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I Had a Stroke at Birth and Spent Years Trying to Hide My Cerebral Palsy. Sharing on Social Media Helped Set Me Free.
Read More: I Had a Stroke at Birth and Spent Years Trying to Hide My Cerebral Palsy. Sharing on Social Media Helped Set Me Free.July is Disability Pride Month. As told to Jacquelyne Froeber I was born breech โ feet first โ on December 3, 1993. Of course, I donโt remember anything from that day. I donโt remember when the healthcare providers tried to turn me during delivery or when things escalated and I was delivered using forceps. I…
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Cervical cancer, Endometrial cancer, Gynecologic cancer, Health disparities, Ovarian cancer, Uterine cancer
The Symptoms Were There, the Healthcare Providers Weren’t
Read More: The Symptoms Were There, the Healthcare Providers Weren’tJune is National Cancer Survivors Month and Uterine Cancer Awareness Month. When heavy vaginal bleeding sent Julie Herbert to a California emergency room in November 2024, cancer was the furthest thing from her mind. A triage nurse at the hospital was very concerned, and the 36-year-old research associate was quickly admitted. โThey immediately put me…
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Rural Communities Face Limited Access to Cervical Cancer Screenings
Read More: Rural Communities Face Limited Access to Cervical Cancer ScreeningsWhen Claudia Perez-Favela, a mother of two in California, experienced irregular periods and heavy bleeding, she was concerned that these could be symptoms of cancer. She knew there was a history of reproductive cancer in her family, but she couldn’t see the doctor right away because she was uninsured. After she got health insurance, she…
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Las comunidades rurales enfrentan un acceso limitado a pruebas de cรกncer cervical
Read More: Las comunidades rurales enfrentan un acceso limitado a pruebas de cรกncer cervicalEnglish Cuando Claudia Perez-Favela, madre de dos hijos en California, experimentรณ perรญodos menstruales irregulares y sangrado abundante, le preocupรณ que pudiesen ser sรญntomas de cรกncer. Sabรญa que tenรญa antecedentes familiares de cรกncer ginecolรณgico, pero no podรญa tener una consulta con un doctor inmediatamente porque no tenรญa seguro. Despuรฉs de obtener un seguro mรฉdico, tratรณ de…
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Whatโs Behind the Underdiagnosis of ADHD in Black Women?
Read More: Whatโs Behind the Underdiagnosis of ADHD in Black Women?July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As a child and young adult, Stephanie Robertson appeared to be the ideal student. She earned near-perfect grades throughout high school and attended some of the nationโs top universities. By her mid-20s, sheโd graduated from law school and was beginning her career with a…
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The Importance of Cultural Humility in Healthcare
Read More: The Importance of Cultural Humility in HealthcareAmerica is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. In addition to racial and ethnic diversity, more than 350 languages are spoken in the U.S. In fact, 1 in 5 people speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But for some people, cultural diversity means…
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Why Are Women of Color More at Risk for Lupus?
Read More: Why Are Women of Color More at Risk for Lupus?As a senior at Florida A&M University, Sharon Harris had been juggling a full course load, three jobs and other demands of college life when she started to feel sick. She visited the doctor and went to the hospital emergency room for gastrointestinal problems, and healthcare providers (HCPs) thought she might have Crohn’s disease. The…
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Freedom to Breathe: Disparities and COPD
Read More: Freedom to Breathe: Disparities and COPDAlmost 16 million Americans are living with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, diagnosis. Millions more donโt even know they have it. The COPD Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes research, advocacy and awareness to stop COPD and similar conditions, estimates that the number of Americans who are affected by COPD is as high as…
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Access, Endometrial cancer, Gynecologic cancer, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Uterine cancer
Why Are Endometrial Cancer Rates Rising?
Read More: Why Are Endometrial Cancer Rates Rising?Venus* never forgot the advice her OB-GYN gave her after she went through menopause. โIf you ever have any kind of bleeding, see a doctor.โ Those words came to mind in February 2022 when Venus noticed a small amount of blood even though she was no longer getting periods. She quickly scheduled an appointment with…
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The Struggle Is โRealโ: Black Women and Lung Cancer
Read More: The Struggle Is โRealโ: Black Women and Lung CancerAyanay Ferguson knew something just wasnโt right with her body when she returned from vacation with her husband in April 2021. โI had swollen ankles and shortness of breath,โ recalled Ferguson, 50, an Atlanta-area clinical psychologist. She initially thought her symptoms were from post-vacation fatigue and her weight. As her symptoms lingered, she booked a…
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With Obesity on the Rise, Why Are Treatments So Hard to Get?
