Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Develop Further Understanding Of Connection Between Fevers, Birth Defects
The Washington Post: Study Shows How High Fever In Early Pregnancy Miy Cause Birth Defects
Certain birth defects of the face and heart can occur when babies’ mothers have a fever during the first trimester of pregnancy, a crucial time in an embryo’s development. Now scientists have figured out the molecular players that make it so. In an experiment with chicken embryos, a temporary rise in incubation temperature — meant to mimic feverlike conditions — was enough to produce defects to the face and heart. Such an elevation in temperature, called hyperthermia, affects the activity of heat-sensitive channels in cells necessary for an embryo’s development, researchers report online in the journal Science Signaling. (Cunningham, 10/28)
The Washington Post: She Signed Up To Be A Surrogate Mother — And Unwittingly Gave Her Own Child Away
Jessica Allen was already the mother of two boys when she decided to become a surrogate. The pay she would receive to carry another woman’s child to term — $30,000 — would allow Allen to become a stay-at-home mom, as well as save for a new house. It would also be her “chance to give a family the blessing of a child,” her partner, Wardell Jasper, told her, according to the New York Post, which first reported the story. (Wang, 10/28)
The Washington Post: High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy -- Preeclampsia -- Can Be Dangerous
It has been nearly seven years since Sarah Hughes had preeclampsia, but she still remembers the anguish of missing her newborn’s first three days of life when this pregnancy complication sent her back to the hospital with dangerously high blood pressure. Hughes said she could tolerate the gasping for breath and intense headache as well as the painful, intravenous magnesium sulfate she received to reduce the chances of a seizure, but she could not stand being away from her new child, who was at home being cared for by relatives. (Neumann, 10/28)
The Washington Post: Preterm Birth Rate Increases, But Many Women Can't Get Treatment To Prevent It.
There are two medications that prevent preterm birth, the most common cause of perinatal death in the United States. One costs 16 cents a week, one $285 a week. Poor black women aren’t getting either. Why? In 2015, for the first time in eight years, the rate of preterm birth in the United States rose, despite increased understanding of preventive measures. Preterm births cost Americans an estimated $26 billion per year. (Abbott, 10/29)
In other news —
Los Angeles Times: Argentina Bans Abortion In Most Cases. So Why Is Its Abortion Rate Far Higher Than That Of The U.S.?
The woman stumbled into a public hospital late one night, her stomach turning as she approached the lobby. She was bleeding. Dr. Damian Levy ushered her into a room. Like many of his patients at Hospital Alvarez in Buenos Aires, she was young and poor. At first, she refused to tell him why she was there.Then she burst into a tearful confession. She had tried to perform her own abortion at home and used 40 tablets of the drug misoprostol — nearly three times the suggested dosage for inducing a miscarriage. She was worried that the hospital would report her to police. (Parvini, 10/29)
The Washington Post: Closure Of Two D.C. Maternity Wards Hurts Low-Income Women Most
In the days and weeks before Providence Hospital closed its maternity ward, Caitlin Givens, a midwife, explained to pregnant patients what they needed to do to continue their prenatal care. She talked to them about scheduling appointments with a different provider, how many visits they would need before their delivery. She reminded them they needed their blood pressure checked regularly. (Itkowitz, 10/28)
