Reproductive & Sexual Health Stories
Here's a selection of my stories on reproductive health and sexual wellness as seen on U.S. News and World Report, Verywell Health, and MDlinx.
What to Know About Postpartum Psychosis
For U.S. News and World Report
The first few weeks of motherhood can be a time of celebration. But it can also be a time of high vulnerability to mental illness. Among other challenges, the postpartum period can introduce mental health risks like postpartum psychosis.
Despite being considered advanced maternal age, many people can conceive and carry out a healthy pregnancy after the age of 35. Still, pregnancy and fertility timelines are different for everyone.
Clitoral enlargement surgery changes the appearance of the clitoris by enhancing size and visibility and may also increase sensitivity and sexual pleasure. More research is needed to affirm the benefits and risks of the surgery.
Some people are harvesting their colostrum and posting results on TikTok. Feeding babies colostrum can benefit newborn babies’ brain and microbiome development but may pose risks to the parent and fetus during pregnancy.
A new study found that menopause-related symptoms contribute to lost time and money in the workplace.
Some people take hormonal estrogen treatments to relieve menopause’s vasomotor symptoms. For people who cannot take hormonal treatments, newly FDA-approved non-hormonal treatments may help.
Some fertility clinics have allegedly committed malpractice, like giving patients the wrong embryos and causing risks to parents and infants.
Maternal mortality rates increased dramatically during the first year of the pandemic—from 2020 to 2021—and numbers disproportionally spiked for Black women. Trauma-sensitive and racially sensitive approaches to health could reduce risks going forward.
How Medical Training Will Change Now That Roe v. Wade Is Overturned
For Verywell Health
Without Roe v. Wade, OB-GYN residency programs in some states may no longer be able to offer abortion training. And because safe abortion hinges on comprehensive education, pro-choice advocates are scrambling to locate alternate access to trainings.
What to Know About Your Reproductive Rights in a Post-Roe World
For Verywell Health
Here's a look at state-by-state abortion care access and affordability in the days after the removal of Roe v. Wade.
WHO Guidelines Encourage Telehealth Abortion Care
For Verywell Health
The World Health Organization encourages telehealth use for the abortion pill. But that doesn't mean everyone has access. This story talks explains how telehealth increases patient access to care in some states, and how legal barriers restrict it in others.
For Verywell Health
A step-by-step explainer on how to take the abortion pill, which is actually a combination of five pills from two medications, for people who want to self-induce an abortion.
Why Does Birth Control Require a Prescription?
For Verywell Health
Some birth control pill companies are asking the FDA the approve their products for over-the-counter use. So far in the U.S., birth control requires a presrciption. Here's why.
Why We Need to Talk About 'Stealthing' Now
For Verywell Health
Stealthing, or the non consensual removal of a condom before or during intercourse, is a civil crime in California. It's also illegal in other countries. Here's why sexual health experts say the issue is problematic, and often misunderstood.
Overturning Roe v. Wade Could Have Consequences Beyond Abortion Restrictions
For Verywell Health
Prior to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, here's what some lawyers and public health experts anticipated would be the consequences.
Hailey Bieber Wants You to Talk to Your Doctor Before Starting Birth Control
For Verywell Health
Hailey Bieber experienced a stroke in May 2022, which she told press may have been a result of being on birth control combined with a migraine condition. Doctors explain why they advise people with specific, but not all, types of migraines to avoid birth control pills with estrogen. This story explains who is at risk, to what extent, and other contraceptive options that exist.
This OB-GYN Is Using TikTok to Educate People on Abortion Resources
For Verywell Health
Some doctors are turning into social media stars to educate young people about reproductive rights and resources.