Coronavirus, COVID, Newborn and Infant Health, Pregnancy, Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccination and boosting during pregnancy benefits pregnant people and newborns

The researchers found that pregnant women who received the COVID-19 vaccines generated antibodies against specific types of SARS-CoV-2. These antibodies crossed the placenta and were also found in the cord blood of vaccinated participants. This likely conferred some protection in the newborns against infection immediately after birth—a critical time when they are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 disease but are too young to be vaccinated.

Cytomegaloviru, Infectious Disease, Pregnancy

Cytomegalovirus lies dormant in most US adults and is the leading infectious cause of birth defects, but few have heard of it

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this virus?” is a frequent response I hear from parents upon learning their newborn is infected with cytomegalovirus, or CMV. Although more than half of the U.S. population will be infected with CMV by the age of 40 and the disease is common worldwide, few people have ever heard of it.

Abortion, Doctors, Healthcare Providers, Women's Health

After Idaho’s Strict Abortion Ban, OB-GYNs Stage a Quick Exodus

Later this month, the hospital, founded in 1949 near the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, will stop providing services for expectant mothers, forcing patients across northern Idaho to travel at least an additional hour for care. In June, a second Idaho hospital, Valor Health, in the rural city of Emmett, will also halt labor and delivery services. Those decisions came within months of Idaho’s abortion ban, one of the nation’s strictest.

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