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EVERYTHING
Lidocaine Alone Won’t Fix IUD Pain
What: Physician Christine Henneberg writes that CDC guidance that physicians actually consider pain mitigation when placing IUDs is a welcome start, but: “ … as a physician who performs hundreds of gynecologic procedures every year, including IUD placements, I can say with certainty that lidocaine will not solve the problem. And although counseling about pain is important, the fact that the C.D.C. has to remind doctors about this basic component of informed consent shows how deep the problem runs.”
Why it matters: “When practitioners and policymakers wring our hands over the maternal mortality crisis in this country (our unacceptably high rate is about three times as high for Black women as for white women), we must acknowledge that this is partly a crisis of trust and that we are responsible for it. … Lidocaine is, to be sure, a valuable pain management tool for IUD insertion and other gynecologic procedures. I use it all the time. But the pain isn’t the only problem; sometimes it isn’t even the main problem. Women are capable and often quite willing to tolerate pain as an expected part of a medical procedure, when it’s acknowledged and taken seriously. It’s the betrayal that is egregious and permanent — and unlike pain, this betrayal is entirely preventable. It requires only that we slow down, listen to patients and tell them the truth.”
Source: New York Times
Analyzing Australia’s Potential Repro Health Leave Policy
What: A national Australian labor union is pushing for the country’s “National Employment Standards” to include reproductive health leave for all employees. The policy could cover time off for “menstruation, perimenopause, menopause, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, IVF treatments, vasectomy, hysterectomy and terminations.”
Why it matters: “As our research showed, the effects of reproductive health issues ripple through workplaces and extend to the Australian economy. Workplace rights in Australia are typically grounded in men’s experience of life and work. The “ideal” worker is an individual, typically a male, who has no external obligations or bodily demands outside their work. Women’s bodies in the workplace are often seen as problematic, unreliable and weaker because they can menstruate, be affected by disorders of the menstrual cycle, and can experience menopause.”
Source: The Conversation
ABORTION ACCESS
North Dakota Judge Strikes Down State Abortion Ban for Violating Right to Personal Liberty
What: A North Dakota judge struck down the state’s abortion ban Thursday, ruling that “broad guarantees of personal liberty in the constitution of this conservative, Republican-dominated state create a fundamental right to abortion before a fetus is viable.”
Why it matters: “District Judge Bruce Romanick also said that the law is unconstitutional because it is too vague to be enforced fairly. He agreed with critics who said the law wasn’t clear how its limited exceptions applied — allowing doctors to be prosecuted if other colleagues later disagreed with their medical decisions. … In his ruling, Romanick cited how the North Dakota Constitution guarantees ‘inalienable rights,’ including ‘life and liberty.’ Those guarantees in turn protect women’s personal autonomy and their ability to make medical decisions and ‘ultimately control (their) own destiny,’ he concluded.”
Source: Associated Press
MENOPAUSE
Hormone Therapy Rates for Women Drop Under 2 Percent in 2023
What: Hormone therapy has dropped significantly since 2007 across all age groups of potentially menopausal women, according to research presented at the Menopause Society’s annual meeting in Chicago. Researchers looked at insurance claims data from millions of women and found hormone therapy went from around 5 percent in 2007 to just under 2 percent in 2023.
Why it matters: Despite research that has shown hormone therapy can safely treat hot flashes and night sweats in women with proper risk analysis, usage has not recovered in recent years. As Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society, put it: “These findings suggest that substantial barriers to HT use remain, and additional efforts are needed to educate women and clinicians about menopause management and HT use more specifically.”
Source: Medical Xpress // Menopause Society
What It’ll Take to Change Menopause Care in America
What: Business Insider has an overview of where things stand in menopause care in America, from new companies like Midi Health with its digital care platform, and federal legislation that’s currently sitting in the Senate awaiting committee review.
Why it matters: “Overall, [Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, an OB-GYN and clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine] said, advancing women’s health during perimenopause and menopause requires a comprehensive approach that blends technological innovations like online care platforms with strong research and educational initiatives. An estimated 30% of residency programs in the US offered a formal menopause curriculum, according to a 2023 report published in the journal Menopause.”
Source: Business Insider
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