Tonight: a congresswoman turns her miscarriage pain into getting one step closer to federal research, why everyone may need to move to one drink a day, and more.
— Meghan McCarthy
p.s. Our first trivia question awaits you at the bottom of this edition. Just how much do you know about pregnancy brain?
MISCARRIAGE PAIN IS BARELY STUDIED. A CONGRESSWOMAN IS TRYING TO CHANGE THAT.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez told the House she lost a pregnancy at 11 weeks, and that the medication to pass the miscarriage left her in pain "worse than" delivering her son four years ago. Her amendment directing the NIH to study better pain management for miscarriage was passed unanimously. The issue is complicated — Republicans want to take away telehealth prescribing for the abortion pill (despite its record of safe use) and may see this as bolstering their argument. But the congresswoman is focused on a common refrain in women’s health: why doesn’t our pain matter?
OB-GYNS BREAK WITH THE CDC ON VACCINES (FOR OBVIOUS REASONS)
It’s not a shock, but for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued its own immunization schedule for pregnant and postpartum patients instead of following CDC guidance (or lack thereof). This comes after the agency replaced its COVID-in-pregnancy recommendation with "no guidance" last year. Endorsed by 13 medical groups, ACOG urges flu, Tdap, COVID, and RSV protection at any point in pregnancy or breastfeeding. ACOG said it withdrew from the CDC's vaccine committee this year over "concerns about recent changes that undermine the committee's scientific integrity."
NO AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL IS PROTECTIVE. AND THE GUIDELINES FOR MEN AND WOMEN ARE CONVERGING.
A new analysis found alcohol's health risks start climbing at relatively low levels for both men and women, with almost identical thresholds for increased mortality risk. Researchers estimated that drinking more than about 6.5 drinks per week for men and 7 drinks per week for women pushed lifetime alcohol-related death risk above 1 in 1,000, while risks exceeded 1 in 100 at roughly 8.5 drinks per week for both sexes. The findings challenge the long-standing U.S. dietary guidelines that allow men up to two drinks per day but women only one. The authors argue future guidance should recommend no more than one drink daily for everyone.
WHAT NEW MOTHERS EXPECT OF THEIR SLEEP MAY SHAPE WHAT THEY GET
Among around 430 pregnant women, those who expected the worse sleep after delivery ended up actually having worse sleep, measured by both wrist trackers and self-report. And that is after researchers accounted for prior sleep problems and psychiatric history. Postpartum anxiety deepened the effect. Researchers say sleep beliefs and anxiety, unlike most postpartum risk factors, could be addressed during pregnancy, before the sleepless months arrive.
MENOPAUSE IS HITTING WOMEN RIGHT WHEN THEY'D REACH THE TOP
Menopause arrives around 52, and the average CEO is hired at 54. Fast Company reports that senior women said menopause is quietly pushing them out: lost confidence, a blazer thrown off mid-boardroom meeting, careers abandoned. Only 11% of companies offer menopause benefits, the same share of Fortune 500 CEOs who are women. Half of women say their workplace never discusses it at all.