Senators Urge Bipartisan Action To Address Maternal Mental Health
Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) team up to take on the high rate of maternal mortality. In other news, a study has found that SARS-CoV-2 is tied to severe maternal morbidity. Elsewhere, a Georgia OB-GYN thinks her state offers a cautionary tale regarding abortion bans.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) encouraged elected officials to work across the aisle in tackling the United States鈥檚 high maternal mortality rate during a panel discussion Thursday on maternal mental health.聽鈥淚 think it is so important that we continue to talk about this in a bipartisan way because this聽is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is an American issue,鈥 said Britt during The Hill鈥檚 Moms Matter: Closing the Maternal Mental Health Gap event, which was sponsored by Sage Therapeutics. (O鈥機onnell-Domenech, 5/16)聽
Findings from a large study in California, which distinguished the COVID-19 pandemic period from individual SARS-CoV-2 infections, suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection is tied to increased preterm birth (PTB), high blood pressure during pregnancy, and severe maternal morbidity. The study is published as a research letter in JAMA Network Open. (Soucheray, 5/16)
It takes a lot of energy to grow a baby 鈥 just ask anyone who has been pregnant. But scientists are only now discovering just how much. In a study published on Thursday in the journal Science, Australian researchers estimated that a human pregnancy demands almost 50,000 dietary calories over the course of nine months. That鈥檚 the equivalent of about 50 pints of Ben and Jerry鈥檚 Cherry Garcia ice cream, and significantly more than the researchers expected. (Zimmer, 5/16)
Did you know babies can get depressed? Andria Goss, associate vice president of clinical and community services at the Erikson Institute, a graduate school for social work, early childhood education and child development programs, said people are astonished when they learn and appreciate that fact. (Rockett, 5/17)
New drugs to treat debilitating menopause symptoms 鈥 namely hot flashes 鈥 are finally on the market or are in development. But doctors say insurance companies either won鈥檛 pay for them or make women try and fail with other, perhaps less effective, drugs before they do. The conundrum has left women who might benefit from the new drugs at the mercy of health insurance companies. (Edwards, Thompson and Herzberg, 5/16)
In news relating to abortion 鈥
The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee wants to know how the country鈥檚 top health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers plan to make it easier for people聽to access contraception for free.聽In letters sent Thursday to the five largest health insurers and four largest pharmacy benefit managers first shared with The Hill, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) asked for information on how the companies plan to respond to federal guidance designed to improve no-cost access to birth control. (Weixel, 5/16)聽
This year鈥檚 abortion bans in Florida and Arizona 鈥 following an older near-total prohibition in Texas 鈥 threaten to make the procedure virtually unattainable for undocumented people living in those states. (Luthra, 5/16)
The Amarillo City Council must consider a policy that outlaws using local streets to access an abortion in other states after the city verified supporters of the policy gathered enough signatures to advance the issue. The five-member council in the heart of the Texas Panhandle had been reluctant to follow other conservative cities and counties that have put the largely symbolic policy in place. (Carver, 5/16)
Dr. Nisha Verma says in the nearly two years since Georgia's six-week abortion ban went into effect, she's seen patients suffer and some colleagues leave the state. She fears the same thing will happen in Florida. (Colombini, 5/16)
In an airless classroom in Paris City University one Friday afternoon in March, a group of 17 female health care professionals 鈥 some doctors, some midwives聽鈥 gathered to spend the weekend learning how to perform surgical abortions. Sophie Gaudau is the no-nonsense leader of REVHO health network, which started providing abortion training for health professionals 20 years ago, back when abortion access in France was slightly more limited for patients and in terms of what the doctor could do. Today her organization receives support from the French Ministry of Health and Prevention. (Cohen, 5/16)
Also 鈥
A startup tampon brand is aiming to disrupt the world of menstrual products with a patented spiral design for fewer leaks. It's "the first engineering redesign of the tampon in 80 years" according to Sequel, which aims to change the game for women athletes. (Kingson, 5/17)