ICYMI news for women
No TL;DR. Just the facts, ma'am. 53 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. It takes time — many hours every week — to search for relevant news, add context and deeper dive links, and get these stories to you without ads and paid endorsements. If you find this valuable, please consider buying us a much needed coffee, or definitely better yet, a paid subscription to support what we do … we do it for you!
In the news this week for women: Health grants finally free up? Planned Parenthood takes another hit, but so do pregnancy crisis centers. Abortion bans keep negatively impacting women’s health access, costs, but virtual care is quietly providing the alternative. RFK Jr. makes it harder to enroll in ACA, replaces professional panel with amateurs and anti-vaxers; and wants to wire your body to the government ... what could possibly go wrong? Half the population has periods; maybe we could actually talk about it? Body fat measurement beats old BMI; nutrition: plants, plants and more plants recommended. Joint pain causes and gut health drinks; rosaries as meditation? More severe PMS with ADHD; car wreck test dummies made for men (surprise—not). Advances in preterm birth and preeclampsia. NY demos Dem generational rift; Congressional Dems reintroduce (doomed?) Women’s Health Protection Act. Budget bill risk for older adults; could women’s health possibly be more than uteruses, breasts and hormones? Mark Cuban says we should invest in women’s health, so here’s the latest on FemTech … and much, much more.
Don’t forget to catch up on this week’s DC SNAFU chaos: major SCOTUS opinions, how one women brought sanity back to Congressional budget bill overreach, and the anti-vax gypsies in the HHS palace.1
Several articles below use links from archive.ph to overcome paywalls. You may experience a delay with popular articles; move on and return.
See our “Why it matters” footnotes for context from our 30+ years in healthcare as well as deeper dives into news items.
Health news about our bodies
There actually is some good news out there: Let’s do that first
DOGE loses control over government grants website, freeing up billions. (gift article; no paywall)
Related: NIH clinical research trials and you.
Abortions overall are 40% lower than in 1990, and abortion clinics are closing, even in states where abortion is legal, but abortions keep rising slightly with telehealth prescriptions. Why this matters2
RFK Jr. is making it more difficult to enroll in Obamacare (ACA).
Planned Parenthood patient on the budget bill: Women’s health care hangs in the balance
Related: See SCOTUS ruling yesterday that states can deny funding to PP, and our updates on the budget here and here.
Body fat predicts major health risk that BMI misses. (Click for original study)
Crisis pregnancy centers told to avoid ultrasounds for suspected ectopic pregnancies. Why it matters3
State abortion bans lead to longer waits and higher costs for care.
Menopause research, long overlooked, faces new uncertainty with Trump cuts.
How To Train Your Brain To Truly Enjoy Exercise, According To Science. (If you hit a paywall, try this.)
Hmmm … New Study Reveals the Rosary Rivals Modern Meditation for Mental Health Benefits. (Click for original study. And having survived 16 years of Catholic schools, I can see how this could work for some.)
7 reasons you might be experiencing joint pain, according to a rheumatologist.
9 drinks that can improve gut health according to nutritionists.
Women face more injury risks in car crashes. So why are test dummies modeled after men?
* Ending the taboo on periods and period problems (that half the population experiences)
* ADHD linked to higher risk of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (severe PMS)
* Rising postpartum hemorrhage linked to higher costs and SMM Why it matters4
* Breast cancer incidence trends vary by age, race, and stage in older women.
* Postpartum hemorrhage linked to long-term heart and blood clot risks.
* Molecular profiling reduces need for radiotherapy in endometrial cancer.
*Professional medical journal article. Keep in mind many of these reports are of studies funded before RFK Jr. took over NIH and basically stopped studies focusing on women’s health as being DEI.
News impacting our health and lives, and those we love
Gypsies in the HHS palace: New ACIP vaccine panel gets off to predictably rough start. Everything you need to know is here in Dr. Jetelina’s excellent summary of what’s going on with vaccines in RFK’s HHS after the first meeting of the panel.
Related: See more here in last section.
Related: What is Thimerosal?
Our younger generations: The Democrats’ generational rift just got harder to ignore (gift article; no paywall) Why it matters5
Reflecting the rest of us, R and L New Englanders clash over Trump’s sweeping health reforms.
Deloitte: Closing the cost gap: Strategies to advance women’s health equity. Why it matters6
Deep dive: What Could the Health-Related Provisions in the Reconciliation Bill Mean for Older Adults?
US uninsured rates could resurge if Trump's budget bill passes. (Yes, by 62% even before the Senate went for deeper cuts; click for more here and here.)
Shifting the Narrative in Women’s Health: Not just uteruses, breasts and hormones.
Democrats mark three years since Dobbs by reintroducing Women’s Health Protection Act.
That said, here’s this from ZDNet: I tested the 4 most popular health trackers for a year - here's my buying advice now.
Nebraska's Women’s Health Initiative Advisory Council suffers 'death by neglect.' Why it matters7
New study makes exciting revelation about health advantages of certain diets. (Click for original study)
RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz say health insurers will cut red tape on 'prior authorizations.' (Uh huh. Breath holding not recommended.)
