Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Opill Contraceptive Covered At Zero Cost For Some By CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark, the pharmacy benefit management subsidiary of CVS Health Corp will add Perrigo's birth control pill to its preventive services oral contraceptives list and make it available at no cost for many plan sponsors, according to a pharmacy update on March 28. The U.S. FDA in July approved over-the-counter use of Perrigo's drug Opill, making it the first oral contraceptive in the country which can be purchased without prescription. (4/4)
More on pregnancy and childbirth 鈥
As the U.S. grapples with a maternal health crisis, a new study shows more than 1 out of 8 new moms are shouted at, scolded or ignored聽by a healthcare provider during their deliveries.聽The study published in JAMA Network Open Thursday used data from the 2020 Postpartum Assessment of Health Survey, a large-scale data collection effort on the health and well-being of postpartum people conducted by Columbia University. (O鈥機onnell-Domenech, 4/4)
鈥淭he biggest thing is that they鈥檙e not being listened to,鈥 said Sutton-El, founder of Birth in Color, a nonprofit that offers doula services to expecting Virginians. Doulas support and advocate for pregnant patients. ... As the United States contends with stark racial disparities in maternal health, experts are pushing states to mandate training for medical professionals to combat 鈥渋mplicit bias,鈥 the prejudiced attitudes a person might hold without being aware of it. Lawmakers in more states are heeding that call. (Hassanein, 4/5)
麻豆女优 Health News: Dietary Choices Are Linked To Higher Rates Of Preeclampsia Among Latinas
For pregnant Latinas, food choices could reduce the risk of preeclampsia, a dangerous type of high blood pressure, and a diet based on cultural food preferences, rather than on U.S. government benchmarks, is more likely to help ward off the illness, a new study shows. Researchers at the USC Keck School of Medicine found that a combination of solid fats, refined grains, and cheese was linked to higher rates of preeclampsia among a group of low-income Latinas in Los Angeles. (S谩nchez, 4/5)
Baby A鈥檚aan鈥檚 meal time is right around 5 p.m. Cassidy Romaine, his mom, settles on their couch to breastfeed surrounded by plants 鈥 greenery that Romaine, an aspiring gardener and herbalist, says helps keep her sane. At five months postpartum, Romaine鈥檚 been doing well managing a new baby and her own mental health. Her last two pregnancies were much harder, including one where she went into premature labor and lost her baby girl a few days after birth. (Miles, 4/4)
On sexual health 鈥
The Food and Drug Administration is making plans to significantly expand the number of gay and bisexual men who could donate sperm anonymously. Longstanding agency rules ban anonymous sperm donations by men who acknowledged having sex with other men during the previous five years, to reduce the risk of spreading pathogens including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.聽(Essley Whyte and Dockser Marcus, 4/4)
The orgasm gap between men and women may also be affected by the gender of their sexual partner, new research has found. ... Previous research has consistently shown that men are more likely to achieve orgasm during sexual activity compared to women. Now, according to a new paper in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, women are more likely to expect clitoral stimulation and orgasm when having sex with a woman than with a man. (Thomson, 4/4)
The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday voted to adopt a resolution designed to protect the rights of intersex people, the first initiative of its kind that diplomats and rights groups described as an landmark moment for human rights. Twenty-four countries voted in favour, twenty-three abstained and none voted against the resolution, which was spearheaded by Finland, South Africa, Chile and Australia. (4/4)