Senators Urge Bipartisan Action To Address Maternal Mental Health

The Hill: Britt: High Maternal Mortality Rate ‘American Issue,’ Not Democrat Or Republican
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) encouraged elected officials to work across the aisle in tackling the United States’s high maternal mortality rate during a panel discussion Thursday on maternal mental health. “I think it is so important that we continue to talk about this in a bipartisan way because this is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is an American issue,” said Britt during The Hill’s Moms Matter: Closing the Maternal Mental Health Gap event, which was sponsored by Sage Therapeutics. (O’Connell-Domenech, 5/16) 

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Linked To Increased Preterm Birth, Other Problems In Pregnancy
Findings from a large study in California, which distinguished the COVID-19 pandemic period from individual SARS-CoV-2 infections, suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection is tied to increased preterm birth (PTB), high blood pressure during pregnancy, and severe maternal morbidity. The study is published as a research letter in JAMA Network Open. (Soucheray, 5/16)

The New York Times: Scientists Calculated The Energy Needed To Carry A Baby. Shocker: It’s A Lot
It takes a lot of energy to grow a baby — just ask anyone who has been pregnant. But scientists are only now discovering just how much. In a study published on Thursday in the journal Science, Australian researchers estimated that a human pregnancy demands almost 50,000 dietary calories over the course of nine months. That’s the equivalent of about 50 pints of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream, and significantly more than the researchers expected. (Zimmer, 5/16)

Chicago Tribune: Mental Health Begins In Infancy, Local Experts Tell Parents
Did you know babies can get depressed? Andria Goss, associate vice president of clinical and community services at the Erikson Institute, a graduate school for social work, early childhood education and child development programs, said people are astonished when they learn and appreciate that fact. (Rockett, 5/17)

NBC News: New Nonhormonal Menopause Drugs Ease Symptoms But Face Insurance Hurdles
New drugs to treat debilitating menopause symptoms — namely hot flashes — are finally on the market or are in development. But doctors say insurance companies either won’t pay for them or make women try and fail with other, perhaps less effective, drugs before they do. The conundrum has left women who might benefit from the new drugs at the mercy of health insurance companies. (Edwards, Thompson and Herzberg, 5/16)

In news relating to abortion —

The Hill: Raskin Presses Insurers, PBMs On Free Contraception Coverage
The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee wants to know how the country’s top health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers plan to make it easier for people to access contraception for free. In letters sent Thursday to the five largest health insurers and four largest pharmacy benefit managers first shared with The Hill, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) asked for information on how the companies plan to respond to federal guidance designed to improve no-cost access to birth control. (Weixel, 5/16) 

The 19th: How Abortion Bans In Texas, Florida, Arizona Impact Undocumented People
This year’s abortion bans in Florida and Arizona — following an older near-total prohibition in Texas — threaten to make the procedure virtually unattainable for undocumented people living in those states. (Luthra, 5/16)

The Texas Tribune: Amarillo City Council Must Vote On Abortion Travel Ban 
The Amarillo City Council must consider a policy that outlaws using local streets to access an abortion in other states after the city verified supporters of the policy gathered enough signatures to advance the issue. The five-member council in the heart of the Texas Panhandle had been reluctant to follow other conservative cities and counties that have put the largely symbolic policy in place. (Carver, 5/16)

WUSF: 'Turning Away Patients' Every Day: Georgia OB-GYN On The Effects Of Abortion Bans
Dr. Nisha Verma says in the nearly two years since Georgia's six-week abortion ban went into effect, she's seen patients suffer and some colleagues leave the state. She fears the same thing will happen in Florida. (Colombini, 5/16)

Roll Call: In France, Abortion Restrictions Offset By Medical Autonomy 
In an airless classroom in Paris City University one Friday afternoon in March, a group of 17 female health care professionals — some doctors, some midwives — gathered to spend the weekend learning how to perform surgical abortions. Sophie Gaudau is the no-nonsense leader of REVHO health network, which started providing abortion training for health professionals 20 years ago, back when abortion access in France was slightly more limited for patients and in terms of what the doctor could do. Today her organization receives support from the French Ministry of Health and Prevention. (Cohen, 5/16)

Also —

Axios: WNBA, Women's Sports Craze Helping To Fuel Major Tampon Redesign
A startup tampon brand is aiming to disrupt the world of menstrual products with a patented spiral design for fewer leaks. It's "the first engineering redesign of the tampon in 80 years" according to Sequel, which aims to change the game for women athletes. (Kingson, 5/17)