Read More: With Obesity on the Rise, Why Are Treatments So Hard to Get?When Oprah Winfrey announced in late 2023 that sheโs taking weight-loss medication, it raised a lot of questions: Which drug is she taking? How long will she take it? What role should medicines play in reducing obesity? How to pay for the drug was not likely a concern for the billionaire media mogul. But for…
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Did You Know That Heart Disease Affects Women of Color Differently?
Read More: Did You Know That Heart Disease Affects Women of Color Differently?February is American Heart Month. Cardiovascular disease is often dismissed as a middle-aged white man’s disease, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The risk of cardiovascular disease among women, especially women of color, is poorly understood, yet the statistics speak for themselves. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for all women,…
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Includingย LGBTQ+ People in the Menopause Conversation
Read More: Includingย LGBTQ+ People in the Menopause ConversationโBecause menopause happens to people.โ Thatโs the phrase that welcomes visitors to Queer Menopause, a website designed to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ experiences in menopause, provide resources and advocate for better education for healthcare providers (HCPs). The statement itself serves as a prominent display of inclusion. Menopausal symptoms can manifest differently for everybody, and the…
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A Conversation with Makeba L. Williams, M.D., About Health Equity and Menopause
Read More: A Conversation with Makeba L. Williams, M.D., About Health Equity and MenopauseMenopause is a near-universal experience for women in midlife. And most women will experience some physical, mental and emotional changes in the years leading up to, and following, the end of their menstrual cycles. While vasomotor symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes are common for most women, how long they last and how…
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Womenโs Health Concerns Are Not Always Taken Seriously โ and Itโs Even Worse for Women of Color
Read More: Womenโs Health Concerns Are Not Always Taken Seriously โ and Itโs Even Worse for Women of ColorChristine Topham nearly died while giving birth when she was 33 years old. She needed an emergency hysterectomy, but her healthcare provider (HCP) never fully explained the seriousness of the surgery to her. โBefore I could even get my head around what it would mean to have no uterus, the doctor said to me, โDonโt…
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La obesidad, el racismo y el covid-19: Una combinaciรณn mortal
Read More: La obesidad, el racismo y el covid-19: Una combinaciรณn mortalDurante los primeros dรญas de la pandemia del covid-19, las personas que tenรญan mรกs probabilidades de ser hospitalizadas o de morir por el virus tenรญan algunas cosas en comรบn. La edad era el mayor factor de riesgo par enfermarse gravemente de covid-19. La raza y la etnia tambiรฉn parecรญan tener una conexiรณn, puesto que las…
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Obesity, Racism and Covid: A Deadly Combination
Read More: Obesity, Racism and Covid: A Deadly CombinationIn the earliest days of the Covid pandemic, the people who were most likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus had a few things in common. Age was the greatest risk factor for becoming very sick with Covid. Race and ethnicity also seemed to have a connection, as Covid deaths were higher among…
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Embracing Hope: The Transformative Power of Gender-Affirming Care
Read More: Embracing Hope: The Transformative Power of Gender-Affirming CareJune is Pride Month. Hope Giselle is an organizer, author, artist, activist and DE&I specialist. You can find her acting as a Grand Marshal at the NYC Pride March, โStrength in Solidarity,โ on June 25. We live in a world that often shuns people who dare to challenge societal norms, but nevertheless my journey as…
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The Cost of Racial Bias in OB-GYN Care
Read More: The Cost of Racial Bias in OB-GYN CareWhat does racial bias look like in gynecological and uterine health? A comprehensive review that examined multiple areas of reproductive health found racial and ethnic disparities that led to worse outcomes for women of color. The statistics tell the story. Maternal mortality rates are higher for Black women and American Indian/ Alaska Native women, who…
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Why Donโt Women Get the Same Treatment for Heart Disease as Men?
Read More: Why Donโt Women Get the Same Treatment for Heart Disease as Men?Katherine Wilemon was 39 when she experienced crushing chest pain and pain radiating down her right arm. Her jaw was tight and she was scared. The paramedics who brought her to the emergency department (ED) said it was unlikely she was having a heart attack and told her to stay calm. โIf it was your…
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Overall Preterm Birth Rates in the United States Increased Last Year โ And They Rose for Women of Color
Read More: Overall Preterm Birth Rates in the United States Increased Last Year โ And They Rose for Women of Color+ Infographic text Preterm or premature birth means childbirth before the 37th week of pregnancy. 10.5% of babies in the U.S. are born preterm. Around 384,000 babies were born preterm in 2021 The earlier in pregnancy a baby is born, the more likely they are to have health problems. Babies born before 34 weeks of…
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Do Ethnicity and Race Put People at Higher Risk for Head and Neck Cancers?
