Latest news with #reproductivehealth
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Your Guide To Navigating Perimenopause In Your 30s And Beyond
The first time I heard the word "perimenopause," I felt like I had been late to a party I wasn't invited to. Don't get me wrong—it's not a party I'm dying to go to, but I couldn't believe how little I knew about such a pivotal reproductive life stage. And I'm not alone. When I set out to report on this often overlooked and misunderstood phase of life, nearly a dozen women I spoke to initially had zero clue that perimenopause could be the root of their sudden and varied symptoms. They also had no idea it can last anywhere from two to 10 years (sometimes more), it's characterized by a fluctuation of hormones (not necessarily a sharp decline), and, perhaps most significantly, it can start as early as your mid-thirties (I couldn't believe it either). The good news is there's more awareness than ever around perimenopause, thanks to a growing call for menopause education, millennials' track record of breaking taboos, and a little thing called the social media algorithm. And we hope this series of stories, below, contributes to that. You'll find a special report on millennials and perimenopause, real stories from women on how they successfully manage their peri symptoms, hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options, where to actually find good care, tips on how to stay healthy in peri and beyond, and how to advocate for menopause policy in your state. Our grandmothers and mothers may not have had the word to describe this phase of life, but we do. And the more prepared we are for it, the better (and healthier) we are. Read the stories, share them with your friends, and let us know what you think in the comments—this is only the beginning of the conversation. Read The StoriesMillennials Are Entering The Perimenopause Chat READ THE STORYYour Brain (And Heart) On Hot Flashes READ THE STORYHow Young Is Too Young For Hormone Therapy? READ THE STORYHow These Women Are Successfully Managing Their Perimenopause Symptoms READ THE STORYWhere To Actually Find Good Perimenopause Care READ THE STORYHow To Stay Healthy In Perimenopause And Beyond READ THE STORYWe Need To Fight For Menopause Policy Now More Than Ever READ THE STORY This story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Women's By Heami LeeProp Styling By Christine Keely You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals


Forbes
5 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Why $500 Million In U.S. Aid Cuts Threatens Global Black Motherhood
Bill Gates gives to a child a rotavirus vaccine in Ghana. Few issues in global health make the stakes clearer than childbirth and Black maternal health. When a U.S. rescission package cuts $500 million earmarked for USAID family planning and reproductive health programs, the results can be far reaching. It lands in packed maternity wards from Lagos to Gaborone, in supply rooms where oxytocin vials are already in short supply, and on the balance sheets of multinationals that depend on a stable, healthy workforce. How Reproductive Health Funding Cuts Create Medical Care Chaos According to Mihir Mankad, director of global health advocacy and policy at MSF USA, the rescission has particularly devastated the medical community abroad. 'Humanitarian and medical groups have been left scrambling to carry out lifesaving services without money, staff, or certainty about what comes next,' Mankad said. 'Doctors don't know what to tell their patients when they ask where they'll be able to continue their HIV or tuberculosis care.' The proposed rescission would claw back half a billion dollars entirely from family-planning and reproductive health accounts. No exemption shields safe delivery kits, contraceptives or the mentorship programs that empower local nurse midwives to become clinical leaders. According to Mankad, the cuts have created devastating consequences for the world's most vulnerable populations. 'The revocation of nearly $500 million for family planning and reproductive health services is particularly devastating, given that the US government previously provided more than 40 percent of global support in this area,' Mankad said. 'This decision crystallizes the significant service gaps that have emerged in the wake of the U.S.' abrupt withdrawal of funding for these critical programs in January.' Nurses give aid to a pregnant woman before delivering a baby at the maternity ward of the central ... More hospital in Freetown. Private philanthropy is scrambling to fill the void. The Gates‑backed Beginnings Fund, also $500 million, will target 10 African nations with the goal of improving the quality of care for 34 million mothers and their infants and saving the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborn babies by 2030. Matching dollars, however, is not the same as matching reach because one operates on a multiyear venture model, and the other has long underwritten national health budgets at scale. Maternal mortality remains worst where women of African descent predominate. The African region records 448 deaths per 100,000 live births, and even though progress has been made, it's been slower than desired. These statistics are not abstract. Each death severs family income streams, depresses local consumption, and deepens intergenerational poverty. For investors tracking frontier markets, the numbers should jolt. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that every dollar invested in modern contraception cuts pregnancy-related medical costs by $1.47. Put differently, the threatened rescission destroys a stream of avoided costs that would otherwise exceed the outlay itself. Add workforce participation gains and education dividends and the net present value climbs further and the operational risks are equally concrete. U.S. firms with African supply chains learned this during Ebola and COVID‑19. Procurement delays spiked when nursing staff fell ill or walked out in protest of unsafe conditions. If maternal deaths rise, skilled labor attrition will follow. The domestic aftermath of this is equally loud. Black women in the United States die in pregnancy at 49.5 per 100,000 live births, which is more than double the national average, according to the CDC. These parallel crises, domestic and global, should sound alarms in corporate risk management departments. Boardrooms should treat the rescission as a contingent liability because multinationals already