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A UnitedHealth Group unit has agreed to pay a $1 million penalty to New York for failing to cover all federally approved birth control without restriction as required by state law, and to refund people who were wrongly denied coverage, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday. The settlement with UnitedHealthcare of New York resolves a probe that began with a complaint from a patient in Brooklyn who said that the insurer denied coverage of her prescribed oral contraceptive, requiring her to obtain prior authorization or try other treatments, according to James' office. (Pierson, 6/20)

Gestational diabetes has long been diagnosed between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. But a recent randomized control study called Treatment of Booking Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, or TOBOGM, which was started in 2018 and whose results were published earlier this year, found that treating gestational diabetes before week 20 reduced the risk of severe perinatal complications, including preterm birth, low birthweight, stillbirth, and respiratory distress. (Merelli, 6/20)

The heat wave sweeping through the United States poses a particular threat to pregnant women, especially those in their third trimester, doctors are warning. “Heat is an underappreciated risk for the health of the pregnancy,” said Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola, an environmental health expert at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Of all the associations that we hear about connecting environmental factors like what you eat or what you drink to risks, this one has quite a bit of science behind it,” he said. (Caryn Rabin, 6/20)

Far more women are experiencing a life-threatening condition during pregnancy but they aren't being treated for it, according to a study published this week. This problem is largely avoidable and experts have urged providers to take action, with one official calling it a "missed opportunity" to protect heart health. The study found the rate of chronic high blood pressure in pregnant women doubled over a 14-year period. (Cuevas, 6/21)

The infants of mothers with high anxiety and stress levels amid the COVID-19 pandemic showed differences in brain development, suggests a study posted today in JAMA Network Open. ... Newborns of mothers with elevated distress showed median reductions in brain volumes of white matter (−0.36 cubic centimeters [cm3]), right hippocampus (−0.35 cm3), and left amygdala (−0.49 cm3) compared with infants of women with low distress. (Van Beusekom, 6/20)

Birth rates have dropped sharply in some of the world's richest states and are likely to stay low as economic worries leave people weighing the costs of having children, a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said. Many in OECD member countries were now choosing to have children later in life or not at all, it said in a paper released on Thursday. "Both young men and women increasingly find meaning in life outside of parenthood," it added. (Allievi, 6/20)

Removing both of a woman's ovaries before natural menopause may reduce the integrity of white matter in their brains, scientists have found. For most women this operation, known as surgical menopause, can be lifesaving or at least life-changing. In many cases, it is performed as a preventative measure in those who are at an increased risk of ovarian or breast cancer. For others, it is used to reduce the pain caused by endometriosis, a condition where womb tissues grow outside of the uterus. (Dewan, 6/20)

Could the drug used to treat erectile dysfunction help women who have difficulties with arousal? ... Daré, a pharmaceutical company, is in the process of seeking approval from the F.D.A. for its topical sildenafil cream, which it plans to market specifically to women. Yet the research, including a study from Daré out today, suggests that if the drug is at all effective at increasing arousal in women, it’s only likely to do so for a small subset. (Haridasani Gupta, 6/20)