Covid-19 (mRNA) Vaccine for Pregnant/Lactating Women?? The Problem Pregnancy changes how the body functions including the heart, lungs and immune system YET No pregnant/lactating women (or children under 16) were included in vaccine trials to date AND Medical  societies and the CDC are recommending that pregnant and lactating women who are at high risk be offered vaccination WITH NO DATA […]

Top Six Things to Discuss with Your Ob/Gyn 1.Heart disease Number one killer of women (people) Review family history and personal history to identify risk factors Can be affected by pregnancy or affect pregnancy Preeclampsia increases risk of heart disease later in life African American women have higher risk of heart failure in pregnancy Some risk factors can be affected […]

Breast Density The News On March 28th the FDA proposed adding a new requirement for Breast density reporting to both patients and referring health providers. Currently Arizona and 36 other states require some level of breast density notification after a mammogram So this is will not change anything for women in Arizona What does dense breasts mean? Breasts contain glandular, connective, and […]

August is Breastfeeding month in the US A woman’s ability to grow new humans and feed them from their bodies is a real life superpower.  Most women make milk when pregnant and are physically capable of breastfeeding according to recommendations. The benefits of breastfeeding to mom and baby are well known. Unfortunately, there are many barriers for a mother who […]

Having children, like everything else in the culture, is affected by social trends.  Today’s moms are more educated than ever before; a majority are in the labor force and many serve as the only or primary income earner for their families. Some major social changes include: More women are staying single. The percentage of women who have never married was 15% […]

Pregnancy in the News Serena Williams–pulmonary embolism (blood clots that start in the legs and can travel to the lungs) Kim Kardashian—preeclampsia (a combination of high blood pressure and organ damage that can lead to seizures and strokes) Mariah Carey—preeclampsia and gestational diabetes (hormones of pregnancy cause blood sugar to remain too high)  Maternal mortality in US is among highest […]

A  study released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics based on birth certificates from 2011, indicates that nearly a third of women have their children too close together. This matters because research shows that the timing between a live birth and the next pregnancy, may affect the risk of pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth, low birthweight, and […]

    The cesarean section operation has come a long way. Prior to the late 1800s, cesarean section was a last ditch effort to save a baby when the mother had already died or to allow baptism of the baby prior to burial.  Today cesarean, or c-section, is one of the most common, and one of the safest operations women […]

I gave a talk  last week at the Women’s Economic Forum entitled What the Healthcare Future Requires (coming soon to Youtube).  This week it seems like every news article I come across reinforces the messages in that presentation.  Today it is the reminder to be skeptical. This week most of the major newspapers featured a story discussing a research study, […]