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EVERYTHING
Estrogen and Women With Migraines
What: Bloomberg's Emily Cohn writes about how getting a migraine with a visual white-out (aura) led her to change up her birth control. After going to the eye doctor, she was referred to her "women doctor" to get off combination birth control. That's because estrogen can increase the risk of stroke in women with migraines, especially those who experience visual disturbances.
Key Line: "The whole episode left me feeling relieved I had figured out what was going on relatively quickly and before things got more dangerous. But I was surprised that the pill, which is one of the most common forms of contraception, had such a risky side effect that I didn’t know about. It left me wondering: What other standard forms of medical care carry risks that aren’t widely known about? And what can I do to help spread the word?"
Source: Bloomberg
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Fear, Anxiety During Pregnancy Affect Postpartum Quality of Life
What: A study of 92 women found that self-reported fear of childbirth and symptoms of anxiety and depression during pregnancy were linked to a lower quality of life postpartum for women. The authors argue addressing these symptoms before delivery could improve life postpartum.
Key Line: "Fear of childbirth and the perception of poor support in university women has a negative impact on the mental component of postpartum [quality of life]. In non-university women, it is emotional discomfort that is most associated with worse [quality of life]."
Source: Nature
Major OB-GYN Group Recommends COVID Shot for Pregnant Women
What: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine -- a contrast with the CDC's recent change in recommendations under the leadership of vaccine skeptic HHS Sec. Kennedy. ACOG said pregnant women have a higher risk of getting a severe case of COVID.
Key Line: "'While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently removed its recommendation that pregnant and lactating individuals receive updated COVID-19 vaccines, ACOG’s recommendations have not changed,' an updated practice advisory on their website states."
Source: Scripps News
ABORTION ACCESS
Texas, Florida Want to Take Over Abortion Pill Case
What: Texas and Florida asked to join a federal case originally brought by Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho, because those states may not be able to " adequately represent Republican-led states’ opposition to the abortion pill." That's because Missouri voters added the right to abortion to the state's constitution, Idaho might reverse its ban in a 2026 referendum, and Kansas' state supreme court recently affirmed access to abortion as a state right.
Key Line: "The lawsuit is challenging FDA actions that loosened restrictions on the drug in 2016 and 2021, including allowing for medication abortions at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy instead of seven and for mail delivery of the drug without a woman first seeing a clinician in person."
Source: Reuters via Dallas News
CARDIOVASCULAR
Gender Differences in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Risks
What: A study looking at cardiovascular risk for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes also examined gender and age differences. They found outcomes are worse for women with type 1 diabetes at all ages, while younger men with type 2 diabetes have higher risk for mortality and heart disease compared to those with type 1 diabetes. The study looked at diabetes patients in Sweden over a five-year period.
Key Line: "Dr Patsoukaki explains: “Women with type 1 diabetes often develop the disease at a young age, so they live with it longer which increasing their lifetime risk of heart and blood vessel problems. They may also lose some of the natural protection women usually have against heart disease, and often receive less aggressive treatment for cardiovascular disease than men."
Source: European Association for the Study of Diabetes
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