Maternal Health by Mediaplanet_USA

A Mediaplanet Guide to Supporting Reproductive Healthcare

Maternal Health

Emily Skye Read how this fitness maven rediscovered body positivity through pregnancy

Discover the app creating a safe space for women to connect throughout all stages of motherhood Check out one amazing new way to test for ovulation

SEPTEMBER 2021 | FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH.COM

An Independent Supplement by Mediaplanet to USA Today

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Check It Out: A SalivaBased Ovulation Test KNOWHEN unlocks the power of knowing. Being able to accurately identify your five most fertile days gives you the ability to choose what’s right for you. A single drop of saliva is all you need. This saliva ovulation technology is the most reliable one on the market. It detects increased estrogen and salt levels that occur when follicles develop in the ovaries. This is how the KNOWHEN saliva test can so accurately tell you when you’re ovulating. When you have the choice between urine strips, basal temperature checks, oral strips, or our saliva testing technology, the choice is clear. Urine strips are messy and ineffective, requiring you to track your temperature and chart every day. Oral strips are not much better and are ineffective for women with irregular cycles. According to clinical studies, our test is 98.9 percent accurate, higher than any other test. Cost is also a factor. The KNOWHEN affordable price gives you a test that you can use for years with no need for expensive refills. It also comes with a free app that makes keeping your ovulation history a snap. HiLin Life Products is a NJ-based medical device manufacturer and maker of KNOWHEN® AdvancedSaliva Ovulation Test & Fertility Monitor App, the safe, chemical-free, and leading saliva-based ovulation test empowering women with accurate tools and knowledge to take control of their fertility and reproductive health. Helen Denise, Founder & CEO, HiLin Life Products, Inc.

To read more about KNOWHEN visit www.knowhen.lifewiseads.com

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Improving Maternal Care Across All Demographics Maternal health is at the intersection of women’s rights, reproductive rights, health justice, and social justice. It is an issue with which we all must wrestle and, shockingly, the United States has the worst maternal health outcomes among high-income nations.

he healthcare system in the United States is not equitable. Access to care varies by income level, geographic location, type of insurance, race, ethnicity, and employer. Standard hospital care of birthing people does not meet the needs of many expecting and new families. Many people prefer midwifery care and doula support, but do not have access to these. Many do not have a choice of methods of pain relief or for other care preferences. Too many have cesareans that they don’t need or want. Discrimination during delivery and heartbreaking accounts of doctors and nurses not listening to people who know their bodies create unnecessary stress for new parents and their families, often with tragic outcomes . Expanding care Improving maternal care includes ensuring that all parents have access to such family-friendly services as midwifery care, community birthing cen-

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Carol Sakala Director for Maternal Health, National Partnership for Women & Families

ters, and doula support. Each of these prioritizes safe, respectful, individualized care and support. Employers, health plans, Medicaid agencies, Congress, and state legislatures all have a role and responsibility in expanding access to these exemplary forms of care. Parents and families can speak up and tell their employers, health plans, and elected officials that they need and want these high-value services. Real-world examples The National Partnership for Women & Families investigated four community-based maternal health organizations in different states for their impacts, effectiveness, culturally-sensitive and

relevant care, and reach. Commonsense Childbirth in Florida, Mamatoto Village in Washington, D.C., Breath of My Heart Birthplace in New Mexico, and Mana Sana Vibrant Woman in Texas all offer support and clinical services that are tailored to the needs of communities. Services include midwifery care, postpartum support, prenatal care, birth companions, and parental counseling. These programs positively impact their respective communities. Similar groups are arising across the country to meet the needs of childbearing families. Moving forward Equity is core to this conversation. To close unacceptable gaps in maternal and infant health outcomes between families of color and white families, we must improve the quality and experience of maternity care. We must also recognize the important effects on maternal and infant health of social circumstances — such as the neighborhood we live in or whether we have access to paid family leave. n

