Our Bodies Our Blog

 

Occasional posts examining the intersection between health, politics, and reproductive justice.

Depo provera
Depo-Provera: "I Wouldn’t Recommend It to Anyone"
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When Antidepressants Leave Lasting Damage
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Chasing Global Surrogacy

September 21, 2017

From widely accepted in vitro fertilization to recent (and more controversial) “three parent” babies, assisted reproductive technologies are rapidly evolving. Their advancement…

Preventing Sexual Assault on College Campuses: What Works?

September 8, 2017

Sexual assault continues to be a serious problem among young people age 18-24. According to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)…

How Safe and Effective Are Bioidentical Hormone Therapies?

August 31, 2017

The popularity of bioidenticals has surged over the past decade, particularly among women with safety concerns about hormone therapy (HT) during and…

What You Need to Know About Essure

August 23, 2017

Women report severe pain, hair loss, and heavy bleeding. They share stories of migraines, tooth decay, and brain fog. Some develop life…

The Rise of Rural ‘Maternity Deserts’

August 17, 2017

What strikes me almost immediately when reading Whitney Brown’s story is how much energy and care was put into saving her life…

From In Vitro Babies to Skin Cell Maybes: The Shifting Landscape of Human Reproduction and Family Formation

August 14, 2017

Earlier this year, my OBOS colleague Sally Whelan and I were offered a seat at a fascinating table – the 2017 Baby…

More Than Half of Female Homicide Victims Are Killed By Their Husbands or Boyfriends

August 3, 2017

A news story about a woman murdered on a cruise ship while on a wedding anniversary trip with her husband caught my…

3 Reasons Why Gutting Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs Is Bad

July 26, 2017

In an ongoing effort to wipe away any vestige of Barack Obama’s presidency, the Trump administration has gutted federal funding of evidence-based…

Ongoing Zika Crisis in Brazil: Lessons for the U.S.

July 19, 2017

A report released this week by the Human Rights Watch documents the ongoing tragedy of Zika in Brazil. The Brazilian government has declared an…

Science Says Period Brains Aren’t A Thing: Women Are Not Surprised

July 17, 2017

Finally, a study shows what those of us who menstruate already know: there is no such thing as “period brain.” According to…

Study Finds Abortion Care via Telemedicine is Safe and Effective

July 6, 2017

Telemedicine has the potential to bring safe medication abortion to women in countries with extremely restricted access to abortion, according to a…

Tales, Tips, and Love from Women Caregivers

July 3, 2017

Women have always been caregivers. Whether looking after small children, elders, other family members or friends in small communities, tending to others…

The Senate GOP Health Care Bill and Women’s Health

June 26, 2017

The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the Senate GOP version of the health care bill (also known as the bill written in…

Self-Care in the Age of Trump Care

June 22, 2017

A few days after the November election, my head in a universal fog of despair, I packed my doula bag and set…

The Status of Black Women in the United States

June 19, 2017

Black women remain deeply impacted by structural and systemic inequity that affects every area of their lives. Despite this, Black women are…

Why Are So Many American Women Having Mastectomies?

June 15, 2017

When Angelina Jolie publicly announced her double mastectomy four years ago, she was praised for possibly saving many women’s lives. But we…

US Has Some of the Worst Health Disparities in the World

June 8, 2017

Health disparities in the United States are, unfortunately, nothing new. We’ve written before about the wide disparities in health by gender, race…

Trump Administration Set to Make Denying Birth Control Coverage Even Easier

June 1, 2017

If you believe appointing an anti-contraception activist to lead the federal family planning program was bad for women’s health, you’re not going…

The Ongoing Tale About “The Handmaid’s Tale”

May 26, 2017

With the wild popularity of the new TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” surrogacy is back in the limelight. The Hulu show, based…

Period Tracking Apps: The Good and the Bad

May 19, 2017

Millions of people use menstrual tracking apps on their phones to chart monthly cycles and hormone levels. There’s nothing wrong with a…

Join Gloria Steinem and Our Bodies Ourselves for an evening of conversation!

May 16, 2017

a note from OBOS executive director Julie Childers… Dear friends of OBOS, I’m delighted to invite you to an intimate evening of…