Women's Health

A scene from the Brazilian film "Nurses Facing Covid" ("Na Lihna de Frente"), one of the "Grand Prix" winners in this year's Health for All Film Festival.

From lead poisoning to 'miracle feet,' sample the winners of the WHO's film festival

9:30am June 10, 2023

by Max Barnhart

From the harms of lead poisoning in Bangladesh to the stony resolve of COVID nurses in Brazil, we sample the award-winning films in the Health for All Film Festival from the World Health Organization.

The surprising science of how pregnancy begins

10:02pm April 12, 2023

The start of pregnancy — as well as exactly when that happens — is a hot topic in some state legislatures and U.S. courts. Understanding the nuances of what happens when has never been more important.

After witnessing the social media debate about whether to sell sanitary pads on trains, university student Wendy Kou made posters about fighting "period shame" and hung them around her campus.

To fight 'period shame,' women in China demand that trains sell tampons

5:00am November 23, 2022

by Aowen Cao

Menstruation is a taboo subject in China, but women are fighting the stigma with open discussion and campaigns for better access to period products.

Data compiled by the CDC highlights multiple weaknesses in the system of care for new mothers, from obstetricians who are not trained (or paid) to look for signs of mental trouble or addiction, to policies that strip women of health coverage shortly after they give birth.

Health department medical detectives find 84% of U.S. maternal deaths are preventable

5:00am October 21, 2022

by April Dembosky

More than half of these deaths occur well after the mom leaves the hospital. To save lives, mothers need more support in the "fourth trimester, that time after the baby is born," one researcher says.

Allison Case is a family medicine physician who is licensed to practice in both Indiana and New Mexico. Via telehealth appointments, she's used her dual license in the past to help some women who have driven from Texas to New Mexico, where abortion is legal, to get their prescription for abortion medication. Then came Indiana's abortion ban.

Health & Safety

Telemedicine abortions just got more complicated for health providers

2:03pm September 26, 2022

by Farah Yousry

Prescribing medical abortions across state lines is now risky for doctors. "We're talking about something that's a protected right in one state and a felony in a sister state," says one legal scholar.

Writer and health educator Marni Sommer is co-author of A Girl's Guide to Puberty & Periods, which aims to help young people ages 9 to 14 understand the changes that happen in puberty and what to expect when.

Opinion: With abortion bans on the rise, kids need to know more about menstruation

11:50am September 17, 2022

by Marni Sommer

Today, even one missed period could have serious implications for a young person's life. But how late is late, and when is pain or a heavy period a medical concern? Many preteens don't know.

Protesters march outside the Indiana state Capitol building on July 25, 2022, in Indianapolis as activists gathered during a special session.

The first abortion ban passed after Roe takes effect Thursday in Indiana

5:00am September 14, 2022

by Sarah McCammon

Thursday, nearly all abortions must cease in Indiana after state lawmakers passed a full ban in August. Since Dobbs, Indiana has been a destination for those in surrounding states seeking abortions.

A room in a Planned Parenthood of Illinois clinic in Waukegan, where abortion providers from Wisconsin are helping to provide access to more patients from their home state now that abortion is nearly banned there.

Abortion is legal in Illinois. In Wisconsin, it's nearly banned. So clinics teamed up

6:06am August 11, 2022

by Kristen Schorsch

After Wisconsin left an 1849 near-total abortion ban in place, some providers began commuting to Illinois to treat patients. These Planned Parenthood partnerships could be a model for the future.

Queue Listen Now

Dr. Nicole Scott, the residency program director at Indiana's largest teaching hospital, is worried what the near-total ban on abortion in the state means for her hospital's ability to recruit and retain the best doctors.

Their mentor was attacked. Now young OB-GYNs may leave Indiana

5:00am August 10, 2022

by Farah Yousry

Dr. Caitlin Bernard was publicly vilified for providing abortion care to a 10-year-old rape victim. And that's got some medical residents who were open to practicing in Indiana thinking again.

Elizabeth and James Weller at their home in Houston two months after losing their baby girl due to a premature rupture of membranes. Elizabeth could not receive the medical care she needed until several days later because of a Texas law that banned aborti

Because of Texas abortion law, her wanted pregnancy became a medical nightmare

1:58pm July 26, 2022

by Carrie Feibel

New, untested abortion bans have made doctors unsure about treating some pregnancy complications. That's led to life-threatening delays, and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness.

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