report climate risk, but a reproductive health risk is its understudied sibling and is equally capable of causing a rupture in operations. Maternal deaths destabilize workforces by removing experienced employees, triggering absenteeism as families grieve, and creating labor shortages that cascade through global supply chains. Poor maternal health outcomes also trigger workforce attrition, supplier instability and market contraction, which are the same operational vulnerabilities that climate events create. Global Black maternal health sits at the intersection of public health, human capital and economic growth. Foreign assistance typically represents approximately only 1 percent of the US' federal budget but saves countless lives around the world. A half a billion dollars is budget dust on Capitol Hill, yet it equals the annual obstetric supply bill for dozens of third-world countries. To cut it is to leave the world's most vulnerable mothers paying the price for a political compromise they never made.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Your Guide To Navigating Perimenopause In Your 30s And Beyond
The first time I heard the word "perimenopause," I felt like I had been late to a party I wasn't invited to. Don't get me wrong—it's not a party I'm dying to go to, but I couldn't believe how little I knew about such a pivotal reproductive life stage. And I'm not alone. When I set out to report on this often overlooked and misunderstood phase of life, nearly a dozen women I spoke to initially had zero clue that perimenopause could be the root of their sudden and varied symptoms. They also had no idea it can last anywhere from two to 10 years (sometimes more), it's characterized by a fluctuation of hormones (not necessarily a sharp decline), and, perhaps most significantly, it can start as early as your mid-thirties (I couldn't believe it either). The good news is there's more awareness than ever around perimenopause, thanks to a growing call for menopause education, millennials' track record of breaking taboos, and a little thing called the social media algorithm. And we hope this series of stories, below, contributes to that. You'll find a special report on millennials and perimenopause, real stories from women on how they successfully manage their peri symptoms, hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options, where to actually find good care, tips on how to stay healthy in peri and beyond, and how to advocate for menopause policy in your state. Our grandmothers and mothers may not have had the word to describe this phase of life, but we do. And the more prepared we are for it, the better (and healthier) we are. Read the stories, share them with your friends, and let us know what you think in the comments—this is only the beginning of the conversation. Read The StoriesMillennials Are Entering The Perimenopause Chat READ THE STORYYour Brain (And Heart) On Hot Flashes READ THE STORYHow Young Is Too Young For Hormone Therapy? READ THE STORYHow These Women Are Successfully Managing Their Perimenopause Symptoms READ THE STORYWhere To Actually Find Good Perimenopause Care READ THE STORYHow To Stay Healthy In Perimenopause And Beyond READ THE STORYWe Need To Fight For Menopause Policy Now More Than Ever READ THE STORY This story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Women's By Heami LeeProp Styling By Christine Keely You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals


Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Mistake Most Companies Make When Offering Abortion Care Benefits
While companies are increasingly offering employee health coverage for abortion care and travel, ... More most are failing to adequately safeguard the private reproductive health data from their employees' benefits use. Companies have taken major steps to support women's access to reproductive healthcare since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision. Since Dobbs, offering employees abortion care benefits is becoming the corporate norm rather than the exception. Nine out of ten companies offer health coverage for both medically necessary and elective abortion care, according to the Reproductive & Maternal Health Compass 2025 Trend Report, based on data from over 150 firms representing a range of sizes, industries, and locations. Among the surveyed companies, 85% also offer abortion-related travel reimbursement. So where are well-meaning companies falling short when it comes to abortion care coverage? The most common mistake that companies make when offering reproductive health benefits is failing to protect the private data from employee benefits use, according to the RMH Compass researchers. Adopting the wrong delivery process for abortion care benefits can place companies and their employees at significant legal risk. The Missing Safeguard With Employee Abortion Care Benefits While 92% of companies surveyed offer comprehensive abortion care benefits, only 22% use a third-party platform to administer these benefits, according to the 2025 RMH Compass Trend Report. 'By skipping this critical safeguard, companies may be exposing both employees and their own organization to legal risk,' said Flory Wilson, RMH Compass founder and CEO, via email. Without a third-party benefits platform, employees must submit highly sensitive reproductive health information directly to managers, human resources and benefits staff, or company finance teams, in order to secure abortion care coverage. This creates a serious privacy risk for employees, particularly in states with abortion bans. To reduce the legal risk from offering abortion care benefits, RMH Compass experts recommend that companies use a third-party administrator that is bound by the privacy rules in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. HIPAA is a federal law that imposes strict confidentiality requirements on health plans, health providers, and associated businesses. This includes placing limits on responding to law enforcement requests to access individual medical information. 'Using a HIPAA-compliant third-party to handle fund disbursement for abortion care coverage not only ensures employee confidentiality and reduces legal risk for companies,' said Wilson, 'but also enhances employee trust.' The Privacy Stakes With Employee Abortion Care Benefits The privacy risks from employer-provided abortion care benefits are not merely hypothetical, according to a 2023 report by The Center for Democracy & Technology. These risks are particularly large in states with laws that criminalize abortion or assisting women who travel out-of-state to access abortion care. 