Health reasons to avoid pregnancy
Posted by on July 18, 2012 - 4:03pm

We know that many women use contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy often for social, career or economic reasons. In other words, it's not the right time.   There are also health reasons for avoiding or delaying pregnancy.   The Association of Reproductive Health Professional has identified conditions associated with increased risk for adverse health events as a result of pregnancy.  This does NOT mean that all women with these conditions should never get pregnant, but they should have serious discussions with their health providers before they become pregnant, and in some cases, may need to avoid.  Conditions that could lead to a complicated or risky pregnancy, putting the woman at risk include

  • Breast cancer
  • Complicated valvular heart disease
  • diabetes;  insulin dependent with complications
  • Endometrial or ovarian cancer
  • epilepsy
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Bariatric Surgery in the past two years
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Ischemic heart disease
  • Malignant liver tumors and certain liver disease
  • Peripartum cardiomyopathy
  • sickle cell disease
  • Solid organ transplant within the past two years
  • stroke
  • systemic lupus
  • platelet mutations
  • tuberculosis

When politicians debate access to contraception and insurance coverage, they need to be aware that there are conditions women may have that put them at high risk for a complicated pregnancy.  Having access to contraceptive methods is critical to planning and/or preventing pregnancy in high risk women.  It's not always about the baby---in these cases,  it is the potential mother!

 

Politics must not stop progress we've made in women's health
Posted by on March 15, 2012 - 11:13am

Margaret Sanger

In 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic, and is quoted as saying:   "Women must have her freedom, the fundamental freedom of choosing whether or not she will be a mother and how many children she will have.  Regardless of what man's attitude may be, the problem is hers--and before it can be his, it is hers alone.  She goes through the vale of death alone, each time a babe is born.  As it is the right neither of man nor the state to coerce her into this ordeal, so it is her right to decide whether she will endure it."   This was said nearly a century ago..wonder what she would say to today's politicians?