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FERTILITY
RFK Jr’s VP Pick Has an IVF Grudge
What: RFK Jr.’s independent bid for president doesn’t have a shot of succeeding, but it’s worth noting that his VP pick, Nicole Shanahan (best known for her ex-husband, Google founder Sergey Brin) has some extreme positions on IVF. Shanahan has long opposed IVF, calling it “one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today.”
Why it matters: Shanahan’s position seems to be that research dollars would be better spent extending the number of years of fertility women have. (Of course, IVF does do that for many women.) Shanahan has mused about everything from women getting pregnant in their 50s to two hours of morning sunlight improving reproductive health.)
Source: Politico
PREGNANCY
Birth In All Its Glory (And Gore)
What: There’s an international association of birth photographers, and last week they announced the winners of their annual contest. Huffington Post has collected 30 photos that capture labor and delivery in all of its glory and gore, and they are worth checking out.
Why it matters: A picture in this case is worth a thousand words, and for too long birth has been hidden away.
Source: Huffington Post via Yahoo
ABORTION ACCESS
Arizona State Senator On Life After Her Abortion
What: Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch went viral earlier this month when she shared on the statehouse’s senate floor that she needed an abortion, and explained the medically unnecessary hoops lawmakers were making her jump through to do it. WBUR interviewed Burch about what it’s been like since her story went national, and how she’s doing now.
Why it matters: It’s just one small piece of Burch’s story, but sharing it caused at least one Republican member of the state senate to rethink his position on abortion. As Burch put it: “Sen. Bennett actually came up to me after I was done speaking and just sort of expressed his condolences to me. I don’t know that that’s going to be the sentiment across the Republican caucus. But what I also think is that the landscape is changing in Arizona and what we have right now are some very far-right extremists who are in leadership positions, but that’s not an accurate representation of the entire Republican caucus in Arizona.”
Source: WBUR
The States That Will Pay for Medicaid Abortions Are All Over the Place
What: An analysis from Kaiser Family Foundation finds “tremendous variability” in how much states will pay health care providers for abortion services under Medicaid. Only 17 states even pay for Medicaid abortions, and the rates vary from $162 in Rhode Island for a medication abortion, up to $665 in New Mexico.
Why it matters: Higher costs can cut off access.
Source: KFF
CARDIOVASCULAR
More Than Eight Drinks Per Week Ups Heart Disease Risk, Even in Young
What: An NIH-funded study found that the risk of heart disease is up to 50% higher for women who drink eight or more alcoholic beverages a week. That risk jumps to nearly 70% higher for women who drink three units of alcohol per day. The study will be presented at an American College of Cardiology meeting in April.
Why it matters: Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America, and there aren’t always symptoms before a major event. As one professor in the article put it: “Alcohol is actually a toxin to the heart…we don’t prescribe alcohol to fight heart disease.”
Source: Washington Post
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