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PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Fixing America’s Maternal Mental Health Shame
What: The Biden administration’s Maternal Mental Health task force released national recommendations that aim to improve the mental health of new moms. In the United States, nearly a quarter of all pregnancy-related deaths are due to mental health conditions, including substance use disorders. One of the main recommendations is bringing mental health care into “all relevant perinatal settings, such as obstetricians’ offices, primary care offices, pediatric outpatient settings, emergency rooms, inpatient settings (including medical units), labor and delivery settings, postpartum units, and neonatal intensive care units.”
Why it matters: This report was requested by Congress and could serve as the foundation for legislation that puts the might of the federal government and its spending power behind efforts to improve maternal mental health.
Source: HHS
People Who Don’t Understand Pregnancy Dating More Likely to Approve of Abortion Bans
What: Three political science professors surveyed over 1,300 Americans about pregnancy dating, and only a third understood that pregnancy is counted from the date of a woman’s last menstrual period—about two to three weeks before conception.
Why it matters: “Importantly, we find that those who support six-week abortion bans are significantly less likely than others to correctly understand the timing of pregnancy.”
Source: The Conversation
ABORTION ACCESS
Thousands of Women Getting Abortion Pills By Mail Thanks to Shield Laws
What: An analysis from the Society for Family Planning found that every month about 8,000 women living in states with strict abortion restrictions got abortion pills via mail by the end of 2023, from states that have “shield” laws protecting health care providers who prescribe the medication. Another 8,000 women in states without strict restrictions were getting pills via telehealth appointments each month.
Why it matters: This is the first time hard numbers have been put on how many women are seeking this medical workaround.
Source: Associated Press
Louisiana Could Categorize Abortion Pill as an Illicit Drug Like Meth
What: Louisiana’s legislature is considering making the abortion pill medications the same as narcotic drugs, criminalizing the “possession of two medications used to induce abortion without a prescription, with punishments including prison time.”
Why it matters: Treating the abortion pill as if it is an illicit drug along the lines of methamphetamine or cocaine is just another way to scare women into giving birth to children they do not want.
Source: Axios
MENOPAUSE
How One Well Meaning Study Led to Substandard Care
What: The Washington Post’s Leana Wen takes on the menopause study that led to millions of menopausal women getting little to no medical treatment for their symptoms: “The mistaken belief that hormone therapy should be avoided led to a huge treatment vacuum in menopause care. One study found that only 4 percent of women 50 and older in 2018 and 2019 were receiving hormone therapy, down from more than 22 percent in 1999 and 2000.”
Why it matters: “Clinicians and patients should learn about how a misinterpreted study led to substandard care for millions of women. They need to spread the word that hormone therapy for menopausal women does not deserve its bad reputation. It never did.”
Source: Washington Post
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