'Increasingly, law enforcement and civil litigants may turn to companies to gain access to data that could help prove that a person sought, received, aided, or provided an abortion,' according to Andrew Crawford, senior policy attorney and author of the CDT report. This includes law enforcement seeking employee data on benefits claims. 'Employers must recognize that even inadvertently retaining or accessing reproductive health data can expose employees to potential risk,' said Crawford. 'The best way to prevent data that companies collect from being used against abortion-seekers is to simply not have that data in the first place.' This requires companies to take proactive steps to protect their employees' private reproductive health information. How Employers Can Reduce Risk When Offering Abortion Care Benefits Wilson does not suggest that companies retreat from offering abortion care benefits because of the privacy-related legal risks. 'Workers want access to a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion access—regardless of gender, age, even political affiliation,' said Wilson. Employees increasingly expect their companies to advocate for and take a stand on reproductive rights, particularly younger generation workers. The expansion of abortion care coverage reflects corporate recognition that investing in reproductive health benefits is a business imperative. Three quarters of the U.S. labor force ages 18 to 64 want their employer's health insurance to cover abortion care, according to a 2021 Perry Undem survey of over 3,400 individuals. Covering abortion-related travel expenses is also increasingly critical for employees in states with restrictive abortion laws. Total abortion bans with limited exceptions are in effect in 12 states, with another 29 states restricting abortion access based on gestational age, according to the Guttmacher Institute's legal tracker. The tax bill signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025, will likely exacerbate abortion access challenges. 'The new budget bill could have a significant impact on women's health care access in rural areas across the country,' said Wilson. 'It makes the travel reimbursement benefit even more important for workers and their families.' 'Reproductive health benefits don't just meet a moral moment—they strengthen workforce retention, reduce absenteeism, and build loyalty and trust,' said Wilson. 'But even the most well-intentioned efforts can create blind spots.' To reduce risk, companies should follow best practices when administering abortion care benefits. Best practices include using a third-party, HIPAA-compliant benefits provider. RMH Compass also recommends that companies design their out-of-state travel reimbursement plans to apply to medical services beyond abortion care. That expansion helps ensure that an employee's use of a travel reimbursement benefit does not inherently reveal the underlying medical purpose. RMH Compass offers a free guide to assist employers in reducing legal risk when designing abortion care benefits through employer-sponsored health plans. RMH Compass also provides advice to employees who are seeking to access and use abortion-related benefits.


Sky News
7 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Reproductive health benefits start-up Fertifa swoops on rival Juniper
A reproductive health start-up run by one of Britain's most prominent venture capitalists has swooped on one of its peers amid growing demand from large companies for the provision of fertility and other sexual health-related benefits to their workforces. Sky News understands that Fertifa, which is run by Eileen Burbidge, one of Britain's most prominent venture capitalists, has agreed a deal to buy Juniper, a two year-old London-based company which provides reproductive health insurance. Sources said the deal - worth an undisclosed sum - would be announced publicly on Thursday. It will provide fresh evidence of the accelerating consolidation of an area of healthcare which has gained increasing prominence as part of companies' employee benefits packages in recent years. Fertifa counts Meta - the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - among its clients, along with other blue-chip businesses such as the private equity firm Hg Capital, H&M, Lululemon, MoFo, Space NK and Virgin Group. The start-up raised £5m in funding from investors including Notion Capital, Triple Point Ventures and Speedinvest two years ago, following an initial pre-seed round led by Passion Capital. Fertifa is the exclusive provider of the insurer Aviva UK's family planning and fertility benefit for many of its healthcare schemes. The start-up's offering is based on a per-employee, per-month pricing model, and offers reimbursement administration by charging a 5% fee on transaction volumes. It has also broadened its services in recent years by adding men's health, neurodiversity support and a payment plan allowing employees to avoid up-front costs. Juniper, which was founded by Ambra Zhang and Max Bacon, was set up to address a gap in the private medical insurance (PMI) market by focusing on reproductive health coverage. It also raised funding from external investors, including Insuretech Gateway and 2100. The rapid growth of private fertility service providers has given rise to greater scrutiny of their practices, with the collapse of Apricity, one prominent company in the sector, at the end of last year leaving some IVF patients thousands of pounds out of pocket and asking questions about the unregulated nature of the industry. At the time, a statement from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it could "only regulate UK licensed fertility clinics, which are the premises where treatments take place". "The decision to cease trading was taken by Apricity's board," it added. "The HFEA is unable to help patients obtain a refund nor compensation. "Patients can also contact the licenced clinic where any procedures, such as egg collection, were due to take place. "We would expect Apricity to ensure that any eggs, sperm or embryos stored in the UK are looked after." One market source said that Fertifa's acquisition of Juniper would strengthen its position as an emerging leader in the sector. Other corporate deals in the industry have included Nasdaq-listed Progyny's purchase of Apryl, a Verlin-based fertility benefits platform, in June 2024.