a non-animal based breastfeeding guideline

• Previous guidelines on what medications women can take while breastfeeding were based on...animal milk. A recent study updates that protocol. 
   
• Bayer women's health medical director Angie Lee digs into the company's menopause polling--and just how big the gap is between doctor and patient.
   
• A study from the UK found over a third of young women reported missing an average of nearly 2 days of school due to their periods. 

Medical Ethicist: Support for IVF and Abortion

What: As of this week, the Trump administration's 90-day deadline to generate recommendations on IVF accessibility. (It is rumored to be coming "very soon.") But Northwestern Prof. Katie Watson argues that you can't support IVF without backing abortion access, too. She lays out a framework for viewing both procedures as part of medical interventions that help shape families. 

Key Line: “Those who see IVF and abortion as ethically distinct often focus on differences in intention and outcome — having a baby vs. avoiding having a baby. Others see them as comparable practices because both destroy embryos. I offer a third perspective, which is that abortion and IVF are comparable practices because both are family-building medical interventions; therefore, support for IVF access ought to lead to support for abortion access.”

Source: Northwestern University

Bridging Women's Health Research, Policy, and Innovation

What: The World Economic Forum interviews Paula Bellostas Muguerza from the consulting firm Kearney about closing the gap in women's health. Muguerza founded the [W]Health group, which has 350 organizations working on everything from driving "investment to data generation, to innovation, to policy and advocacy." They recently introduced a new women's health index for large companies. 

Key Line: "What we decided was, how about if we first of all assess, where is everybody at in those organizations that are contributing to health care delivery in the value chain? It could be pharmaceutical companies, it could consumer health companies, med tech companies, investors, health care providers and payers. Let's give them a tool where they look at their own operations and they say, okay, this is where I'm doing great, and this is why I could be doing better."

Source: World Economic Forum
 

Heavy Periods Hurt School Attendance and Grades

What: A study from the UK of 2,700 girls ages 13 to 16 found 36% said they had heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, which led to missing nearly two days of school on average.

Key Line: "'Our study suggests that heavy or prolonged bleeding and menstrual pain are associated with lower school attendance and educational attainment,' the report concluded. 'More research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these associations and to develop strategies to tackle menstruation-related inequalities to mitigate negative impacts of menstrual symptoms on education.'”

Source: The Guardian

Finally Getting a Gold Standard for Medicine During Breastfeeding

What: Researchers published a new "gold standard" protocol for evaluating medicines in breast milk. Previous guidelines used data on animal milk and estimated how much of a given drug reached a baby's blood stream. The new method actually looked at the concentration of the drug in both the mother and child's blood.

Key Line: “'The lack of scientific evidence is an ethical problem for women and doctors, considering that around 70 percent of women need to use medicines sometime during their pregnancy. In many cases, women are recommended to refrain from breastfeeding or stop using their medicines. However, breastfeeding has benefits for both mother and child,' says Mats G. Hansson, senior professor of biomedical ethics, Uppsala University’s Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics, head of two ongoing clinical trials."

Source: Uppsala University
 

Bridging the Gap Between Doctors and Women on Menopause

What: Contemporary OBGYN interviews Dr. Angie Lee, the medical director for women's health at pharmaceutical company Bayer. The company recently sponsored a poll on menopause, which found a big gap in menopause knowledge, communication, and symptom management between women and their healthcare providers.

Key Line: "While nearly three-quarters of healthcare providers say they initiate menopause discussions at an age-appropriate time, the experience is perceived differently from the patients’ perspective, as half reported taking the lead on these discussions. ...The most immediate steps towards bridging the menopause communication gap involve enhancing education for both women and providers. Encouraging comprehensive menopause-specific education in medical training programs is key, as current offerings are limited and inconsistent."

Source: Contemporary OB/GYN