The CDC releases new maternal mortality numbers. A federal judge is days away from ruling on whether abortion pills can still be mailed. The body that decides which cancer screenings you get for free hasn’t met in a year. And a new study of half a million women has a message for anyone who had a complicated pregnancy.

— Meghan

THE NUMBER THAT WON’T MOVE // The CDC reported 649 maternal deaths in 2024, down slightly from 669 the year before, but roughly where the U.S. stood before COVID spiked the count. Still, Black women died at more than three times the rate of white and Hispanic women. The dip could be “promising,” or just a returns to baseline.

QUIET PARALYSIS // This story is really flying under the radar, but it’s important. CNN reports that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF, they determine which screenings insurers must cover at no cost) has now missed three consecutive meetings. Five of its 16 members’ terms expired in January and haven’t been replaced. What do they need to consider? Finalized guidance on self-collected HPV testing, plus updates to mammogram and colorectal screening guidelines that millions of women rely on for free coverage.

WHAT THE 911 TAPES REVEAL // ABC News obtained emergency recordings from the ICE family detention center in Dilley, Texas, documenting staff calling ambulances for pregnant women and children multiple times a month. That included a three-month pregnant woman who lost consciousness, and another who was seizing. The calls span October 2025 through February 2026. ICE’s own policy says pregnant women generally should not be detained.

YOUR PREGNANCY IS A CARDIAC RECORD // A JAMA Internal Medicine study of more than 500,000 women found that all subtypes of hypertensive pregnancy disorders, including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, raise long-term cardiovascular risk, but women with superimposed preeclampsia faced nearly three times the risk of a cardiovascular event compared to those with uncomplicated pregnancies. The findings add to growing evidence that pregnancy history belongs in every woman’s cardiac chart — and that most doctors still aren’t asking.

THE PILL STILL IN THE BALANCE // A federal judge in Louisiana is weighing an injunction that would end telehealth prescriptions for mifepristone — no remote appointments, no pills by mail — in all fifty states. About 30% of U.S. abortions were provided via telehealth as of mid-2025. A ruling is expected soon.

What we’ve found in women’s health this week: A state quietly decided you shouldn’t pay to finish a cancer screening. Menopause demand just outpaced supply. Doctors are being told to believe women sooner. Bone health has become a competitive sport. And GLP-1s? The gender gap just got data.

STOPPING CERVICAL CANCER FOR FREE // Axios reports Oregon lawmakers unanimously passed a bill banning deductibles and copays not just for Pap tests, but for follow-up care after an abnormal result. If signed by Gov. Tina Kotek, Oregon would be the first state to eliminate out-of-pocket costs across the full cervical cancer screening process, so patients aren’t billed for actually finishing it.

WHERE’S MY PATCH? // The New York Times digs deeper on estrogen patches shortages nationwide, hitting 10 different estradiol formulations. Why? Prescriptions jumped 86% from 2021 to 2025 and manufacturers failed to keep up. Menopause may finally have more avenues for care, but it might be a while until patients can reliably get the basics.

TRUST THE PAIN // The nation’s biggest OBGYN group is telling doctors to stop waiting for surgery to diagnose endometriosis and to trust symptoms and imaging instead. The shift could spare patients years of dismissal, delay, and unnecessary pain.

BONES, BUT MAKE IT EXTREME // Emma Rosenblum takes on (and makes so fum of) the bone-density craze, from protein-loading to weighted-vest flexing: “I ask Dr. Tang if I have to dead lift my own weight, hop around the block or get a DEXA scan, and she laughs and says no. ‘If you’re not at high risk, you don’t have to do any of that,’ she says. ‘For the average person, it’s just lifestyle modifications. Some weight-bearing exercises, some strength training.’”

LADIES LOSE MORE // A review of nearly 20,000 people, women on GLP-1 drugs lost more weight than men, and that likely because of biology. Results were otherwise similar across age and race groups, suggesting sex may be one of the only meaningful differentiators in these high-cost meds.

Here are the most interesting items we saw this week in women’s health:

🧠 America may be stretching postpartum depression, not shortening it. A cross-country study found US moms’ symptoms barely improve over five years, while peer nations see recovery. That points to policy as a cause, not biology. In other words, support systems could be shaping mental health outcomes.

❤️ We’re entering the 6-in-10 heart era. By 2050, most women are projected to have cardiovascular disease, and it’s hitting younger women earlier. Researchers say prevention is the only way this curve bends.

🤖 AI is starting to govern women’s health. Algorithms are identifying breast-cancer risk from mammograms while Facebook chatbots restrict abortion information. These systems will shape both who gets flagged and what people are allowed to know. How these systems are built will influence real-world care.

TOP CLICKED STORIES THIS WEEK

The Plot Against American Women // Throughline

Breast Cancer Screening and Risk Reduction // The Washington Post

Heart-Disease Risk Forecasts for Women by 2050 // STAT

Activity Restriction in Pregnancy and the Risk of Early Delivery // Obstetrics & Gynecology

Wisconsin Extends Postpartum Medicaid for New Mothers // ProPublica

U.S. Mothers Aren’t Recovering from Postpartum Depression // WebMD