Category: Pregnancy
How mother’s diet affects baby’s health: What insights from different cultures can tell us
A high-quality diet in pregnancy and healthy weight before pregnancy can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and reduce the chance of transmitting this risk to one’s offspring.
200+ women faced criminal charges over pregnancy in year after Dobbs, report finds
In the year after the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled the federal right to abortion in June 2022, 210 pregnant women in a dozen states were criminally charged for conduct associated with their pregnancy, pregnancy loss or birth. Six states — Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi and Texas — accounted for most cases.
Wildfire smoke is a health risk for pregnant people — both physically and mentally
As the West’s wildfire season worsens, a new Human Rights Watch report urges policymakers to address the toll it’s taking on pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Health News Headlines
I.V.F. Threats Drive Clinics to Ship Out Embryos – Teen mental health in US has improved post-pandemic – Is COVID Endemic Yet? Yep, Says The CDC.
Telehealth abortion still on the rise, especially in states with shield laws, report shows
From January to March 2024, there were about 19,700 telehealth abortions per month, according to the report. The states with the biggest jumps in the average number of abortions per month compared with the first three months of 2023 include New York, California, Virginia, Kansas and Pennsylvania. Kansas saw 59% more telehealth abortions and 29% more in-person abortions each month.
Since Fall of ‘Roe,’ Self-Managed Abortions Have Increased
Women who self-managed abortion attempts reported using a range of methods, including using drugs or alcohol, lifting heavy objects, and taking a hot bath. In addition, about 22% reported hitting themselves in the stomach. Nearly 4% reported inserting an object in their body.
Conservatives push to declare fetuses as people, with far-reaching consequences
Fetal personhood, a longtime cornerstone of the anti-abortion movement, is the idea that a fetus, embryo or fertilized egg has the same legal rights as a person who has been born. If the law considers fetuses to be people, the thinking goes, then abortion would legally be considered murder.
Confusion, clinic closures may have caused big declines in contraception use, study shows
Among the 12 states with the most restrictive bans, the combined decline of emergency contraceptive prescriptions was 60%, and the decline for oral contraceptives was 24%.
Data privacy after Dobbs: Is period tracking safe?
Information logged into these apps, or tracked via wearable devices like a Fitbit or an Oura Ring, have the potential to be used in prosecuting those who seek abortions in states which criminalize it.
Prenatal supplements fall woefully short in providing crucial nutrition during pregnancy – and most women don’t even know it
Prenatal supplements are not the insurance plan that many doctors believe them to be.
The number of births continues to fall, despite abortion bans
Births continued a historic slide in all but two states last year, making it clear that a brief post-pandemic uptick in the nation’s birth numbers was all about planned pregnancies that had been delayed temporarily by COVID-19.
The Powerful Constraints on Medical Care in Catholic Hospitals Across America
More than half a million babies are born each year in the U.S. in Catholic-run hospitals, including those owned by CommonSpirit Health, Ascension, Trinity Health, and Providence St. Joseph Health. That’s 16% of all hospital births each year, with rates in 10 states exceeding 30%. In Washington, half of all babies are born at such hospitals, the highest share in the country.
Telehealth makes timely abortions possible for many, research shows
Access to telehealth abortion care can determine whether a person can obtain an abortion in the United States. For young people and those living on low incomes, telehealth makes a critical difference in getting timely abortion care.
There’s a new pill for postpartum depression, but many at-risk women face hurdles
Suicide and overdoses are among the leading causes of maternal death in the U.S.
Viewpoint: Restricting Obese Women From IVF Is Discriminatory
Fertility clinics bar women with obesity from their services, despite the lack of medical evidence for doing so.