Contraception, Health News, Health Policy, Newborn and Infant Health, Pregnancy, Women's Health

Maternal death reviews get political as state officials intrude

Every state has a committee of medical and public health experts tasked with investigating deaths that occur during and after pregnancy. But as data paints a clearer picture of the impact that state policies such as abortion bans and Medicaid expansion can have on maternal health, leaders in some states are rushing to limit their review committee’s work — or halt it altogether.

Photo of an emergency contraception pill in its packaging.
Abortion, Contraception, Drugs, Women's Health

Emergency contraception is often confused with abortion pills – here’s how Plan B and other generic versions work to prevent pregnancy

There are two types of emergency contraception pills. The most widely known is levonorgestrel, which is sold in the U.S. under the brand name Plan B, along with numerous generic versions. The second type of emergency contraception pill is ulipristal acetate, which is sold under the brand name ella. Both Plan B and ella work by delaying ovulation

Graph showing percentage of women of women on oral contraceptives who will become pregnant in a year
Contraception, Contraceptives, Pregnancy, Women's Health

Post-‘Roe,’ Contraceptive Failures Carry Bigger Stakes

The failure rate for typical use of birth control pills is 7%. For every million women taking pills, 70,000 unplanned pregnancies could occur in a year. According to the most recent data available, more than 6.5 million women ages 15 to 49 use oral contraceptives, leading to about 460,000 unplanned pregnancies. Even seemingly minuscule failure rates of IUDs and birth control implants can lead to surprises.Even seemingly minuscule failure rates of IUDs and birth control implants can lead to surprises. Some 4.8 million women use IUDs or implants in the U.S., leading to as many as 5,000 to 20,000 unplanned pregnancies a year.