Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Doctors Deserve Mental Health Care Without Judgment; Do Ovarian Stem Cells Exist?
The New York Times: Doctors Face A Stigma Against Seeking Mental Health Care
Certain memories are seared into physicians’ psyches. The chirp of the pager. Driving home half asleep in a postcall haze. The strangest objects found in human orifices (cockroach in the ear). The most hours we continuously stayed awake. Delivering our first baby, watching our first patient die. These are all rites of passage. I’ve found it’s easy to discuss the funny memories, but the disturbing ones are harder. Even with the closest of friends, recounting the tough moments feels like passing on a burden. (Seema Jilani, 3/30)
The New York Times: Ovaries Are Prone To ‘Exhaustion’ And ‘Fatigue.’ Or Are They?
As the traditional tale goes, the ovary is like an hourglass. Starting before birth, egg follicles begin trickling away like grains of sand. A fetus floating in the womb is bursting with as many eggs as she will ever have: 6 million to 7 million. More than three-quarters of them die off before she’s even born. By the time a girl has her first period, only 300,000 to 400,000 remain. (Rachel E. Gross, 3/29)
Newsweek: Conversion Therapy—Not Gender Affirming Care—Is Real 'Child Abuse'
Gender-affirming care has been proven vital for the well-being of transgender youth. The standard of care is highly individualized, recommended by the leading medical organizations and ensures that treatment is aligned toward appreciating and supporting one's gender identity. The standard is conducted under the care of licensed professions after a lengthy consultation with kids and their parents, which always involves a psychological evaluation. Treatment only involves medical intervention, like puberty suppression and hormone therapy, late into one's transition process. (Kevin Eamon Muehleman, 3/29)
