ICYMI news for women
No TL;DR. Just the facts, ma'am. 40 news stories that matter to women.
Sunday Snippets is a round-up of headlines about women’s health and lives from the past week that we haven’t covered in our regular posts. Snippets is a perk for our terrific paid subscribers, released a few days later for all readers.
June 14: There is so much happening right now that breaks our spirit and hearts; it’s hard for us here to even think about news outside of the political havoc. Our hearts go out to everyone affected and traumatized—directly, indirectly or virtually—and our thanks go to all of the incredible journalists, many on Substack, who are following it all, often in danger themselves, helping us makes sense of the chaos as we, as a nation, figure out who we are and are not.
In the news this week for women: Tips to reduce heart disease; women leaders fight medical gaslighting; Michelle Obama takes heat for suggesting women’s health is more than pregnancy; health groups fight for insurance coverage for vaccines; a woman’s delayed care in Texas found to be illegal after she loses part of her reproductive system—but docs still left guessing what could land them in prison; safest states for gay and trans people; how to know which at-home tests are right for you; colorectal cancer and sexual health; ubiquitous CT scans and cancer; cancer rates and young people; coffee, cannabis and aging; nerve pain; RFK moves to limit vaccines Is ‘just in case’ peeing harmful? Is there a way to stop NIH defunding? More opportunities and growth in FemTech after decades of same-old from traditional care…and much, much more.
Don’t forget to catch up on the ever-changing picture of the budget bill, with frequently updated posts.
Several articles below use paywall-avoiding links. You may experience a delay with popular articles. Move on to something else and come back.
Health news specific to women
Johns Hopkins: A woman’s journey: Surprising tips to reduce heart disease. (on demand seminar)
Medical gaslighting is real: Women leaders are raising their voices.
Michelle Obama says ‘creating life is the least’ a woman’s body does, faces heat from pro-life activists.1
Health groups urge insurers to cover COVID 19 shots for pregnant women.
Texas hospital that denied lifesaving abortion for woman violated the law, federal inquiry finds—now that she lost part of her reproductive system from the delay.
Related: Trump administration revokes guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions in states with rigid bans—meaning that doctors in states like Texas are again left hanging on what they can or can’t do in an emergency that could land them in prison.
What are the safest places for gay and trans people? See where your state ranks.
Diabetic risk reduction practices low for women with gestational diabetics.
United Health takes another gut punch from government as CMS boosts audit team.
* Colorectal cancer tied to long-term sexual health risks in women.
* Uterine artery embolization for symptomatic uterine fibroids.
* Pregnancy, infertility and medical training: A hidden crisis.2
*Professional medical journal article
Health news impacting our lives and the health of those we love
More at-home tests are now available. How to know what’s right for you.
New study shows link between CT scans and the risk of developing cancer.3
Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water for nasal rinse.
Rates of bowel cancer are rising among young people, and antibiotic overuse and cesarean birth may play a role in allowing a strain of E. coli found in some cancer victims to take root.
Is going to the bathroom ‘just in case’ bad for you? Experts weigh in on whether prophylactic peeing affects your bladder health. (Gifted article)
That cup of coffee may have longer term perks: A new study of over 47,000 women found links between coffee drinking and healthy aging.
Health risks from cannabis may grow as users age: More older people are using cannabis products regularly, but research suggests their cannabis-related health problems are also on the rise.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin reveals how Democrats may stop massive Trump-backed 40% cut in NIH funding.
How low reimbursement rates affect women’s health: Mille founded and CEO Anu Sharma discusses reasons why one-third of the US is considered a “maternity care desert” and what can be done.4
How vaccine critics appointed by RFK Jr. could limit access to shots: Staff who provide data to the vaccine panel have been pushed aside, according to health officials, raising doubts about the availability of coronavirus and other vaccines.
Tesla ‘s FSD (Full Self-Driving) taxis hit the streets in Austin this month. Watchdog’s test (again) demonstrates the FSD ignores school bus lights and hits child dummy.
World Economic Forum: Women’s health conditions are missed, misdiagnosed, or a mystery: How can we change this?
Yale University: Women’s health research at Yale announces 2025 pilot project program awards.5
Drexel University: The importance of Medicare for all women.
Women’s sports news: The WNBA’s most valuable teams 2025.
FemTech and women’s health investment
FemTech takes on the women’s healthcare marketplace: Tech companies say their products will address longstanding problems. Will they create others? (Gifted article)
Women’s health therapeutics market size, share and trends 2025-2034
Venture capital investment in women’s health startups reaching record highs; Silicon Valley Bank releases report.
We get banned all the time: Why Megababe and Evvy still face pushback on women’s health products.
A new tampon that tests for HPV and STIs could transform women’s health, even eradicate cancer.
We have very little data on Asian women’s health: Why FemTech innovation is urgently needed.
How Halle Berry and women leaders are transforming menopause care.
Women’s health brand O Positiv Health explores sale. (Click for O Positiv Health)
I’m solidly with Michelle on this one; she’s right. The average woman’s life expectancy in the US is currently ~84 years, of which we may spend one or two (occasionally more) years pregnant. Think how crazy it is that ‘women’s health’ has been tidily defined as only those childbearing years. A large part of that is how our ‘health’ system functions: if it doesn’t involve significant revenue potential—which OB, surgery and big diagnostics do—hospitals, pharmaceuticals and traditional big tech (think mammography machines) haven’t been interested. That’s one reason I’m encouraged by the growth of FemTech. While not all FemTech is or will be equal, at least it’s focusing on the other 80+ years of a woman’s life. FemTech doesn’t have to make millions of dollars to support huge medical campuses, expensive drug R&D, and technology that costs tens of thousands of dollars; there’s hope right there.
As you read this, keep in mind that as of January 2024, approximately 87.2% of active Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) residents in the United States were female—and that the way most medical residencies are run was established a long time ago when women were rare in the field—back in the day when it was a badge of honor to survive 72 hours straight on call with no sleep.
This shouldn’t be a surprise, but it probably will be for many. I’ve been surprised for years about how casual CT scans seem to be prescribed, particularly in emergency rooms. While a chest X-ray exposes a patient to a relatively low dose of radiation, a CT scan can expose a patient to the equivalent of 100 to 800 chest X-rays. Here’s some more information on that.
Over a third of US counties are without obstetrical and gyn services…putting moms at risk and adding on to our already appalling maternal and infant mortality rates. As Medicaid is further reduced as proposed in the budget bill, many more hospitals will close maternity services—Medicaid supports far more rural pregnancies than urban.
Think about that the next time you hear the White House and HHS/NIH are withdrawing research funds and hammering our medical research and training universities. That drug that saves our parents, our kids or us may very well have come from those funds and those universities.