pregnancy

Only 32% of pregnant Americans are vaccinated, with divide worsening along racial lines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its most urgent appeal for pregnant individuals to get the COVID-19 vaccine. New CDC data shows that pregnant people are twice as likely to be hospitalized due to the virus. Just…

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There's no evidence COVID-19 vaccines hurt fertility. Here's what's fueling the myth

By Isabella Isaacs-Thomas

This moment could be an opportunity to address the consequences of leaving pregnant people, women and their unique health concerns out of medical trials and conversations.

CDC urges COVID vaccines during pregnancy as delta variant surges

By Lindsey Tanner, Mike Stobbe, Associated Press

The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. The CDC recommendation echoes recent guidance from top obstetrician groups.

For many pregnant trans people, competent medical care is hard to find

By Isabella Isaacs-Thomas

Transgender men and nonbinary people who are pregnant or trying to conceive are more likely than not to face a reproductive health system that fails to provide them with quality care.

The U.S. birth rate began dropping years before the pandemic. Here's why

By Courtney Vinopal

Even as the U.S. economy turns a corner, several women told the PBS NewsHour that the pandemic exacerbated already-existing anxieties they had about raising children in America, and they’re not certain when they’ll feel equipped to support a family.

It's time to recognize the damage of childbirth, doctors and mothers say

By Laura Santhanam

The health care system often neglects women’s postpartum concerns, from physical pain to psychological anguish. Many women assume this is what you get when you have a baby. But experts say it doesn’t have to be this way.

Miscarriage isn't your fault — an expert explains the science

By Rochanda Mitchell, The Conversation

Miscarriage occurs in 15% to 25% of diagnosed pregnancies, bringing heartache to millions of people, many of whom blame themselves. In most cases, however, miscarriage is due to random genetic errors.

Fathers in Utah to be required to pay half of pregnancy costs

By Associated Press

Biological fathers in Utah will be legally required to pay half of a woman’s out-of-pocket pregnancy costs under a new law unique to the state.

Why you can thank Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. for doctors washing their hands

By Dr. Howard Markel

In the mid-19th century, doctors in elite teaching hospitals would unknowingly spread deadly bacteria to expectant mothers. Here's how Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. helped change that.