Pregnant women who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 may carry a higher risk of serious complications if they get the virus within 28 days of delivering, according to a study in Nature Medicine. Rates of preterm birth, newborn death and stillbirth were higher among women infected during that time frame, and unvaccinated women who were pregnant and had symptomatic COVID-19 were three times as likely to be admitted to the ICU and had twice the risk of death.

A study in the International Journal of General Medicine found that pregnant women with gestational diabetes had a greater alanine transaminase-to-aspartate aminotransferase ratio, compared with those with no gestational diabetes. The findings also found a link between ALT/AST ratio and glucose concentration in fasting blood glucose.

Research published in JAMA Network Open found children born to mothers with eating disorders may have a higher risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. Researchers said there was a fourfold greater risk of ASD among children born to mothers with ongoing anorexia and an 80% increased risk for children whose mothers had previous anorexia.

The risk of developing heart failure was lower in postmenopausal women who had a faster walking pace, reported researchers in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study data show that compared to women who walked with a casual pace, those with an average or fast pace had a 27% and 34% lower HF risk, respectively.

The social stigma around women's health issues is slowly dissolving and new products are starting to come to market, including a new product line developed by Aubrey Hubbell for incontinence. The number of women who experience incontinence is likely underestimated because many are too embarrassed to talk with a physician about it or participate in research, says Lauren Stewart, director of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at NYU Langone Health, and a recent study found that Facebook blocks and suspends many ads from women's health companies.

HHS is providing $103 million in American Rescue Plan funding to promote mental health and alleviate stress and burnout in the US health care workforce. Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator Carole Johnson said $28.6 million will be awarded to 10 organizations for evidence-based mental health and well-being programs and best practices, $68.2 million will go to 34 organizations for mental health and resilience training programs, and close to $6 million will support the establishment of a workforce resilience training and technical assistance center.

The Department of Justice issued an initial response to a lawsuit brought by Texas physicians against the No Surprises Act, arguing that the Texas Medical Association doesn't have standing in the case and has not shown that the law will have a detrimental effect on physicians. The suit, filed in October, aims to stop the provision that focuses on resolving disputes between payers and providers.

A study of EHRs at an urban academic medical center found hints of bias and racism in how health care professionals described certain patients' behaviors. The study, in Health Affairs, found Black patients' EHRs were 2.54 times as likely as white patients' to contain at least one negative descriptor in the notes or history, and the EHRs of patients who were not married or were covered by public health insurance were also more likely than married or commercially insured patients' EHRs to have negative descriptors.

A study from marketing agency Three Whiskey shows that 26% of millennial and 42% of Generation Z health care providers do not trust pharmaceutical firms' informational materials aimed at patients. Respondents said topics most important to include in materials for patients were treatment options, drug information and disease management support.