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FERTILITY
Trying to Conceive? There’s a Coach For That
What: Women’s health clinic Maven launched a “trying-to-conceive” coaching program for people who are struggling to get pregnant and want to pursue options beyond IVF. Participants will get one-on-one guidance, ovulation tracking kits, and referrals if needed for mental health and nutrition.
Why it matters: As Maven’s CMO Dr. Neel Shah put it: “While most sex education is spent teaching people how to avoid pregnancy, very little time is invested in empowering them with the guidance needed to become pregnant when they’re ready…Our coaching program supports couples to understand why they are struggling to conceive and in many cases helps them get pregnant without needing IVF.”
Source: Maven via PR Newswire
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
We’ve Shared Postpartum Pain. Now, Let’s Prevent (Or Treat) It.
What: In an essay two psychologists argue that while there are benefits to sharing about the challenges of the postpartum period, it may make it seem like postpartum pain must be the accepted norm. But, they write, “we should view this era as a steppingstone rather than a destination.”
Why it matters: “Many postpartum health issues, such as mood disorders, urinary incontinence, and metabolic dysfunction, can be effectively treated, or in some cases, entirely prevented. By over-normalizing the discussion of postpartum struggle, we have limited the much needed, broader discussion around early and preventive care.”
Source: Time
MENSTRUATION
Why We Know So Little About Periods
What: Vox’s Anna North digs into why menstruation is so understudied, and follows up on the University of Illinois Chicago study that found suicidal thoughts tended to coincide with the menstrual cycle.
Why it matters: The study “suggests that therapists, psychiatrists, and OB-GYNs should be giving patients information about how menstruation can affect emotional symptoms, especially suicidality. Patients might also benefit from charting their own symptoms for a few months to see whether a cyclical pattern emerges.”
Source: Vox
ABORTION ACCESS
Arizona Republicans Block Repeal of 1864 Pedophile’s Abortion Ban
What: Arizona Republicans blocked an effort from Democrats to repeal the state’s 1864 law—passed under the leadership of a pedophile—that bans all abortions in the state, starting in May.
Why it matters: Millions of women in the state will be without access to full health care at home.
Source: Arizona Republic
MENOPAUSE
Learning from Trans Care for Menopausal Women
What: Menopausal women have had little to treat their symptoms in recent decades, thanks to a back and forth over estrogen’s benefits versus harm. The Atlantic looks at how women are getting cheated from full care, and profiles an OBGYN who didn’t realize what women were missing until she started treating trans patients.
Why it matters: “In her new role, [the OBGYN] began consultations by asking each patient what they wanted from their body—a question she’d never been trained to ask menopausal women. Over time, she grew comfortable bringing up tricky topics such as pleasure, desire, and sexuality, and prescribing testosterone as well as estrogen. That’s when she realized: Women in menopause were getting short shrift.”
Source: The Atlantic
ONCOLOGY
Olivia Munn Shares Her Cancer Journey
What: Olivia Munn gave People magazine an interview about her recent cancer diagnosis and treatment. Munn got a clear mammogram, but her OBGYN calculated her lifetime breast cancer risk score and found it was high enough to order an MRI. That procedure found cancer and set Munn on the path to getting a double mastectomy.
Why it matters: Munn sharing her diagnosis and recovery story will help alert women to not only getting a mammogram, but checking their risk scores, too. (You can do that here). Munn also shares more of the nitty-gritty details—like getting a nipple-saving procedure or now being in medically-induced menopause—that can help spread awareness.
Source: People
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