Top in women’s health: Trends in maternal morbidity; how menopause affects daily life

Severe maternal morbidity rates increased across nearly every racial and ethnic group between 2008 and 2018, according to a study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Researchers also noted that the proportion of births to women aged younger than 25 years decreased and births to women aged 35 years and older increased over the same time period. It was the top story in women’s health last week.

The second top story was about how vulvovaginal symptoms in menopausal women affect their daily lives.

“Focusing on a single symptom, such as dryness or pain, doesn’t account for all that a person experiences after menopause,” Caroline M. Mitchell, MD, MPH, told Healio. “It may be more important to focus on how symptoms affect a person’s daily life and well-being.”

Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:

Rise in severe maternal morbidity rate not driven by increasing maternal age

Population-level severe maternal morbidity rate increases in the U.S. in the past decade were attributable to age-specific rate increases and might indicate worsening prepregnancy health status, researchers reported. Read more.

Assess vulvovaginal symptoms by level of associated distress

Menopausal women experience multiple vulvovaginal symptoms with variations in quantity, severity and frequency, which cause significant interference in daily life, according to a post hoc analysis published in Menopause. Read more.

3D modeling device receives FDA clearance to diagnose uterine fibroids

The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to Nesa Medtech’s Fibroid Mapping Reviewer Application to aid physicians in diagnosing symptomatic uterine fibroids and planning of interventional procedures, according to a company press release. Read more.

Integrating midwifery model of care key to address disparities, maternity care crisis

More fully integrating the midwifery model of care in philosophically aligned health care teams and institutions could be important in addressing disparities and the maternity care crisis in the U.S., according to a published expert review. Read more.

Cervical pessary fails to lower preterm birth risk due to short cervix

Use of a cervical pessary not only did not prevent preterm birth for women with a short cervix, but was associated with higher fetal or neonatal mortality rate, researchers reported in JAMA. Read more.