The Time Is Now for Women and Girls in STEM. (Opinion)
ASU researcher finds Medicaid preventive health pilot programs save money. Why it matters8
Evaluating [the UK] 10-Year Health Plan: Will it turn the tide on current challenges in women’s health? Why it matters9
FemTech and women’s health innovation
We have a special section on FemTech for three reasons: While not all FemTech is created equal, it’s stepping up in a major way to fill the huge hole that traditional medical research is still neglecting and will worsen under RFK Jr.’s HHS that classifies women’s health research as “DEI.” And many of us have never invested specifically in women’s health but are in a position now to do so—if not us, then who? Finally, we may not be as tuned in to the possibilities of tech in what have been often insensitive and boringly predictable health care offerings for decades. We’re way past time for innovations, and FemTech is leading the way. Read more here.
Progyny Adds Pelvic Floor Therapy, Continuing to Close Gaps in Care Across Women’s Health.
Beech Biotech Receives $1.9M Gates Foundation Grant for Novel Preeclampsia Treatment. Why it matters10
Journey Pregnancy App Integrates FaceHeart’s FDA-Cleared Mobile Vitals Scanner.
Juniper Genomics Raises $4.6M for Whole-Genome Embryo Screening Platform. Why it matters11
Apologies to Jimmy Buffett and long may his music live on.
Why it matters: While the anti-abortion movement has historically focused on closing clinics (defunding continues) and to sue doctors who provide abortion procedures, the new front in medicine — not just abortions — is telehealth. The fight is moving there, which is why there will be more red state lawsuits against telehealth providers like this, and more provider protection in blue states like this. For more context, remember most of the fighting about abortions started way back in the 70s with Roe v Wade. Since then, birth control has improved dramatically; the ACA mandated free contraceptive coverage by insurances; and new over-the-counter oral contraceptives and morning-after pills have all dramatically reduced abortions. Getting abortion pills through the mail — even from other countries — is going to remain very hard to control.
Why it matters: Faith-based pregnancy crisis centers often do ultrasounds to diagnose and show a pregnancy. Potentially life-threatening ectopic (tubal) pregnancies are easily missed by inexperienced, non-specialty staff. After a lawsuit following a life-threatening emergency for a client, a group that provides legal support and medical training for crisis pregnancy centers advised members to proceed with caution if a pregnancy may be ectopic, calling the condition “the greatest medical and legal risk for clinics.”
Why it matters: SMM — severe maternal morbidity — is a potentially life-threatening complication during or after childbirth. SMM can easily go to death (maternal mortality) and our US maternal mortality rate is the worst among our peer countries. It should be a national embarrassment, but largely because it’s worst among women of color, it doesn’t get nearly the coverage it should, particularly in deep Southern states where the worst mortality rates are. It’s also highly preventable, and post-partum hemorrhage is a major cause of maternal mortality.
Why it matters: Don’t get lost in the expected usual xenophobia about Mandami, a Millennial Muslim. Do pay attention to “Millennial.” What’s important here is his positivity and clearly-communicated vision (which always beats whining and negativity); that he’s very much in touch with the concerns of his constituents; and he knows how to communicate with them. 18% of the US population is 65+, but in the Senate, it’s 50%. Together, Gen Z and Millennials far outnumber the Boomers who have been controlling a future to which younger gens simply no longer relate. Dems are overdue for a generational shift. If you consider the current WH administration, they’re ahead of Dems in integrating young potential leaders, cementing the future of their movement.
Why it matters: Deloitte is a multinational professional services network, one of the "Big Four" accounting firms, providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, and tax services. They’re a global network that works with a wide range of clients, from large corporations to governmental agencies, to help them achieve their business goals and make a positive impact. to have them pushing women’s health is huge. They’re also being creative on other fronts, like their non-traditional college-not-required career entry paths at at time college costs are 2200% higher than in the 70s, but salaries are only 300% higher. Related: Is college worth it?
Why it matters: Currently fashionable political … well … misogyny considers any medical attention to women’s health as dangerous DEI despite only a third of medical research studies even today including women — and that’s after a century of neglect. See next footnotes.
Related: What happens to health research when ‘women’ is a banned word?
Related: Where's our money?' CDC grant funding is moving so slowly layoffs are happening. (AKA there’s more than one way to stop funding health research)
Why it matters: We love —and our US health system pays for — tech and quick fixes, and preventive care is neither. Studies on preventive health benefits are difficult because participants have to be followed over a long period of time and there are hundreds of genetic and environmental variables. This study is the rare one that shows a quick impact, and every study helps steer policy in a better direction.
Why it matters: I’d like to think sanity will return on women’s health policy in the US eventually, and then we’ll be looking for policy models elsewhere. The UK continues to show a commitment to women’s health we don’t have. Yet.
Why it matters: In 1931, a plaque was reserved at the Chicago Lying-in Hospital, waiting for the name of the person who discovers the cause of preeclampsia—and a hundred years later, it’s still waiting. (Insert: If men had preeclampsia …) Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to other organ systems. It affects as many as 1 out of 10 first pregnancies in particular, and is a significant cause of maternal and fetal severe illness and death. We need to quit ignoring this because it’s “just something women have” and fix it.
Why it matters: Like it or not, this takes another step to designer pregnancies a la Peter Thiel’s “embryo prioritization" as right wing tech bros push “more babies of a certain kind” and high price tech combines with the tradwife narrative. Embryo prioritization — which many say is simply 21st century eugenics in a country with a long history of it — will become a critical bioethics issue sooner than later. See more here.