December 20, 2012, started like any other day as an OB-GYN when I was called to do a precipitous delivery. I immediately saw that the baby’s heart rate was dangerously low, and I knew I had to act quickly. Several nurses helped me maintain the pa…
Category: OB/GYN
The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters
As an OB/GYN, I know that medication abortion is safe, commonly used, and effective. Women’s rights, family building, and abortion are recognized in many international human rights documents. The United Nations’ 1966 Human Rights Treaty sta…
Fool women twice? Drug makers revive menopause as a “disease.”
In the words of the late soccer great Pelé spoofed on Saturday Night Live, women’s health has been “very, very good” for drug makers. In 2002, 61 million prescriptions were written for women in the U.S. for hormones to treat the so-ca…
Uncovering the overwhelming impact of the advanced maternal age patient on nursing
Imagine you have a busy full-time job. You get married at age 31. You and your new partner travel to Italy, Ireland, and Hawaii before settling with the kids. You both make pretty good money, so you buy a house. Of course, it needs furniture. And you h…
A human’s a human, no matter how small
Theodore Geisel, known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, wrote hundreds of children’s stories that continue to shape young children’s development to this day. Dr. Seuss was a lifelong Democrat and favored many of FDR’s New Deal policies. How…
Addressing disparities in gynecological care for women with physical disabilities
I recently read a story in which a woman named H. Lee, who has muscular dystrophy, details a decade-long struggle to receive adequate cervical cancer screening. Providers have been unable to find her cervix due to the curvature of her spine, examined h…
From studying to baby kicks: Navigating motherhood in medical school
It’s 1:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I’m sitting comfortably, propped up by four pillows with my feet on a medicine ball in front of the sofa. I laugh with complete delight as I stare at my belly and see the spunky kicks of my daughter, dancing…
The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act
Nebraska has taken another step towards effectively banning abortion and criminalizing the practice of medicine. I want to try to clarify that this bill is not supported by the medical community. It does not seek to improve the lives of Nebraskans. In …
What does an ENT doctor know about childbirth?
An excerpt from Fifty Years a Doctor: The Journey of Sickness and Health, Four Plagues and the Pandemic. I went to medical school for four years. I was a medical intern for one year and a surgical resident for one year. And finally, an otolaryngology r…
Why Black women are dying during pregnancy and what we can do about it
“Dr. Forna, I’m not going to die this pregnancy, am I?” “No, ma’am. You’re not going to die this pregnancy. Not on my watch! We are going to do everything we can to keep you safe.” I’ve had this conversat…
