News
November 21, 2023
Placental syndromes and long-term risk of hypertension
Dr. Janet Catov's team reviewed the relationship between blood pressure and maternal health in pregnancy. They concluded that there is a pressing need for studies with a range of detailed measures of cardiac and vascular structure and function taken before, during, and after pregnancy. This will help inform effective precision medicine prevention and treatment of both placental syndromes and chronic hypertension in women.
Read more about Dr. Catov's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36702879/
November 21, 2023
Carotid intima media thickness and white matter hyperintensity volume among midlife women
Dr. Rebecca Thurston's research found that greater carotid intima media thickness (IMT) is associated with greater brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) among older individuals, yet few studies consider these associations at midlife. Even fewer studies focus on women. The neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias accumulate at midlife. For women, midlife includes the menopause transition.
Read about Dr. Thurston's findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36722746/
November 20, 2023
Characteristics of Premature Myocardial Infarction Among Women With Prior Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
We are highlighting the work of Dr. Janet Catov around characteristics of premature myocardial infarction among women with prior adverse pregnancy outcomes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37694271/
November 14, 2023
Vaccination Beliefs and Attitudes of Lactating People During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
Despite high uptake of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Dr. Jill Demirci and her team found that many participants held concerns about safety and that many reported a lack of direct counseling from providers around lactation. Future research should investigate how variability in provider counseling affects SARS-CoV-2 vaccine uptake in perinatal populations.
November 10, 2023
HHS's Roundtable on Contraception Access
Health and Human Services hosted a roundtable to hear from reproductive health experts, including Dr. Megan Kavanaugh, to understand barriers to reproductive health research and expand access to affordable, high-quality contraception following the Dobbs v. Jackson decision.
November 8, 2023
Intersex Remembrance Day/Intersex Day of Solidarity
Today it's Intersex Remembrance Day/Intersex Day of Solidarity. This is a day that highlights issues faced by intersex people and their continued fight for respect, bodily autonomy, and the right to self-determination.
November 6, 2023
How to Provide Sexual and Reproductive Health Care to Patients: Focus Groups with Rheumatologists and Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers
Join Dr. Mehret Birru Talabi and her colleagues on December 5th for NIH's Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival and their presentation on How to Provide Sexual and Reproductive Health Care to Patients: Focus Groups with Rheumatologists and Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers.
Learn more and register here: https://www.scgcorp.com/OBSSRFestival2023/Agenda
November 1, 2023
Young black women's desired pregnancy and birthing support during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic
Drs. Ashley Hill, Natacha De Genna, and their team found that young Black women who desired pregnancy and birthing support during Covid-19 encountered structural racism and intersectional bias from healthcare providers.
Read more about their research findings here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523001178?via%3Dihub
October 31, 2023
Comparative Assessment of Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates From 24-Hour Recall and Since Birth Methods in Southwestern Pennsylvania Using Ecological Momentary Assessment
Drs. Jill Demirci and Dara Mendez's study looked at 24-hour recall assessing exclusive breastfeeding was higher than the since birth rates across all ages and maternal characteristics. The difference between the two methods at 3 months was 25.7% and at 6 months was a 17.2%. Findings highlight the importance of specificity in measuring and reporting exclusive breastfeeding.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37675868/
October 26, 2023
Prepregnancy obesity and risk of placental inflammation at term: a selection bias analysis
Dr. Janet Catov and her team examined the association between prepregnancy obesity (risk factor for inflammation) and histologic placental inflammation (correlated with impaired infant neurodevelopment) and how selection bias may influence the association.
Their findings point to obesity contributing to placental inflammation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37302673/
October 25, 2023
Racial inequities in drug tests ordered by clinicians for pregnant people who disclose substance use
Drs. Mendez, Jarlenski, Chang, and their team measured racial inequities in drug testing among pregnant people and found that clinicians were more likely to order urine drug testing for Black patients compared with their White counterparts.
Read more of their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37769307/
October 24, 2023
How does one move through historical critique to building liberatory futures?
Join A Feminist Theology of Abortion on Nov. 3rd for a conversation with Dr. Myrna Perez Shelton for a new ethical foundation on abortion politics.
October 23, 2023
"We really are seeing racism in the hospitals": Racial identity, racism, and doula care for diverse populations in Georgia
Poor birth outcomes are more prevalent for Black communities, but strong evidence shows that doula care can improve those outcomes. In this study by Dr. Mosley and her team, doulas noted the alarming Black maternal mortality rate and how mistreatment causes Black clients to lose trust in medical staff, leaving them in need of advocates. Doulas also discussed the ways that race influences their connections with clients and their dissatisfaction with the lack of cultural humility or sensitivity training in standard doula training.
October 19, 2023
Feasibility Testing of a Web-Based Reproductive Decision Support Tool for Cystic Fibrosis
Dr. Kazmerski , Olivia Stransky, Catherine Wright, Dr. Birru Talabi, Dr. Callegari, Dr. Chang, Dr. Miller, Ashley Deal, Raelynn O'Leary, and Dr. Borrero conducted a study on our femtech tool MyVoice:CF showing that the tool increases self-efficacy and reproductive health communication for those with cystic fibrosis.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37833123/