Read More: Do Ethnicity and Race Put People at Higher Risk for Head and Neck Cancers?If youโre Black, your risk of developing head and neck cancer โ which consists of cancers of the lips, mouth, voice box, throat and salivary glands โ is twice as high as if youโre white. For many years, it was thought genetic factors might be at play, but recent research suggests that the increased risk…
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Access, Health care, Health disparities, Labor, Labor & delivery, Newborn, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting
Can Living in the U.S. Increase Your Risk of Preterm Birth?
Read More: Can Living in the U.S. Increase Your Risk of Preterm Birth?If youโre a woman giving birth in the United States, youโre more likely to have a preterm delivery than women in most developed nations. If youโre Black or Native American, the chances of experiencing preterm birth are even higher, along with the risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. In 2021, a little over one in…
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Access, cancer, Endometrial cancer, Gynecological cancer, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Uterine cancer
Why Are Black Women More Likely to Die From Endometrial Cancer?
Read More: Why Are Black Women More Likely to Die From Endometrial Cancer?In 2012, Adrienne Moore noticed her menstrual cycles were changing. Her periods were becoming irregular, and they came with heavy bleeding and significant cramping when they did arrive. Healthcare providers diagnosed cysts, fibroids and even early menopause, but Moore said no one presented a treatment plan that worked. For the next four years, Moore searched…
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Access, Access to health care, Health care, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Skin, Skin health
The Importance of Black Dermatologists: Skin Care Must See Color
Read More: The Importance of Black Dermatologists: Skin Care Must See ColorThe dentistโs office was the last place I expected to be warned about skin cancer. When my hygienist lifted my hair off my ears during a head and neck exam, she noticed a mole that hadnโt been present six months ago. โIโm not an expert on skin conditions, but just to be safe, you might…
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No, Latinos Donโt Actually Have Less Heart Disease โ a New Large Study Refutes the Longstanding โLatino Paradoxโ
Read More: No, Latinos Donโt Actually Have Less Heart Disease โ a New Large Study Refutes the Longstanding โLatino ParadoxโBy Olveen Carrasquillo, University of Miami The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Latinos may have higher rates of heart disease than previously thought, refuting a well-accepted idea known as the โLatino paradox,โ according to a new study that I was involved in. The crux of the Latino…
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Access, Access to health care, cancer, Gender, Health disparities, Lgbtq, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Racism
Race, Gender and the Ways These Identities Intersect Matter in Cancer Outcomes
Read More: Race, Gender and the Ways These Identities Intersect Matter in Cancer OutcomesBy Timothy Pawlik, The Ohio State University; Elizabeth Palmer, The Ohio State University, and Samilia Obeng-Gyasi, The Ohio State University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Belonging to one or more groups with long-standing social and economic disadvantages increases the risk of cancer diagnoses and death, according…
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15 minutes with, Access, Access to health care, Expert perspectives, Health disparities, Racial disparities, Racism
15 Minutes With: Dr. Neel Shah Talks to HealthyWomen About Racism in Healthcare
Read More: 15 Minutes With: Dr. Neel Shah Talks to HealthyWomen About Racism in HealthcareDr. Neel Shah is chief medical officer of Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and the founder of Costs of Care. Shah is featured in โThe Color of Care,โ an original documentary from Oprah Winfreyโs Harpo productions…
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Breast cancer, Breast cancer survivor, Breast health, Health disparities, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Why Do Women of Color Have Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes?
