Why Parents Should Be Open With Their Kids About Donor Conception

When sperm donation first took off in the U.S. in the 1980s, the typical medical advice was to keep it a secret from the kids it helped create. “Doctors were saying to parents, ‘Just pretend that this donor insemination didn’t happen,’” says Susan Golombok, who’s been studying modern methods of family formation for more than … Read more

U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Soared 40% During the Pandemic

The U.S. maternal mortality rate, already far higher than peer countries, soared during the pandemic. More than 1,200 women in the U.S. died of complications arising from pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, a 40% jump from 2020, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That amounts to 32.9 … Read more

Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills: U.S. Health Care Is Causing Patient Burnout

You haven’t been feeling well lately. You’re more tired than usual, a bit sluggish. You wonder if there’s something wrong with your diet. Or maybe you’re anemic? You call your primary-­care doctor’s office to schedule an appointment. They inform you the next available appointment is in three weeks. So, you wait. And then you wait … Read more