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PLEASE RECYCLE

Publisher Samantha Jahoda Business Developer Katie Konf ino Managing Director Luciana Olson Lead Designer Tiffany Pryor Designer Kayla Mendez Lead Editor Mina Fanous Copy Editor Kathleen Walsh Director of Content and Production Jordan Hernandez Cover Photo Emily Skye FIT All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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Women need safe spaces online to connect with other women while navigating fertility, pregnancy, motherhood, and menopause. That’s why Michelle Kennedy launched Peanut, a free app providing access to community for women to ask questions, find support, and connect with one another. Tell us about your story. What inspired you to create the Peanut platform? The inspiration came when I was expecting my first child in 2013, Finlay. At the time, I was Deputy CEO at Badoo and on the board at Bumble, helping people to make connections, friendships, and relationships across the world. I was entering the completely new world of motherhood and I have to admit, I felt very lonely. Unable to find a space online for women to connect and discuss their shared expe-

riences, I decided to solve the need myself and Peanut was born. You felt isolated as a new mom. Why is it important to support women who may feel isolated too? When I had Finlay, my friends weren’t at the stage where they were having children yet. I was desperate to meet other women who not only shared my interests but were also experiencing motherhood themselves. Lockdown has only exacerbated this dilemma for new and expectant mamas. Loneliness can be a dark and tough time. And it isn’t easy to admit that you’re feeling lonely or lost. I really struggled with it. Being able to ask questions and share experiences with other women gives you validation and helps you know that you’re not alone. I know having a support network like Peanut would have been a game changer for me, especially during those early stages.

Why is it so important for women to have safe spaces online?

PHOTO: PEANUT

The Woman Creating a Safe Space Online for Women to Navigate Motherhood

Sensitive content filters flag and mask content that could be triggering to some users. For example, if you are trying to conceive, it is very triggering to scroll through a number of pregnancy announcements or pregnancy related content.

The Peanut platform has content for all stages of motherhood. How is this platform different from other places online? We’ve worked hard to create a space where women feel safe enough to engage in raw and honest conversation. In order to make sure that every woman on the app feels this continued sense of security, safety and moderation is in our DNA. Every user has to provide a verified selfie upon registration. This prevents bad actors from coming onto the platform and holds users accountable. Encouraging a supporting environment extends beyond onboarding. We ask everyone in the community to agree to Peanut’s Community Guidelines — which outline a zero-tolerance policy towards any hate speech, racism, bigotry, and abusive behavior of any kind. Using AI, we are able to facilitate positivity and monitor activity.

Women need a space to be seen, heard, and feel supported online. Other social platforms have traditionally been built with the paradigm of status, the idea that status is earned based on followers or likes. Because marginalized communities are not accounted for, platforms end up in an endless loop of having to build reactive tools for bad behavior. For many, social media can feel like a toxic and abusive relationship. We’re here to change that, working tirelessly to build safer spaces online for women at all stages in life. One user said: “Just knowing there are other women in the world going through the same feelings/emotions as you, makes you feel you are not alone.” Tell us about the Renaming Revolution? The Renaming Revolution is our mandate to call out the outdated terminology that women experience throughout fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood that leave women feeling degraded and dejected; terms like “inhospitable womb,” “geriatric pregnancy,” “spontaneous abortion,” or “advanced maternal age.” With the help of industry experts, we created a new glossary of terms that empowers women and reflects modern motherhood. n

Find your safe online community at www.peanut-app.io

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Do your homework Choose the right center, and then choose the right physician. When you pre-interview a potential physician, are they listening? Are they offering options for tests that can help determine why you haven’t gotten pregnant? The difference is all about their approach. Are they looking at your individual situation and evaluating everything before simply rushing into IVF? Understand what each procedure does and what it means in the context of your treatment plan. For example, significant advances in genetic testing of embryos drastically reduces the chance of chromosomal abnormalities leading to failure. Other tests evaluate causes associated with endometrial defects like adenomyosis, endometriosis, or even simple infections. Weigh cost versus reward The average cost of a single IVF transfer is over $12,000. It takes an average of two and a half cycles for success. That’s more than $25,000 plus, importantly, the emotional pain of at least one failure and the physical cost of going through a second IVF cycle. Going into your first consult armed with information on workups pre-transfer is critical. Look into tests that are cost effective and may uncover a significant biological issue affecting success. ReceptivaDx™, for instance, is designed to identify uterine inflammation, most likely caused by endometriosis, the leading cause of unexplained infertility. If positive, several treatment options are available prior to IVF transfer that will greatly increase the chance of a live birth. Outcome’s data shows a more than 50 percent increase in the chance of success after treatment. Finally, use social media support groups like Facebook, Reddit, and others to vet new technologies and experiences. Your peers are one of your best reference sources. Christopher Jackson, CEO, Cicero Diagnostics

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How My Family Dealt With the Cost of Infertility

Despite great advances in IVF technologies, the success rates of a live birth are still only slightly higher than 50 percent. So, what can you do to increase those odds?

