why is a dangerous postpartum condition increasing?

• Researchers found significant differences in breast cancer rates among women ages 65 and up--a group they say is too often overlooked. 
   
• Postpartum hemorrhage and related treatments have increased from 12% of deliveries in 2016 to nearly 20% in 2022.
   
• A survey from Drugwatch.com found 25% of women said their birth control had "life-disrupting side effects."

Survey: 1 in 4 Women Report Birth Control Side Effects

What: A survey of 450 women conducted by Drugwatch.com found 25% reported "life-disrupting side effects" from their birth control. (Keep in mind that Drugwatch.com is funded by mass tort law firms.)

Key Line: "In total, 35% of women surveyed experienced at least one side effect or injury related to their birth control. An important finding: over 53% of Depo-Provera users said that the birth control injection side effects either greatly or severely impacted their lives, which was significantly higher than other methods."

Source: Drugwatch.com
 

A Brain Circuit That Could Help Treat Postpartum Depression

What: Using a mouse model, researchers found that turning on a specific group of brain cells that release a neurotransmitter known as GABA helped reduce depression, even after a drop in estrogen--similar to the drop after childbirth. The findings may lead to more targeted treatments tied to estrogen drops after delivery.

Key Line: “It's remarkable to see how turning this pathway on or off has such a dramatic effect on mood,” Prof. Jian Jing adds. “This control gives us a powerful handle to explore future interventions.”

Source: Research (journal)

Postpartum Hemorrhage and Treatments Increasing

What: Researchers analyzed over 5 million deliveries to track treatment patternsand the financial impact of postpartum hemorrhage, which can be fatal. They found PPH or women getting additional medications to help their uterus contract had increased from 12% of deliveries in 2016 to nearly 20% in 2022. 

Key Line: "Twelve percent of US maternal deaths have been linked to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), which has also been linked to severe maternal morbidity (SMM) events such as intensive care unit (ICU) admission and hysterectomy, increasing hospital stay and health care costs."

Source: Contemporary OBGYN
 

Menopause Research Underfunded and Uncertain

What: Capital Public Radio has an overview of how menopause research has faced decades of neglect and underfunding, and profiles SWAN, one of the biggest and longest studies on menopause in the US.

Key Line: “I can count on two hands the number of big projects that have been done,” said Dr. Emily Jacobs, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara. “It's not that there has been nothing, but relative to other questions, there's such a dearth.”

Source: Capital Public Radio
 

Breast Cancer Incidence Trends Among Older US Women

What: A study of over 2 million women ages 65 and up diagnosed with breast cancer from 2001 through 2019 found significant differences in cancer rates within that age group. Women ages 65 to 74 were more likely to have breast cancer, and steadily dropped as women aged. They argue that it’s important to break down data by age to better match screening guidelines and help lower death rates.

Key Line: "While BC incidence trends in younger US women have received significant attention, few studies closely examine trends in the oldest women—a notable gap, as women aged 65 years and older are one of the fastest-growing groups in the United States, representing 16.8% of the population in 2020, and have the highest BC incidence rates, which peak around age 70 years for all racial and ethnic groups."

Source: JAMA Network Open