Topics Discussed: Hard Pregnancies, Miscarriage, Post-Partum
Depression, Lack of Insurance to Cover Complications due to
Pregnancies, Lack of Paid Maternity Leave, Fatalities in Child
Birth, Egg Freezing and IVF
The World Health Organization recommends at least 6 months of breastfeeding, which is challenging
for working mothers without generous paid leave policies. U.S. — where paid maternal leave is optional.
The only countries that do not mandate paid maternity leave are Papua New Guinea, Suriname, and
the United States.
Interview With Sarah
Sarah Ross (Fashion Sales Consultant): Hard Pregnancy, Postpartum Depression, Maternity Leave
Nearly 31,000 pregnancy discrimination charges were filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission between 2010 and 2015
About 1 in 9 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression. Varies by state and
race estimates can be as high as 1 in 5.
“PPD is also more common than preterm labor, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia and high blood
pressure; in other words, PPD is the most common complication associated with pregnancy and
childbirth.” 6 – Dr. Ruta Nonacs of Havard Medical School
“More moms will suffer from PPD than men will be diagnosed with new cases of impotence (approx.
600,000) this year [in the united states alone]. Yet you wouldn’t know it, considering the overabundance
of erectile dysfunction (ED) ads and people falling all over themselves to discuss ED openly.” – Katherine
Stone
Young Adolescents face a higher risk of complications and death as a result of pregnancy than other women.
Interview With Lynn
Lyn Elmy (Labor and Delivery Nurse and School Nurse): Miscarriage and Pregnancy Complications
Miscarriage (also called early pregnancy loss) is when a baby dies in the womb (uterus) before 20
weeks of pregnancy. For women who know they’re pregnant, about 10 to 15 in 100 pregnancies
(10 to 15 percent) end in miscarriage. In the U.S. (however miscarriages and stillbirths are not
systemically recorded, even in developed countries, suggesting that the numbers could be even
higher).
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): The chance of having a full term, health weight baby per
ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) cycle using fresh embryos from nondonor
eggs is 21.3 percent for women younger than 35.
