Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Fertility Rate Continues Its Downward Trend, CDC Data Confirm
NBC News: U.S. Fertility Rate Hits A New Record Low
The steady decline of the U.S. fertility rate continued last year with another record low, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Bendix, 10/21)
Related industry news —
The New York Times: When Idaho Banned Abortion, OB-GYNs Fled. The Doctors Who Stayed Are Cracking
In the four years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, triggering a near-total ban on abortion in Idaho, with the potential for criminal prosecution of any doctor who performed the procedure, OB-GYNs have been fleeing the state in extraordinary numbers. More than a third of Idaho’s OB-GYNs have stopped practicing obstetrics, left the state, closed their practices or retired since the ban took effect in August 2022, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association last year. By December 2025, there were just 170 obstetricians for the state’s roughly one million women — fewer than two doctors per 10,000. About five full-time maternal-fetal-medicine specialists, who serve the riskiest pregnancies, remained, according to a separate report released in 2024. One half of Idaho’s 44 counties no longer have a practicing obstetrician. (Lerer, 10/20)
Wyoming Public Radio: Report: Birth Center Deliveries Have Tripled In The Last Two Decades
More women are opting out of having babies in hospitals and choosing birth centers instead. These midwife-run centers for low-risk patients are especially popular in rural Western states, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund, a health research foundation. (Merzbach, 10/20)
Mississippi Today: Report Finds Birth Centers Improve Outcomes. Mississippi Has None
Despite growing evidence that midwife-led birth centers improve outcomes for mothers and infants, Mississippi remains one of 10 states with no centers. Mississippi is also among the states with the fewest midwives per births in the nation, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit research organization focused on healthcare issues. (Paffenroth, 10/19)
KFF Health News: New Arrivals In The ER? Georgia Gears Up To Solve Rural Maternal Health Crisis
It had been a decade since Kara Holden last had a baby. But as the former obstetric nurse prepared for her fourth child, her head was swimming with contingency plans. The labor and delivery unit where she used to work in this rural northeastern Georgia community is no longer open. So, she asked former co-workers to be on standby around her anticipated due date. She and her midwife mapped out emergency rooms along the more-than-50-mile trek to the hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, where she planned to give birth. And, to prepare for a worst-case scenario, she curated items to keep in the car in case she went into labor en route. (Lumpkins, 10/21)
In other reproductive health news —
MedPage Today: Generic Of Combination Hormone Therapy Patch Approved For Women
The FDA on Monday approved the first generic of the once-weekly estradiol and levonorgestrel transdermal system (Climara Pro) to treat moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms and prevent osteoporosis in women. The patch is indicated for postmenopausal women with an intact uterus and follows recent endorsements from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Physicians for menopausal symptoms. (Monaco, 10/20)
