Hear are the trends we spotted this week in women’s health, and as always, scroll for the top clicked stories.
🧪 Evidence can be clear. Implementation…not so much. This week we had a few pieces that highlighted how research can lead to improve outcomes, but care isn’t keeping pace. For example, a Lancet trial found that planning delivery at 36 weeks for women at high risk of pre-eclampsia cut rates by 30%, while data from more than 650,000 U.S. women showed just 7% received cervical cancer screening on the recommended timeline. These studies just came out, but how long will they take to affect care on the ground? (I welcome any thoughts!)
⚠️ Health policy continues to be shaped by politics. We could have this section every week, but this one was a doozy. HHS Sec. Kennedy stacked a vaccine advisory panel that voted against universal Hepatitis B vaccination for newborns — a recommendation pediatricians immediately rejected as dangerous. Bloomberg also reported that FDA commissioner Marty Makary has delayed a long-awaited abortion pill review until after the midterms. (Because banning the abortion pill would be really unpopular!)
🫀 Common conditions in women are still treated as secondary problems. Research continues to link uterine fibroids and hypertensive pregnancy disorders to serious long-term health risks, including cardiovascular disease. Earlier, consistent care could mitigate much of this — yet it remains the exception, not the rule. And how many regular women know about these risks?
TOP CLICKED STORIES THIS WEEK
Planned birth at term reduces pre-eclampsia in those at high risk // The Lancet
FDA is slow-walking a long-awaited abortion pill safety study // Bloomberg
‘Nightmare’: Woman kept on life support for months due to abortion ban // ABC News
Pediatricians reject CDC advisers’ guidance, plan to keep vaccinating all children // CIDRAP
Meta shuts down global accounts linked to abortion advice and queer content // The Guardian
