruling on the abortion pill’s FDA approval, which is headed to the Supreme Court.
Why it matters: Sage said they pulled the studies after independent experts found “found ‘fundamental problems’ that ‘invalidate the authors’ conclusions in whole or in part.’”
Source: Reuters
PCOS
PCOS Study Finds Nearly 9 Times Higher Suicide Risk
What: A study looking at nearly 19,000 Taiwanese women with PCOS found they had a nearly 9-time higher risk of suicide than women without the condition. This increased risk showed up even after controlling for demographic and psychiatric conditions.
Why it matters: This finding means much more research is needed on the connections between mental health, PCOS, and reproductive hormones in general.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
WELLNESS + BEAUTY
Natural Beauty Products Are Hard
What: Natural products are having a moment, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to make. Vogue dives into the challenges associated with truly all-natural beauty products, including waiting until ingredients are in season.
Why it matters: It’s good to know how the real stuff should be made.
Source: Vogue
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