According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), “Infertility is the result of a disease (an interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs) of the male or female reproductive tract which prevents the conception of a child or the ability to carry a pregnancy to delivery” (Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2022). An infertility evaluation should be initiated after one year of unprotected intercourse without pregnancy.
Postpartum women with opioid use disorder may ask their provider if they would need to stop taking buprenorphine or methadone while breastfeeding their newborns. Taking any medication while breastfeeding warrants inquiry into the costs and benefits to the mother, baby and lactation. There is growing evidence demonstrating the safety and benefits of breastfeeding while taking medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), especially for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
There are many common misconceptions about mammograms. Social media has served as a platform for the propagation of misinformation for many years. Though various organizations have tried to reduce misinformation on social media, it is essential to debunk the common misconceptions about screening mammograms.
In the scope of women’s reproductive rights in the United States, a topic that is often overlooked is the country’s history of sterilization abuse. Minoritized women in the U.S. have historically been more likely to be sterilized than other women, often without their knowledge or consent. One aspect of the women’s health movement in the 1970s was to address these injustices, and this fight was led by Helen Rodríguez Trías, MD.
“Breast is best” is a common phrase used to promote breastfeeding. However, providers should still be cognizant of the barriers to breastfeeding and the shame that mothers may feel when they are unable to or prefer not to breastfeed.
Emergency contraception (EC) is used to prevent pregnancy before it happens after unprotected sex or at times when birth control fails during sex. It is different from the abortion pill, which is meant to terminate pregnancies after they have already occurred. There are a variety of reasons someone might need EC. Perhaps they forgot to take their birth control pill that day or place their vaginal ring. Maybe the condom broke during sex or their partner did not pull out in time.
Amidst anti-transgender legislation and don’t-say-gay bans, it is vital to consider the social and public health implications of attempts to minimize or even eliminate the experience of gender and sexual minorities. Transgender, or trans, individuals are those whose gender expression or identity differs from what they were assigned at birth.
Helen Brooke Taussig, MD, was a visionary physician who is considered the founder of pediatric cardiology. Born in 1898, she would go on to have a prolific career in medicine at a time when few women were afforded the opportunity.
Pregnant people in the United States have many options when it comes to planning what their labor and delivery experience looks like. Common options include home delivery, various types of delivery centers and the hospital. In the United States and other western countries, hospital deliveries have largely become the default. Each option comes with its own benefits and downsides.
Isotretinoin, more commonly known by its brand name Accutane, is an approved therapy for the treatment of severe acne with unrivaled efficacy. However, its use can cause profound birth defects in a developing fetus. Because of this, the United States Food and Drug Administration created the iPLEDGE program in 2006 to remove the risk of fetal exposure to isotretinoin by ensuring patients are not pregnant or at risk of becoming pregnant while on a prescribed course of the medication.
If you’ve ever had acne, you’ll know that there are a million things that can cause it, and another million things that are supposed to get rid of it…including birth control. Birth control pills are well known for improving acne, but what about other types of hormonal birth control? How does the IUD stack up? In the past, it has been accepted that IUDs only deliver hormones to the uterus, and that the level of hormones was too small to make it through the bloodstream to other places in the body. Studies are now suggesting that it is possible that hormones in the IUD can and do worsen acne.
As I wrap up the final days of my medical school journey, there are many things that I have been reflecting on. Along with all of the medical terminology, pathophysiology and pharmacology I’ve learned, I have also gained a lot of life lessons that I hope to carry into residency and beyond.
The 20th century marked an era where there was a substantial increase in the number of women entering the medical field and the number of female physicians making significant contributions to society. One such physician was Patricia Bath, MD, an innovative ophthalmologist, and scientist who invented laser cataract surgery.
Husband. Visionary. Social entrepreneur. One of 2014 Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Recipient of the Padma Shri (the fourth highest civilian award) from the government of India in 2016. Subject of the 2018 short film “Period. End of Sentence.” as well as the critically and commercially successful 2018 Bollywood film “Pad Man” starring Bollywood star Akshay Kumar.
The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the United States has approximately doubled in the past two decades while the global MMR has decreased nearly 40%1. This is a troubling statistic as the U.S. has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developing world.