Lifting FDA regulations could help family doctors provide medication abortion

In 2000, the Federal Drug Administration approved mifepristone for medication abortion. Many advocates hoped that the availability of the drug would allow primary care clinicians to integrate abortion services in their practices. However, more than 20 years later, most abortions still take place in...

Prenatal care is crucial to preventing congenital syphilis

Congenital syphilis—syphilis that is passed to a fetus while someone is pregnant—is increasing in the United States. If it goes untreated, it can lead to stillbirth, preterm birth and physical and neurological deficits. Treatment is effective almost 100% of the time when it’s given according to the...

Toward abolition medicine

Bixby members Monica Hahn, MD, and Nicholas Rubashkin, MD, contributed to the AMA Journal of Ethics issue Toward Abolition Medicine. Issue editor Osagie K. Obasogie writes about the need to center equity, inclusion and belonging, and that the journal issue “provides an opportunity to continue the...

Asking more questions leads to higher accuracy in self-assessment of pregnancy duration

ANSIRH set out to find out if more or different questions about the timing of the pregnancy could reduce uncertainty and therefore reduce the need for in-person testing.

Global work to improve birth outcomes could help reduce racial disparities in the U.S.

Originally posted at the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences The maternal mortality rate in the United States exceeds that of any other developed country and it increased significantly in 2020, according to a new analysis. Outcomes are particularly troubling for Black women, who face a risk...

Young women in Africa want choice in HIV prevention

Nearly all adolescent girls and young women in a new study accepted one of two HIV prevention products they were offered. The young women were given a choice of a monthly vaginal ring or daily medication, and only 2% turned down both.

Risk factors for dual burden of severe maternal health problems and preterm birth vary by insurance type

Insurance coverage is a major contributor to health disparities, with big differences in health among people without insurance and different kinds of insurance. Even within the same facility, insurance type is an important factor in quality of care. It’s especially critical for people giving birth...

For Black pregnant people, fear of police brutality starts before their children are born

Anticipated racism from police, specifically police brutality toward their children, may be a factor contributing to stress among Black pregnant people.

Meet Dana Cropper, training leader putting community first

A lot of the work Dana Cropper, MPA, does happens behind the scenes. As Director of the California Prevention Training Center, Dana leads an impressive team that helps healthcare professionals build capacity all over the country and the world. Just like the years of public health work that brought...