get the top three things to know in women's health + wellness, every weekday:

Pathologists Plea: Save the Placenta!

September 19, 2024

What: A group of pathologists have issued a plea to save placentas after delivery, in an effort to better understand any adverse outcomes in pregnancy – especially those beyond stillbirth, when placentas are most commonly studied. They want to understand what health effects they may reveal for the mother *going forward*. In other words, it’s not just about the pregnancy, but the health of the patient.

Why it matters: “’Placentas should not be considered a waste tissue,’ says senior author Mana Parast, MD, PhD, professor of pathology at University of California San Diego School of Medicine. ‘They can teach us a lot about not just what went wrong in a pregnancy, but also inform about subsequent pregnancies for the health of the pregnant person and baby.’”

Source: Cell Press

More News Snippets

Abortion Funds Struggling to Keep Up with Travel Costs, Demands

Groups that help cover the cost of abortions and the travel required to leave abortion ban states say they are limiting expenditures.

Trump Tells Women They Won’t Think About Abortion After He Banned It

Donald Trump’s presidency led to the banning of abortion access for nearly 1/3rd of American women, which has led to the maimings and deaths of women for the simple fact that they were once pregnant.

Pregnancy Criminal Charges Soared After Roe Fell

Over 200 women faced criminal charges for charges associated with pregnancy between June 2022 and 2023, the most cases seen by Pregnancy Justice in decades of tracking.

High Blood Sugar in Youth Leads to Greater Pregnancy Complication Risk

Having prediabetes in youth could lead to an 18 percent increased risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy

Women, Migraines, and the Role Hormones Play

A deep dive on the role hormones play in migraines, and how they could explain why women are significantly more likely to get them.

North Carolina GOP Gov. Candidate: Reserve Sex for Procreation

“‘You don’t lay down and act like you’re making a baby til you’re ready to have a baby,’ he declared in a video.”

Amber Thurman Is Dead Thanks to Georgia’s Abortion Ban

Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old mother of 6-year-old, is dead. The Georgia woman died because she could not get routine abortion care in her state.

Fighting High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Researchers are trying to understand why some women might develop pre-eclampsia when they don’t have other markers for the condition.

Race, Income Appear to Limit Access to Immunotherapy Treatment for Aggressive Breast Cancer

Black patients with an aggressive form of breast cancer known as “triple-negative” were less likely to get a treatment known as immunotherapy than white patients.

What It’ll Take to Change Menopause Care in America

An overview of where things stand in menopause care in America.

Trump and Vance Plan Could Make Pregnancy Pre-Existing Condition

Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, recently said the ticket wants to change regulations in a way that would bring back health insurers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, including…pregnancy

3D Mammograms More Effective Than Traditional in Large Study

A study from Yale School of Medicine shows 3D mammography found cancer at higher rates than traditional mammography

Pathologists Plea: Save the Placenta!

A group of pathologists have issued a plea to save placentas after delivery, in an effort to better understand any adverse outcomes in pregnancy – especially those beyond stillbirth, when placentas are most commonly studied.

Lidocaine Alone Won’t Fix IUD Pain

Physician Christine Henneberg writes that CDC guidance that physicians actually consider pain mitigation when placing IUDs is a welcome start, but not enough.

Rapamycin Evidence Still Very Early

Rapamycin has gotten a lot of press as a potential drug to extend fertility by up to five years

Hormone Therapy Rates for Women Drop Under 2 Percent in 2023

Hormone therapy has dropped significantly since 2007 across all age groups of potentially menopausal women, according to research presented at the Menopause Society’s annual meeting in Chicago.

First Lady Jill Biden Announces Another $500 Million for Women’s Health Research

The Defense Department money will fund research on conditions such as ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal injuries and how they impact women differently.

Hospital Penalties Rare for Denying Pregnant Patients

Investigating the office tasked with holding accountable hospitals that refuse or fail to treat pregnant women who need care.

Pregnancy Brain: It’s Real and It’s Finally Mapped

It’s 2024 and we are just getting a comprehensive map of how the brain changes (in significant ways!) during pregnancy.

Global Funders Dedicate $10 Million to Women’s Heart Research

The American Heart Association, along with other global funders, announced a $10 million grant over 5 years “to study and identify solutions to unmet clinical needs within women’s cardiovascular health.”