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PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
What Is Going On With Maternal Mortality Numbers?
What: The Atlantic’s Jerusalem Demsas has a deep dive on the counting of how many women in the United States die due to pregnancy every year—and reports that researchers say “measurement changes are largely to blame for the seemingly inexorable rise in maternal deaths. Things aren’t getting worse for women; we’re just getting better at tracking what’s going on.” (In this case, “measurement changes” mean that states updated mortality forms at different times, prompting the appearance of an increase in deaths.)
Why it matters: “For many commentators, correcting the record on a delicate or emotionally fraught topic simply feels awkward. You risk sounding as if you’re trivializing pregnancy and the costs women shoulder to have children…. I want kids. I have a lot of friends who want kids. We know that it’s risky, but the widespread discussion around the maternal-mortality rate has made me more fearful of pregnancy and childbirth than the numbers would indicate. The constant drumbeat that maternal mortality is “commonplace” and that pregnancy is “deadly” doesn’t empower me with information to make my own decisions. It just stresses me out.”
Source: The Atlantic
The Hidden History of the C-Section
What: A review of Rachel Somersteins’ Invisible Labor, a book that delves into the history of the C-section. The procedure was “was devised to help save both mother and child,” but was “quickly adapted by enslavers, however, in ‘a push to bring about more slaves. In the U.S., most early caesareans took place in the South, and they still do today; a disproportionate number of Black and enslaved women made up the subjects.’”
Why it matters: “Then again, what do we expect in a country whose Supreme Court struck down women’s bodily autonomy? As it stands now, an unborn fetus has more rights than a woman or girl in many states. To create a better system of childbirth for mothers, we have to believe that the rights and indeed the lives of pregnant people matter.”
Source: LA Times
The Threat of Continuous Salt Water Exposure
What: Vox looks at how salt water infiltrating fresh water supply due to climate change “can rob women of their reproductive organs and pregnancies.”
Why it matters: “As sea levels rise and intensifying storms stress infrastructure systems along coasts around the world, salt water threatens to infiltrate freshwater drinking supplies in countries like Egypt, Italy, the United States, and Vietnam. The issue, a 2021 study stated, ‘has become one of the main threats to the safety of freshwater supply in coastal zones.’ The health of women living in these areas is on the line.”
Source: Vox
BIRTH CONTROL
Male Birth Control Gel Shows Promise in Human Trials
What: A teaspoon of clear gel spread on the shoulders is working as a male birth control, according to trial results shared by NIH’s Contraceptive Development Program at an annual meeting of endocrinologists. It reduced sperm production without too many side effects.
Why it matters: It’s one of the male contraceptives closest to reaching the market, but a big hurdle remains: “Researchers are now tracking how well the gel works to prevent pregnancy. Because of pregnancy risk, male participants are required to be in committed, monogamous relationships, and need consent from their female partners too.”
Source: NBC
ABORTION ACCESS
Professors Sue Because They’re Mad Students Might Be Excused for Medical Procedure
What: Two Texas professors are suing for the right to fail students who have an abortion. Yes, you read that right. They argue that “pregnancy is not a disease, and elective abortions are not ‘health care.’” They explain that students should not be excused for absences related to an abortion, since pregnancy is the result of “voluntary and consensual sexual intercourse.”
Why it matters: As Amanda Marcotte puts it: “The sexual hang-ups of abortion opponents are rarely far from the surface, but even by those low standards, the unjustified male grievance on display in this new Texas lawsuit is a doozy.”
Source: Salon
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