Top in women’s health: Improving mortality in postpartum Black women; glucose monitoring
Clinicians must focus on the experiences, communication needs and consequences of structural racism to improve mortality and morbidity rates for postpartum Black women, researchers reported in O&G Open.
“The disparities we’re seeing in reproductive health outcomes for Black women, including maternal mortality and morbidity, are tied to experiences of racism on individual and structural levels in health care systems,” Micki Burdick, PhD, MA, assistant professor of women and gender studies at the University of Delaware, told Healio. “These disparities are also tied to social determinants of health and the ways health care systems and society are set up that exacerbate those poor outcomes.”
The researchers found that of 30 women of color who were interviewed, 83.3% said they experienced discrimination in health care settings during their most recent perinatal period due to their ethnic or racial identity.
It was the top story in women’s health last week.
In another top story, researchers detected continuous glucose monitor-derived glycemic patterns during early pregnancy in women with fetal overgrowth or hypertensive disorders. This suggests that continuous glucose monitoring during early pregnancy may be a valuable tool, they added.
Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:
Respect, clear communication can address ‘mismatch in care’ for postpartum Black women
To improve morbidity and mortality rates for postpartum Black women, clinicians must focus on patients’ lived experiences, communication needs and the consequences of structural racism, researchers reported in O&G Open. Read more.
CGM use in early pregnancy offers ‘window of opportunity’ to improve perinatal outcomes
Women with fetal overgrowth or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy have notable continuous glucose monitor-derived glycemic patterns detected during early pregnancy, sometimes without a gestational diabetes diagnosis, researchers reported. Read more.
Health-related quality of life ‘significantly lower’ for menopausal women with HPV
Peri- and postmenopausal women with HPV have lower health-related quality of life compared with premenopausal counterparts, with the strongest differences observed within the sexuality domain, results from a cross-sectional study published in Menopause showed. Read more.
Providing menstrual products in schools ‘critical step’ to address period poverty
In the U.S., the average age of menarche is continuing to decrease, highlighting the importance of providing menstrual products for women and girls in all school bathrooms and public buildings to alleviate period poverty. Read more.
Improving social factors may mitigate race disparities in preterm birth, preeclampsia
Black and white women have similar risk for preterm birth and preeclampsia when accounting for a wide range of social determinants of health, particularly socioeconomic factors, researchers reported. Read more.