As we learned on the last Women’s Healthcast, preterm birth is fairly common. But the rate of preterm birth is elevated for Black women in the United States, with approximately 13.8% of babies born preterm, according to the March of Dimes.

Dr. Jasmine Zapata joins us on this Women’s Healthcast to talk about what being born prematurely can mean for children’s health outcomes, the significant racial gap in preterm birth rates as well as Black maternal and infant mortality, and some steps to help providers rebuild trust in the medical system for Black women.

Dr. Zapata is a newborn hospitalist with UW Health and an assistant professor in the UW-Madison Department of Pediatrics

Preterm birth is fairly common, with one in eight women going into labor prior to 37 weeks of gestation, which qualifies as preterm. 

On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Janine Rhoades talks about what causes preterm labor, what options are available to slow or stop labor, and what people can do to reduce their risk of delivering their babies early. Dr. Rhoades is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist in the UW-Madison Department of Ob-Gyn.

After giving her keynote lecture “What’s My Impact?” at the UW-Madison Department of Ob-Gyn’s Resident Research Day in early 2020, Dr. Amy Young joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about the importance of inquiry in medicine, how she helps medical learners take their curiosity a step further, and why this spirit of lifelong learning means better care for patients.

Dr. Young is the Chief Clinical Officer of UT Health Austin, and Vice Dean of Professional Practice at Dell Medical School.

Hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, affects nearly half of U.S. adults. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Kara Hoppe and research manager Jamie LaMantia talked about what causes hypertension, how it’s often treated, and why high blood pressure can be a concern in pregnancy.

To learn more about or participate in the MyHEART study examining high blood pressure management in young adults, you can call 608-261-1880, email [email protected], or visit myheartmychoice.org/ResearchStudy.

To learn more about or participate in the Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy study, you can reach the research coordinators’ office at 608-417-4218.

To celebrate LGBT Pride, we’re re-airing one of our most popular episodes: Safe Spaces: Making OB-Gyn Care LGBT-Friendly.

For many LGBT people, past discrimination or concerns about discrimination from medical professionals can deter them from seeking health care. Pride Month (and every month) is a great time to look at how we make health care settings safe and inclusive spaces.

On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Ruth Yemane discusses reproductive and sexual healthcare for LGBT patients. She also shares her suggestions for how health systems can work harder to make sure  lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people feel safe and comfortable throughout their healthcare experiences. Dr. Yemane is an academic specialist in general ob-gyn at UW-Madison.

Our healthcare system mounted a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, which included pausing or delaying some non-essential or elective care, ramping up telehealth or video visits, and limiting in-person appointments for patient safety. It’s May 20 now, and at least in Wisconsin, we’re getting ready to loosen some restrictions and bring people back into clinics.

On this episode, three doctors in the UW-Madison Department of Ob-Gyn discuss safety precautions and changes to prenatal, obstetrical, general women’s health, and gynecologic cancer care, as well as what’s happening the clinical research world.

1:00-24:48 - Dr. Makeba Williams discusses prenatal care, labor and delivery, contraceptive care and women's health screenings

24:49-37:40 - Gynecologic oncologist Dr. Lisa Barroilhet on balancing continuity of cancer care with reducing the risk of COVID-19 exposure

37:41-43:33 - Dr. David Kushner provides an overview on clinical studies opening back up, and safety precautions for participants as well as research staff

Stress, anxiety, grief, peace, joy, fear - pick an emotion, and it's likely been part of your COVID-19 pandemic experience. On this episode of the Women's Healthcast, Dr. Julianne Zweifel talks about the broad range of emotional responses people might be having right now, what behaviors might be influencing our feelings, and her tips for managing stress and anxiety. 

Dr. Zweifel is a health psychologist in the UW-Madison Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is also part of the UW Ob-Gyn Wellness Committee, a group that has been hard at work this spring pulling together a wide variety of mental and physical wellness resources. Take a look at their website to find some of the resources Dr. Zweifel mentions in this episode: https://www.obgyn.wisc.edu/wellnessresources 

For 50 episodes and more than two years, the Women’s Healthcast has brought you informative interviews with a wide variety of women’s health experts. On this episode, we look back at clips from some of your favorite interviews on birth control; common conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic floor disorders, and menopause; preventing cervical cancer; adapting health care to meet more people’s needs; and more!

COVID-19 – also referred to as coronavirus – has drastically changed the way many of us live our lives. This episode is intended as a quick update and overview of resources related to COVID-19, and an update on what we know about the virus and pregnancy. This update is current as of March 25, but our knowledge of COVID-19 is changing rapidly. You can watch the following sites for updates as more information about COVID-19 and pregnancy becomes available: 

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding – US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/pregnancy-breastfeeding.html

Coronavirus (COVID-19), Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding: A Message for Patients - American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists https://www.acog.org/patient-resources/faqs/pregnancy/coronavirus-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding 

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): What You Need to Know About its Impact on Moms and Babies – March of Dimes https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-what-you-need-to-know.aspx

COVID-19 Information for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Individuals and Newborns - UW Health https://coronavirus.uwhealth.org/covid-19-information-for-pregnant-women-newborns-and-breastfeeding/ 

Coronavirus pregnancy FAQs – Babycenter https://www.babycenter.com/0_coronavirus-covid-19-pregnancy-faq-medical-experts-answer-yo_40007006.bc

COVID-19 – Wisconsin Department of Health Services https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/index.htm

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that many teen girls and young women may receive unnecessary pelvic exams and Pap tests. On this episode of the Women’s Healthcast, Dr. Bridget Kelly sat down to talk about when younger people should start getting pelvic exams and Pap tests, and what she covers in visits with her adolescent patients. Dr. Kelly is a general ob-gyn in the UW department of Ob-Gyn with a special interest in pediatric and adolescent gynecology.