Category: OB/GYN

If my mother gave birth to me today, she would probably would die

If my mother gave birth to me today instead of over 60 years ago, she would probably be dead based on her risk factors. She was Black, had gestational diabetes, and gave birth to a 9-pound 4-ounce baby girl via C-section. She would have been discharged…

The hidden costs of fully covered infertility treatment 

After years of searching for answers to my pain, I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis during my second year of medical school. However, the joy of finally having a diagnosis quickly became overshadowed by the knowledge that I was now a part of th…

The unheard cries: an obstetrician’s nightmare

Her image captured the world: mangled hip, jutting belly, stretcher, war, a woman carried out of a bombed maternity hospital. She’s gray, contrasted against a colorful beach towel, among the smoldering ruins of Mariupol. The outcome was bad; neither sh…

A body part that fills me with a roller coaster of emotion [PODCAST]

“Their absence makes me feel sad, I look around at my peers, envious and curious, Obsessing over when they will show up. When they do, they never seem to live up to expectations, Too small, too uneven, but what’s sure is it’s a sign I’m no longer…

COVID and obstetrics: a physician shares her story [PODCAST]

“I thought of her with each miscarriage I saw in COVID+ mothers, and during each delivery of premature rupture of membranes due to infection. I thought of her every time I gave steroids, increased the oxygen flow for someone struggling to breathe…

Why air pollution is making us infertile 

The fertility rate in the United States, and globally, has been on a steady decline. This is the sixth consecutive year that there has been a reduction in the fertility rate, which has decreased by an average of 2 percent. Numerous factors contribute t…

What does it even mean to work through the unimaginable?

When the Delta variant hit Mississippi, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published alarming statistics for maternal and perinatal deaths. Pregnant women were dying at three times the pre-COVID baseline rate. These young, healthy women w…

I loved my job yesterday, but I don’t love it every day

I complain about my job all the time. The frustrations are endless. For example, EMR changes that seem pointless and create more clicks, instead of fewer, the constant barrage of patient emails in my inbox that start with “I have a question about…

There is no other body part that has filled me with such a roller coaster of emotion

Their absence makes me feel sad, I look around at my peers, envious and curious, Obsessing over when they will show up. When they do, they never seem to live up to expectations, Too small, too uneven, but what’s sure is it’s a sign I’m no longer a chil…

Women physicians with infertility [PODCAST]

“Many of us suffer in silence for myriad reasons. Being a physician with infertility presents a perfect storm of stress, anxiety, guilt, and shame – all of which we know don’t contribute to managing any medical problem. Consider what it’s like to…