Category: Pregnancy
80% of pregnancy-related deaths in Washington state were preventable, study
Behavioral health conditions, including suicide and overdose, remain the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths. Other common causes were hemorrhage and infection.
US birth rates are at record lows – even though the number of kids most Americans say they want has held steady
Birth rates are falling in the U.S.and are now close to the lowest level in a century. Is this decline because, as some suggest, young people aren’t interested in having children? Or are people facing increasing barriers to becoming parents?
More than 4 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable in the US, and mental health is the leading cause
Mental health conditions are the overall most frequent cause of pregnancy-related death. Approximately 23% of deaths are attributed to suicide, substance use disorder or are otherwise associated with a mental health condition.
Women are often told their fertility ‘falls off a cliff’ at 35, but is that right?
It’s a fact women’s fertility declines as they age. But the common description of fertility decline after age 35 as a “cliff” is more anxiety-provoking than factual.
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.
Her Child Was Stillborn at 39 Weeks. She Blames a System That Doesn’t Always Listen to Mothers.
Every year more than 20,000 pregnancies in the United States end in stillbirth, the death of an expected child at 20 weeks or more. That number has exceeded infant mortality every year for the last 10 years. It’s 15 times the number of babies who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, in 2020.
Privacy, Stigma May Keep Workers From Using Abortion Travel Benefits
Among workers’ potential concerns are the stigma of abortion and worries that private medical information could intentionally or unintentionally leak to state authorities. Unlike health care providers and insurers,most private companies aren’t set up to handle sensitive medical information.
Some Abortion Bans Put Patients, Doctors at Risk in Emergencies
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, emergency health care providers in states that ban abortion have had to make wrenching legal and ethical judgments before treating a pregnant woman whose health or life may be in peril.
The US lacks adequate education around puberty and menstruation for young people – an expert on menstrual health explains
Many young people receive limited guidance about what to expect as they near menstruation. Now, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, young people who begin to menstruate will also need to learn early on how to recognize a missed period as soon as possible.
How Misinformation About COVID Vaccines and Pregnancy Took Root Early On and Why It Won’t Go Away
Before coronavirus vaccines were even released, a disinformation campaign used a moment of national and personal vulnerability to prey on those who were pregnant or who planned to become pregnant.
A growing number of women give birth at Catholic hospitals, where they do not receive the same reproductive health options – including birth control – provided at other hospitals
Given the health risks of having a rapid repeat pregnancy, avoiding pregnancy is especially critical for those who have recently given birth. But not all health care providers offer birth control to their patients.
Critics Fear Abortion Bans Could Jeopardize Health of Pregnant Women
Several scientific studies in the past two years have noted that abortion bans will likely increase maternal mortality.
Abortion Bans May Add to Uncertainty Over Embryo Donation
Some researchers and lawyers are worried that laws banning abortion could affect embryo donation.
More States Adding Medicaid Benefit for Doula Services
Doulas are trained professionals who provide emotional, physical and educational support to women before, during and after childbirth.
More States Shield Against Rogue Abortion Prosecutions
Physicians, public health officials and women’s advocates have long cautioned that arrests for self-managed abortions and miscarriages will disproportionately stigmatize low-income people, immigrants and women of color who already lack access to reproductive health care.