|
FERTILITY
Learning Our Way Around the Ovary
What: The Scientist magazine delves into how researchers developed an ”atlas” of the ovaries, specifically looking at what types of cells are present within the follicles and where there are more genes promoting egg development (the core of the follicle) versus ovulation itself (the periphery of the follicle).
Why it matters: “By digging into these cells’ gene expression profiles, the researchers compiled lists of genes that other researchers can now use to identify these cells in their own datasets.”
Source: The Scientist
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Extra Postpartum Care to Prevent Hemorrhage Worth the Cost
What: Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of death among postpartum women globally. Researchers looked at 78 hospitals throughout Africa and over 200,000 patients to evaluate the economic benefits of the “E-MOTIVE” intervention to prevent hemorrhage, which includes a blood-collection drape, among other treatments. They wanted to see if preventing postpartum hemorrhage ended up saving more money than the E-MOTIVE approach costs.
Why it matters: “Our findings suggest that the use of a calibrated blood-collection drape for early detection of PPH and bundled first-response treatment is cost-effective and should be perceived by decision-makers as a worthwhile use of healthcare budgets.” In other words, payers end up saving money because they prevent worse outcomes.
Source: Nature Medicine
BIRTH CONTROL
The Courts Could Come for Contraception
What: The American Prospect reminds readers that every conservative Supreme Court justice besides Clarence Thomas said Roe vs. Wade was settled law—until they had the votes to undo it. And the same could happen when it comes to birth control.
Why it matters: “In his concurrence in the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas took aim at Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized contraceptive use among married couples. …[Antiabortion activist and] ADF leader Alan Sears told The New Yorker that outright banning the pill was a reach goal. ‘It may be that the day will come when people say the birth-control pill was a mistake,’ he said.”
Source: The American Prospect
ABORTION ACCESS
One Mom’s Story of Becoming Suicidal After Being Forced to Carry a Doomed Pregnancy to Term
What: Good Morning America interviews Deborah Dorbert about the pain of having to deliver a baby she and her doctors knew would die within minutes of delivery, because she lives in Florida and could not access abortion care at home: “It was the most excruciating pain to go through…Delivering him just to watch him die was just all extra added trauma.”
Why it matters: “In December of last year, Dorbert said she was so deep in her struggle, it became a life-threatening danger not to address it. ‘It wasn’t until I … was starting to have suicidal thoughts and just having breakdowns at home, that I finally turned to my husband and I said, ‘I need help,’’… While nearly two years ago they were thrilled with a pregnancy and the dream of expanding their family, Dorbert said she and her husband do not plan to have another child. ‘Right now, we just have no plans to have any more children because of everything I went through,’ she said. ‘I think it would be a lot different if we were able to get the medical care I needed right then and there, when we found out, because just those few months were a lot of extra trauma. That has really affected us expanding our family.’”
Source: ABC
CARDIOVASCULAR
Should Women Have a Different High Blood Pressure Threshold Than Men?
What: Scientific American reports there’s enough research showing women are at risk for heart attacks or stroke at a lower blood pressure than men that some scientists are calling for “additional studies to learn whether guidelines on hypertension need to be updated to include different recommendations for men and women.”
Why it matters: “While [Cedars-Sinai research director Susan] Cheng says her research suggests the ideal systolic blood pressure for men is 120 mm Hg or lower, the healthiest level for women appears to be 110 or less.”
Source: Scientific American
|
