Dr. Jen Gunter
pregnancy
When sex hurts after having a baby (and it didn’t before)
A new study published in the BJOG indicates that by 6 weeks after a delivery 41% of women have resumed sex, 78% by 12 weeks, and 94% by 6 months. Most health care providers recommend waiting 4-6 weeks after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery before resuming sex, the issue being an open cervix could increase the … Continue reading
Irish Catholic Bishops reveal ignorance in statement on death of Savita Halappanavar
The Irish Catholic Bishops have seen fit to clarify the church’s view on gynecology given Savita Halappanavar’s death from sepsis at 17 weeks in her pregnancy and the concern that evacuating her uterus was delayed because the fetus still had a heart beat. The full statement is here, but this is the excerpt I find … Continue reading
How sick must a pregnant woman be in Ireland for her doctor to say her life is at risk?
While a full analysis of the tragic case of Savita Halappanavar’s death from sepsis at 17 weeks in her pregnancy is not possible without access to her medical records, there is a key piece of information provided by her husband that supports his claim that a termination was not allowed or was delayed because of … Continue reading
The physical dangers for mothers who deliver prematurely
Mothers who deliver prematurely face serious health risks that are often neglected when we talk about prematurity. Today, in honor of Savita Halappanavar’s death from sepsis that was a direct result of her previable premature delivery, I would like to let the world in on the physical perils faced by mothers who deliver prematurely. Many … Continue reading
Did Irish Catholic law or malpractice kill Savita Halappanavar?
This is what is known. Savita Halappanavar was 31 years old and happy to be pregnant with her first child. Then, at 17 weeks, tragedy struck and she was “found to be miscarrying.” Her husband reports that she was in “severe pain” for three days at the hospital and a termination was requested. He says … Continue reading
Ectopic pregnancies, exploding gifts from God at some Catholic hospitals
An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that implants outside of the uterus. It occurs in approximately 1% of conceptions. It typically grows in the fallopian tube, but rarely an ectopic pregnancy can grow in the ovary or cervix. A pregnancy has trophoblastic tissue, the purpose of which is to invade deep into the wall of … Continue reading
Vaginal delivery is safe for premature babies who aren’t breech
Finding out your baby is going to be premature is one of the most stressful things for parents-to-be. In addition to all the fears about the effects of prematurity, many parents also worry about the method of delivery. How can a tiny, fragile premature baby manage to make it through the birth canal without injury? … Continue reading
When safe abortion isn’t a choice
If she is brave enough, she will ask around. Someone will know someone who knows someone. Or something. Someone’s grandma might know about the old days. Drinking turpentine or Clorox, which is what the poorest women often did. They also took massive doses of quinine. Equally dangerous and, like the household cleaners, not a particularly … Continue reading
Fact checking is optional when it comes to health information and the media
I just read an “article” (and I use that term rather loosely) this morning on msnbc.com. It was about how the previous reports of a Mexican woman claiming to be pregnant with 9 babies weren’t entirely true. How untrue? Well, turns out she wasn’t even pregnant. Yes, you read that correctly. In their haste to report … Continue reading
Getting advice on the safety of pain medication in labor from the NEJM and not The Atlantic
Several tweeps sent me a link to this article, “The most scientific birth is often the least technological” in The Atlantic. There are some things that are scientifically okay with the article and some things that are not. To do justice to the how and where to have the safest birth possible really requires a … Continue reading