Read More: Why Do Women of Color Have Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes?In 2013, Katrece Nolen, a 47-year-old Black woman in Northern Virginia, noticed one of her breasts felt swollen. She called her doctor and was sent for a mammogram. The results did not confirm the presence of cancer, so Nolen was prescribed an antibiotic regimen for what was thought to be mastitis. Several weeks later, her…
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Access, Access to health care, Amr, Antimicrobial resistance, Health disparities, Medication safety, Preventive health, Science
Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than Others
Read More: Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than OthersWhen Terry Bravo had a urinary tract infection in 2018, she took her motherโs unused antibiotics, left over from a prescription her mom had never finished four years before. Bravo said it was the only antibiotic she could get. Although Bravo has health insurance, she said it costs a lot and barely covers anything. โI…
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Obesity Among Black Women: Fighting the Disease Through Community
Read More: Obesity Among Black Women: Fighting the Disease Through CommunityApril is National Minority Health Month. For Michele Tedder, fighting obesity has been a lifelong journey. Despite years of trying numerous diets and exercise fads, Tedderโs weight continued to rise, surpassing 300 pounds on her 5-foot-1 frame. After developing high blood pressure, joint pain and Type 2 diabetes, she decided to pursue weight loss surgery.…
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New Report Finds U.S. Women Have the Highest Rate of Maternal Deaths Among High-Income Countries
Read More: New Report Finds U.S. Women Have the Highest Rate of Maternal Deaths Among High-Income CountriesFrom The Commonwealth Fund The maternal mortality crisis in the United States has been well documented: U.S. women have the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income countries, while Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women are. But maternal deaths and complications may be a bellwether…
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Transgender People of Color Face Unique Challenges as Gender Discrimination and Racism Intersect
Read More: Transgender People of Color Face Unique Challenges as Gender Discrimination and Racism IntersectBy Gabriel Lockett, University of Florida; Jules Sostre, University of Florida, and Roberto L. Abreu, University of Florida Throughout history, transgender people of color have had a place of honor in many indigenous cultures around the world. This changed in many places, however, as European colonizers began forcing indigenous people to follow white social norms.…
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Access, Endometriosis, Health disparities, Health insurance, Racial disparities, Racism, Real women real stories, Women’s rights
I Was Bleeding to Death on the Bathroom Floor โ While the Medics Insisted I Couldnโt Afford the Ambulance Ride
Read More: I Was Bleeding to Death on the Bathroom Floor โ While the Medics Insisted I Couldnโt Afford the Ambulance RideAs told to Erica Rimlinger One evening during my senior year of college in Texas, I was hanging out at my boyfriend’s apartment when a vicious, blinding pain seized my abdomen. It was like Iโd been shot, but the pain wasnโt localized: it was everywhere in my torso. I started bleeding like I had my…
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Access, Access to health care, Gender, Gender diversity, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Lgbtq, Preventive care, Racial disparities, Racism, Transgender
Whatโs Sexual Orientation Got to Do With It? LGTBQ People Face Discrimination in Healthcare
Read More: Whatโs Sexual Orientation Got to Do With It? LGTBQ People Face Discrimination in HealthcareMarch 21 to March 25 is National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week. At age 28, Laura Silverstein tripped while running, dislocating her pinky finger trying to break her fall. Now 52, Silverstein said her experience at the emergency room that day still gives her โthe heebie jeebies.โ The doctor probed Silverstein about her birth control method,…
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The Sex of Your Cells Matters When It Comes to Heart Disease
Read More: The Sex of Your Cells Matters When It Comes to Heart DiseaseBy Heart tissue with XX chromosomes has a higher concentration of cells (colored green, with blue nuclei) that promote scarring than do cells with XY chromosomes.Brian Aguado, CC BY-NC-ND We found that the cells we grew on our hydrogel models were able to replicate the sex differences seen in valve tissue โ namely, valve cells…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead
Read More: Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months AheadBy Rachana Pradhan, Kaiser Health News The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid agencies for months have been…
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Coronavirus, COVID-19, Diabetes, Health disparities, Heart disease, Obesity, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities
How the Pandemicโs Unequal Toll on People of Color Underlines US Health Inequities โ and Why Solving Them Is so Critical
Read More: How the Pandemicโs Unequal Toll on People of Color Underlines US Health Inequities โ and Why Solving Them Is so CriticalBy Abubakarr Jalloh, Hollins University From the earliest days of the pandemic, COVID-19 has wrought a far higher toll in communities of color than in the general population โ thrusting the long-standing issue of health disparities in the U.S. into the attention of public health officials and the general public. Even though non-Hispanic white people…
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Why Addressing Racism Against Black Women in Health Care Is Key to Ending the US HIV Epidemic
Read More: Why Addressing Racism Against Black Women in Health Care Is Key to Ending the US HIV EpidemicBy Nabila El-Bassel, Columbia University Forty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Black women continue to bear the highest burden of HIV among women. Although Black women represent only 13% of the female population, they accounted for over half of HIV diagnoses among all females in the U.S. in 2018, according to data from the U.S.…