When Contemplating IVF, Educate and Advocate

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When my husband and I learned the cost of infertility treatments, we became discouraged in our dream of creating a family — until we found a way. I am sitting in the genetic counselor office after just receiving news that my second child had no heartbeat — just like our first child. My head is spinning, and I am trying my best to hold it together. During the discussion that started with the loss of my baby, I learned that the only way to ensure we can have a living child is through IVF and genetic testing. The possibility of a live child was comforting, but then hearing the cost — around $25,000 — brought back the despair. How were we going to afford this? I was working full time as a 5th grade

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teacher and my husband was working at a startup company. Our insurance would not cover anything related to infertility. I didn’t directly know of anyone

When you are in the dark place that is infertility, it is important to not lose the spark of hope.

who had gone through IVF. The feeling of loneliness set in immediately. Who could I talk to that would understand? Are there any resources out there? After talking to many family

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members and friends, we found out about a grant that was connected to a local university hospital. It was a relief to find a way, but it still felt like a long road. The grant included a home study, similar to going through an adoption. It was a big undertaking, but we were eventually chosen for the grant. This was just the beginning of our journey. Seven years and several IVF cycles later, we finally welcomed our daughter. Three years later we added twins. When you are in the dark place that is infertility, it is important to not lose the spark of hope. If you are experiencing anything similar and are feeling lost with an infertility diagnosis, please consider looking into many of the resources that are out there. n Laura Mendenhall, Board Member, The Hope for Fertility Foundation

arbara Collura of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, argues that infertility and fertility treatments are reproductive healthcare in the same way that pregnancy prevention is reproductive healthcare. So why have medical procedures to treat infertility in both women and men, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) been ignored when it comes to insurance coverage? For whatever reason, fertility treatments haven’t been widely viewed as medically necessary. “The ability to get pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term, I would argue, is a very key part of reproductive health,” Collura said. “I mean, that’s what reproduction is.” Collura pointed out that when any other system

Why Doesn’t Insurance Cover Fertility Treatments? Infertility is a medical concern just like any other, so activists want to know why it isn’t covered by insurance like any other.

in your body isn’t functioning, you can get treatment covered by insurance no problem. “If your your cardiac system isn’t working, you’re going to

go to a cardiologist and you’re gonna get treatment, and it’s gonna be covered. So why is it that the reproductive system isn’t the same way, when it’s

not working properly and you go to the doctor and there’s medical treatments that can help you? Why wouldn’t that be covered?”

IVF has been around for decades, and is known to be common, safe, and effective. Yet because of the high costs associated with it, it is only easily accessible to a small segment of the population. This also leads to misguided perceptions about which demographics are most affected by infertility. “Because this isn’t widely covered by insurance, the people who are able to access it are the ones who have the out of pocket funds to cover it,” Collura said. “And so, you have this view of who is infertile as being a middle to upper middle class, perhaps white, perhaps urban, woman. While I’m not saying that those women don’t have infertility, they are not the only ones that have infertility.” n Lynne Daggett

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A D VA N C E D O V U L A T I O N T E S T

COULD I GET PREGNANT TODAY?

KNOWHEN® Advanced Saliva Ovulation Test Kit with FREE Fertility Monitor App Identifies five (5) most fertile days with 98.9% accuracy proven by U.S. Clinical Studies. Millions of women have infertility issues mostly caused by ovulation problems and millions more of childbearing age need to know when they ovulate.

Easy, Safe, Great Value The KNOWHEN® Ovulation Test tracks your ovulation using only a drop of your saliva. It identifies your five (5) most fertile days and the best days in your ovulation cycle if you’re trying to conceive.

Doctors Recommended Available at: Cardinal, McKesson, Target.com and more...

• Record the results on the KNOWHEN Fertility Monitor App to keep track. • Reusable daily for years to track a woman’s unique cycle. Hilin Life Products, Inc. One Gateway Center, Suite 2600 Newark, NJ 07102 Toll FREE: 877.4Knowhen Phone: 973.648.0265 Fax: 973.648.0267 E-mail: support@knowhen.com