I was on another overnight shift in the OB/GYN emergency department. The air was thick with tension, as it always is when the night is full of contractions, cries, and codes. One woman arrived in active labor — her first baby, frightened eyes, and no f…
I’ve felt an overwhelming need to write for about a month now. I struggled to find the right words as recent events in medicine and society have created a constant state of confusion and distress. Most notably, I have found it increasingly diffic…
Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder, affecting approximately 1 percent of the population, though clinically significant symptoms occur in about 1 in 10,000 individuals. It is caused by a deficiency or dysfunction…
She looked relatively healthy. Middle-aged, calm, composed. She had tried everything—until she hadn’t. That’s how she found herself on the OR schedule for a hysterectomy. Years of irregular, heavy bleeding had led her here. She didn’t…
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Research scientist Nichole Cubbage discusses her article, “The silent grief of vanishing twin syndrome: Why words matter in health care.” She explains that Van…
I’m a family medicine-trained doctor working in a rural ER. I drive 90 minutes to get there, and I do it because if I don’t, no one will. The county I serve has seen its nearest hospital close. The OB unit is long gone. Specialist referrals…
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Fertility specialist Oluyemisi Famuyiwa discusses her article, “Endometriosis and fertility: What every woman should know.” She explores how endometriosis, an …
In past decades, physicians practiced medicine. The majority were dedicated to patient well-being. They were paternalistic and decided what was in their patients’ best interests, and patients generally trusted their judgments. In the 1970s, ethic…
Pregnancy loss is always a deeply personal and often devastating experience, but for those who experience vanishing twin syndrome (VTS)—where one twin or multiple fetuses are lost during pregnancy—the loss can be uniquely isolating. Unlike a traditiona…
An excerpt from Maternal Ambivalence: The Loving Moments & Bitter Truths of Motherhood. What is maternal ambivalence? Motherhood is a messy, loving process, filled with complicated and conflicting feelings that, though it’s hard to admit to, …
