Dr. Simi Gupta and Dr. Fox discuss high blood pressure in pregnancy, including chronic hypertension and pre-existing hypertension. Dr. Gupta reviews risks like high body weight and advanced maternal age, how hypertension is diagnosed, complications it may cause, and treatment options

Chanie Fingerer from the Happy Birthway podcast returns to discuss baby-friendly hospitals. She explains what baby-friendly hospital accreditation requires as well as some pros and cons that patients might find. She and Dr. Fox also discuss the couplet model of nursing, how baby-friendly hospitals can increase success in breastfeeding, and more.

Dr. Barbara Luke, an MPH, reproductive epidemiologist, nurse, nutritionist, and author of a book on expecting twins, joins Dr. Fox to discuss prenatal nutrition in twin pregnancies. Dr. Luke says that she finds prenatal nutrition to be “the most positive and preventative medicine you could possibly do, building healthy babies.” In this episode, she explains her research into the subject and what expectant twin mothers need to know.

Dr. Susan Lobel, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist, returns to the podcast to talk more about fertility treatments. In this episode, she reviews when patients should seek fertility treatment, including some reasons why patients might need to seek treatments sooner than others. She also explains the treatments she recommends for various patients.

On this rare solo episode of Healthful Woman, Dr. Fox responds to an article in the New York Times about prenatal screening and testing. Dr. Fox offers a rebuttal to this article’s claims that prenatal screening results are “usually wrong,” explaining that the appropriate interpretation by both doctors and patients is key. He then explains why these tests are given, what positive results actually mean, and how they can be easily misinterpreted.

On this episode of Healthful Woman, genetic counselor Estie Rose joins Dr. Fox. Estie works for JScreen, a not-for-profit organization that works with the Ashkenazi Jewish community, which is at a higher genetic risk for several conditions. She describes the process for genetic counseling in both reproductive and cancer genetics.

Dr. Tracey Agnese joins Dr. Fox to discuss the importance of planning to take care of a newborn as well as the mother’s needs through the fourth trimester, not just making a birth plan during pregnancy. She explains what considerations should go into a postpartum plan and what parents should expect for the first three or so months after their baby is born.

Casey Seiden, a registered dietitian, joins the podcast to talk about dieting. She explains why fad diets fail and how to create healthy lifestyle habits instead.

Dr. Samantha Do returns to discuss intrahepatic cholestasis or pregnancy, more commonly called ICP or cholestasis. She describes this as a “pregnancy specific” condition in which the liver produces excess bile. Dr. Do explains why this causes uncomfortable symptoms like intense itching as well as an increased risk for stillbirth.

Dr. Miwa Geiger, associate professor of pediatrics and cardiology and director of the Fetal Heart Program at Mount Sinai, joins the podcast. In this episode, she explains reasons for a fetal or infant echocardiogram, what this test can detect, different types of heart defects that may affect infants, and more.