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EVERYTHING
Blockbuster Report Urges NIH Institute for Women’s Health, $11 Billion in Funding
What: A blockbuster report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine found only about 9% of NIH spending between 2013 and 2023 was allocated to women’s health, despite “steady increases in the agency’s budget.” The report recommends Congress appropriate $11 billion over the next five years to address critical knowledge gaps and establish a new institute at NIH specifically for women’s health.
Key line: “The committee’s study finds that the current organizational structure of NIH limits its ability to effectively address gaps in women’s health research. The Office of Research on Women’s Health is a small, inadequately funded office without the authority to require NIH Institutes or centers to conduct research or to oversee compliance with the NIH policy on studying sex as a biological variable, and NIH has not provided adequate oversight at the director and institute or center levels for women’s health research. Furthermore, many women’s health conditions (such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, and vulvodynia) and women-specific life stages (including menopause) are not within the purview of any of the 27 existing institutes or centers.”
Source: National Academies
FERTILITY
Hong Kong’s Fertility Regulations Drive Black Market for IVF
What: Bloomberg reports that restrictive fertility laws in Hong Kong are pushing individuals to seek eggs and embryos through the black market. Like much of Asia, city regulations ban paid surrogates and limit access to IVF to couples who are straight, married, and infertile.
Key line: “One Hong Kong woman, who asked not to be named for fear of legal repercussions, froze her eggs in Thailand in her late 30s, violating a Hong Kong law punishing unmarried people from doing infertility treatments overseas. Hong Kong imposes a 10-year limit on storing eggs, embryos and sperm before they’re disposed of, meaning single people have to find a partner by that time to access their eggs. Thailand had no such restriction at the time and had procedures at a fraction of the cost. Four years later, the woman received devastating news: Two controversial surrogacy cases had caused uproar in Thailand and prompted the government to ban foreigners from using Thai surrogates — and barred single women from freezing their eggs or undergoing IVF.”
Source: Bloomberg
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Distinct Brain Changes Identified in Peripartum Depression
What: A study found women with a history of peripartum depression (i.e. depression before or after they give birth) had more grey matter in their basal ganglia compared to those with major depressive disorder outside the peripartum period. This finding suggests there is a potential neurobiological cause for peripartum depression.
Key line: “Many women still perceive the terrible burden of peripartum depression as their fault, feeling guilty because they cannot meet expectations regarding their role as mothers. We showed that genetic factors that physiologically affect steroid hormones do impact brain structures at a very basic level, possibly predisposing women to develop depressive psychopathology when hormones markedly oscillate, as they do in the peripartum period. We think that refining knowledge on these mechanisms will eventually lead to more precise and personalized strategies for prevention and treatment of this condition.”
Source: Biological Psychiatry
Rideshare Program Helps Expectant Mothers Get to the Doctor
What: Pregnancy telehealth provider Babyscripts ran a pilot program in DC to give free rideshare services to expectant mothers trying to get to routine appointments. The goal was to improve prenatal care attendance and outcomes, and patients ended up taking an average of six rides, costing $29 each.
Key line: “Washington, D.C., has significantly worse maternal health outcomes than the national average. In D.C., roughly 30 out of 100,000 women die in childbirth, where the national average is 23 deaths per 100,000 births. Black women represent 90% of birth-related deaths in the District. Providers tell Babyscripts that they are seeing more patients return for follow-up visits.”
Source: Fierce Healthcare
CARDIOVASCULAR
New Coronary Risk Score Enhances Prediction of Heart Events in Women
What: Researchers have developed a Coronary Risk Score in Women (CORSWO) that they say accurately predicts major adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, in women. The model incorporates clinical, exercise, and imaging-based variables to categorize patients into four risk levels, aiding in targeted prevention strategies.
Key line: “By grouping patients into different risk levels—ranging from low to very high risk—doctors can better focus resources and treatments on those who need them the most.”
Source: Radiological Society of North America
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