Here are the most interesting things we saw in women’s health this week:
🏥 THREE MATERNITY WARDS CLOSED IN THREE WEEKS
Hospitals in Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa all moved to shutter or shrink labor-and-delivery services in a three-week stretch. That comes on top of 29 closures in the last year, as hospitals face financial losses, staffing shortages, and falling birth rates. What’s different is the pace. For most rural patients, the nearest delivery room keeps getting farther away.
💊 THE MEDICAID GAP IN MENOPAUSE CARE IS AN ACCESS PROBLEM, NOT A PREFERENCE PROBLEM
Women on Medicaid are about half as likely to use menopausal hormone therapy as privately insured women, even after controlling for age and health, according to a JAMA Network Open analysis. Hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, and the gap mirrors documented racial disparities in menopause care. Researchers concluded coverage — not preference — is what’s shaping who gets treated.
❤️ PMOS CAN SIGNAL HEART PROBLEMS. MOST WOMEN DON’T KNOW THEY HAVE IT.
Women with PMOS — the condition formerly called PCOS, renamed in May — are about 2.5 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke and nearly four times as likely to develop peripheral artery disease, according to the largest US study on the question so far, which covered more than 2 million patients. The risk held after adjusting for smoking, obesity, cholesterol, and diabetes. Around 10 to 13% of reproductive-age women have PMOS, and roughly 70% are undiagnosed.
TOP CLICKED STORIES THIS WEEK
Feds Have a New Teen-Pregnancy Prevention Plan. Fertility and Reproductive Goals. // Stateline
National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap // Society for Women’s Health Research
The Menopause Gold Rush Is Failing Women // Bloomberg
Insurance Type and Menopausal Hormone Therapy Use Among US Women // JAMA Network Open
