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EVERYTHING
Majority of Women Say They Can Just Live With Health Problems (If They’re Not Debilitating)
What: A digital health company that sells insurance products surveyed 2,300 women. They found nearly two-thirds wanted more women to talk openly about health issues, and that nearly 60 percent said they “can just live with” discomfort caused by health issues if they’re not debilitating (!!!).
Why it matters: Talking about health is what we do here – and for far too long, just dealing with things short of debilitating has been the norm for women.
Source: HIT Consultant
FERTILITY
Military Members Fight to Broaden Fertility Treatment Access
What: Veterans and active military members are only eligible for fertility care if they can prove their infertility was caused by their service, “such as women who suffered injuries to their reproductive organs in combat or the partners of men who take medication for post-traumatic stress order that lowers sperm count.” Advocates are fighting to make fertility care more broadly available, as it can be *very difficult* to prove precisely when and if military service contributed to infertility.
Why it matters: “Infertility in the military is understudied. But in a 2018 survey, 37% of active-duty women said they struggled with infertility, a rate that is three times the national average.”
Source: NBC News
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
More Med Students Avoiding Abortion Ban States
What: For the second year in a row the number of applicants to residency programs dropped in states that have abortion bans in place. Applications fell four percent in states with the near-total bans, compared to less than one percent in states where abortions are legal.
Why it matters: The drop was across the board in all specialties, but was especially significant among OBGYN applicants, which fell nearly seven percent in states with near-total abortion bans. It ultimately means abortion ban states could end up with doctors who aren’t trained to properly “manage miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies or potential complications, such as infection or hemorrhaging, that could stem from pregnancy loss.”
Source: KFF / NPR
To Talk About Stillbirth
What: Erin Hirshberg writes a devastating but beautiful essay on having a stillbirth at 36 weeks: “Stillbirth is a polite euphemism for what I went through, but the nomenclature is kind of pitiless. Like a mother’s brain after giving birth to a live being, mine was the opposite of still: It was in overdrive. The doctors told me there was no medical explanation for the death of my son. But I looked and looked for a reason to make it my fault.”
Why it matters: “Mother’s Day still comes every year. And every year, on this day, when I walk down the street with my family, people see me as a mother of two. But I know the truth. I’m a mother of three. Honoring that loss by talking about it makes me able to be present for my 9-year-old daughter, 6-year-old son, and wonderful husband in a way that is respectful to my loss but not crushed by it.”
Source: NY Magazine
ABORTION ACCESS
Florida Tries to Say Six Weeks Pregnant Is Plenty of Time
What: Florida’s state health care agency tried to push back on the fact that many women do not know they are pregnant at six weeks gestation, since it is only two weeks after a missed period for a woman on a very regular menstrual cycle. The agency noted that pregnancy tests had “evolved” over the years so pregnancy hormones could be detected at just over a week after ovulation (about three weeks pregnant).
Why it matters: The major problem with that? “‘They’re confusing the failure to recognize pregnancy with the ability to diagnose it early,’ retired Tampa obstetrician-gynecologist Bruce Shephard told Axios. ‘Yes, you can diagnose it early, but if you’re not looking for it — many patients are not,’ he said, adding that nearly half of pregnancies are unintended.”
Source: Axios
New York State Sues Fake Pregnancy Clinics
What: New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an investigation into anti-abortion organizations that purport to offer health services for pregnant women but end up violating laws around false advertising and misleading claims. The so-called clinics promote “abortion pill reversal,” which doesn’t have medical or scientific evidence to back it up.
Why it matters: More and more federal and state tax dollars are pouring into similar fake health clinics in states with abortion bans.
Source: ABC News
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