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EVERYTHING
Where the Women’s Health Gap Really Hurts
What: An interview with McKinsey’s Lucy Perez on Marketplace, breaking down why women’s health research is so behind, and the numbers behind that lag.
Why it matters: “…what we’re seeing is that the majority of this health gap happens in conditions that impact both men and women, but impact men and women differently, right? And as a result of that, women are having worse health outcomes. And because they have these worse health outcomes, they’re spending more time in poor health and less able to be as productive as they could be if they were in good health.”
Source: Marketplace
ABORTION ACCESS
American Zip Codes Determine Women’s Health
What: The Commonwealth Fund issued a report on the status of women’s healthcare in the United States, and states with the most restrictive abortion bans ranked at the bottom. Why? Because women were less likely to have health insurance in those states, and there weren’t enough OBGYNs to treat the state’s population. In contrast, states that have expanded Medicaid and have abortion access are faring much better.
Why it matters: “…doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology are either leaving states with abortion restrictions or aren’t going there in the first place, experts said. … ‘Your zip code shouldn’t dictate your reproductive health destiny,; said Dr. Jonas Swartz, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina. ‘But that is the reality.’”
Source: NBC
Trump Avoids Abortion at Convention, But Project 2025 Lives On
What: Donald Trump officially became the Republican presidential nominee tonight. He gave a long, winding speech and avoided talking about abortion. But don’t forget about Trump’s Project 2025, which lays out a plan to remove abortion pills without any vote from Congress or changes to law.
Why it matters: Trump himself may avoid talking about abortion, but the people around him—those who wrote Project 2025 and would staff his administration—have already laid out a clear blueprint on how they will further restrict reproductive healtcare.
Source: Forbes
MENOPAUSE
Inside the Growing World of Menopause Retreats
What: CNN explores the world of menopause retreats, which can run as much as $1,000 per day for 14 days.
Why it matters: “’If they want to offer you a lot of blood-testing, saliva-testing, fingerprints, all of these things, that is not evidence-based, that is not how we treat menopause. That’s red flag number one,’ [OBGYN Barbara Hanna] said. ‘Menopause companies are realizing that there’s this huge economic opportunity to jump on the menopause bandwagon. A massage is a massage, a facial is a facial. There’s no extra lotions and potions that are going to be transformative for you because of perimenopause or menopause, at least not today.’”
Source: CNN
ONCOLOGY
Ovarian Cancer Risk Higher with Endometriosis
What: A study in JAMA found women with endometriosis have a higher risk of getting ovarian cancer, especially those with more severe subtypes of the disease, like such as deep infiltrating endometriosis.
Why it matters: “Given the rarity of ovarian cancer, the excess risk was relatively small, with 10-20 additional cases per 10,000 women. Nevertheless, women with endometriosis, notably the more severe subtypes, may be an important population for targeted cancer screening and prevention studies…”
Source: Medpage Today
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