Birth Control News and Research

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Clotting risk from birth control normalizes within weeks of stopping hormonal contraceptives

Using birth control pills and other hormone-based contraceptives is known to elevate the risk of blood clots about three-fold, but a new study suggests that this risk largely goes away within two to four weeks after one stops using these contraceptives, according to research published today in Blood.

8 Nov 2023

Pregnant and addicted: Homeless women see hope in street medicine

Five days after giving birth, Melissa Crespo was already back on the streets, recovering in a damp, litter-strewn water tunnel, when she got the call from the hospital.

18 Oct 2023

Americans will spend a larger share of their lifetime taking prescription drugs, research finds

An American born in 2019 will spend a larger share of their lifetime taking prescription drugs than being married or receiving an education, according to new research by Jessica Ho, associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State.

12 Oct 2023

KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': 3 health policy experts you should know

In this special episode, host Julie Rovner, KFF Health News' chief Washington correspondent, interviews three noted health policy experts.

31 Aug 2023

Californians headed to HBCUs in the South prepare for college under abortion bans

When I’laysia Vital got accepted to Texas Southern University, a historically Black university in Houston, she immediately began daydreaming about the sense of freedom that would come with living on her own, and the sense of belonging she would feel studying in a thriving Black community.

29 Aug 2023

Few firm beliefs and low trust: Americans not sure what’s true in age of health misinformation

Around 3 in 10 Americans still believe ivermectin is an effective treatment for covid. What's more, few place significant trust in any form of news media or official institution to accurately convey information about health topics, from covid treatments and vaccines to reproductive health issues, a new poll from KFF shows.

22 Aug 2023

How pediatric congenital heart patients can make the leap to adulthood safely

For parents, few words are more earth-shattering than when a pediatrician says the phrase "heart defects."

17 Aug 2023

In Wisconsin, women’s health care is constricted by an 1849 law. These doctors are aghast.

The three women sitting around a table at a busy lunch spot share a grim camaraderie. It's been more than a year since an 1849 law came back into force to criminalize abortion in Wisconsin.

28 Jul 2023

Once the new over-the-counter birth control pill is available, What about cost and coverage?

Last week, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive that will be available for sale over the counter in stores as well as online. Reproductive health advocates hailed the groundbreaking approval as a step that can help millions of people avoid pregnancy, which is unintended nearly half the time in the United States.

19 Jul 2023

Only 43% of parents use patient portal benefits for their children, poll finds

For many busy families, online access to a child's health provider for medical advice, health records or prescription refills is likely a convenient option.

17 Jul 2023

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The long road to reining in short-term plans

It took more than two years, but the Biden administration has finally kept a promise made by then-candidate Joe Biden to roll back the Trump administration's expansion of short-term, limited-duration health plans.

13 Jul 2023

UW Medicine reaffirms support for access to abortion care

The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, has had significant impacts nationally on healthcare justice, affecting the health, financial stability and opportunity for many people across the country.

29 Jun 2023

Researchers create a diagnostic test to identify functional sperm in infertile men

In a recent study, researchers created a diagnostic test to identify functional sperm in infertile men that could change the treatment of male infertility and assisted reproductive technology.

14 Jun 2023

Use of hormonal birth control linked to greater risk of postpartum depression in women

Inability to feel happy, low spirits, fatigue, and loss of appetite. These are common symptoms of postpartum depression.

17 May 2023

The crisis is officially ending, but covid confusion lives on

The formal end May 11 of the national public health emergency for covid-19 will usher in lots of changes in the way Americans get vaccines, treatment, and testing for the coronavirus.

11 May 2023

Gene discovery could pave the way for a non-hormonal male contraceptive

Discovery of a gene in multiple mammalian species could pave the way for a highly effective, reversible and non-hormonal male contraceptive for humans and animals.

17 Apr 2023

Current CVD risk assessments fall short for women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds

Non-biological factors and social determinants of health are important to include in CVD risk assessment for women, particularly for women of diverse races and ethnicities other than white, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in Circulation, the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal.

10 Apr 2023