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BIRTH CONTROL
Essay: Why Wasn't I Warned About Birth Control Risks?
What: A personal essay on the author's decision to stop hormonal birth control. This take over emphasizes risks in my view, but it's a good encapsulation of how women are hungry for more information on birth control options and risks.
Key Line: "The doctor ended our conversation with, 'The great thing about this pill is you only get a period once or twice a year. And I don't know about you, but I don't have time to be messing with that every month,' before telling me to have a great rest of my day and leaving me in the room naked in more ways than one. As I walked through the packed parking garage, I felt robbed. Anger welled up as I thought about all the women who'd come to this hospital for women's care and expected their doctors to provide them with all the information and research available to them — easily hundreds of women daily who weren't getting answers."
Source: Pop Sugar
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Reveals Postpartum Preeclampsia Scare
What: Meghan Markle revealed that she had postpartum preeclampsia on the first episode of her new podcast. Postpartum preeclampsia is relatively rare but can lead to life-threatening risks like stroke and brain damage following childbirth.
Key Line: "'It’s so rare ... and so scary,' Meghan responded. 'And you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening, quietly,' Meghan continued. 'And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people. And in the quiet, you’re still just trying to show up mostly for your children, but those things are huge medical scares.'”
Source: NBC
USPSTF Recommends Breastfeeding Support Interventions
What: A federal panel kept its recommendation of counseling and/or breastfeeding help during and after pregnancy, due to health benefits for both mothers and babies. Breastfeeding rates in the U.S. are not as high as they could be, with only around 60% of 6-month-olds being breastfed.
Key Line: "Breastfeeding support can include providing information about the benefits of breastfeeding, psychological support (encouragement, reassurance, and discussing questions and problems), and direct support during breastfeeding observations (helping with the positioning of the infant and observing latching). Interventions are often provided by professionals such as nurses, midwives, clinicians, or lactation care providers. Support may also be provided by trained peers."
Source: JAMA
Providers Need Standardized Breastfeeding Education
What: Following the USPSTF recommendation, an editorial in JAMA calls for greater clinician education on breastfeeding, including quality standards.
Key Line: "To maximize benefits and minimize harms for breastfeeding families, health care organizations need to establish quality standards for lactation education for providers at all levels (eg, staff nurses, physicians, physicians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken steps toward this goal with the Physician Education and Training on Breastfeeding Project. Health care systems must support these endeavors. In the absence of standardized lactation training for general health care clinicians, families need referrals and access to those with lactation expertise, including International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), Certified Lactation Educators, Breastfeeding Peer Counselors, and the newer certification of North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine (NABBLM)."
Source: JAMA
MENOPAUSE
Perimenopause Survey: It Can Be Sooner Than You Think
What: A survey of 1,068 women in the US found 61% of women believe perimenopause symptoms begin in the 40s--but in reality, for some women it begins in their 30s.
Key Line: "The survey also revealed one in three women are concerned about the long-term health effects of menopause. Other concerns related to reproductive aging among those surveyed include physical symptoms (25%) and mental health (18%). Younger women were more likely to say mental health is their top concern related to menopause than older women (25% among 18-29-year-olds versus 10% among those ages 65+)."
Source: Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
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