May is...
Mother's Day
Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. In the United States, Mother’s Day 2020 occurs on Sunday, May 10. The American incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day traditionally involves presenting moms with flowers, cards and other gifts.
Maternal Mental Health
Worldwide about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In developing countries this is even higher, i.e. 15.6% during pregnancy and 19.8% after child birth. In severe cases mothers’ suffering might be so severe that they may even commit suicide. In addition, the affected mothers cannot function properly. As a result, the children’s growth and development may be negatively affected as well. Maternal mental disorders are treatable. Effective interventions can be delivered even by well-trained non-specialist health providers.
Paternal Mental Health
Did you know?
One in 10 fathers get Paternal Postpartum Depression (PPPD).
Up to 16 percent of fathers suffer an anxiety disorder during the perinatal period.
Helping dads be at their best - physically and mentally - during early childhood has a big impact on children's health.
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
About Teen Pregnancy
In 2017, a total of 194,377 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 18.8 per 1,000 women in this age group. This is another record low for U.S. teens and a drop of 7% from 2016.1 Birth rates fell 10% for women aged 15–17 years and 6% for women aged 18–19 years.2
Although reasons for the declines are not totally clear, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years.3, 4
Still, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations5, and racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates persist.6
Disparities in Teen Birth Rates
Teen birth rates declined from 2016 to 2017 for most racial groups and for Hispanics.2 Among 15- to 19-year-olds, teen birth rates decreased:
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15% for non-Hispanic Asians
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9% for Hispanics
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8% for non-Hispanic whites
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6% for non-Hispanic blacks
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6% for American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN)1
In 2017, the birth rates of Hispanic teens (28.9) and non-Hispanic black teens (27.5) were more than two times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white teens (13.2). The birth rate of American Indian/Alaska Native teens (32.9) was highest among all race/ethnicities.1 Geographic differences in teen birth rates persist, both within and across states. Among some states with low overall teen birth rates, some counties have high teen birth rates.6
National Women's Health Week
(May 10th - 16th, 2020)
National Women’s Health Week (NWHW) is a weeklong health observance led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). The week May 10-16, 2020 serves as a reminder for women and girls, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19, to make their health a priority and take care of themselves. It is extremely important for all women and girls, especially those with underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and women 65 years and older, to take care of your health now.
World Preeclampsia day
May 22nd, 2020
Preeclampsia (pree-i-KLAMP-see-uh) and eclampsia (ih-KLAMP-see-uh) are pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorders. In preeclampsia, the mother’s high blood pressure reduces the blood supply to the fetus, which may get less oxygen and fewer nutrients. Eclampsia is when pregnant women with preeclampsia develop seizures or coma. NICHD and other agencies are working to understand what causes these conditions and how they can be prevented and better treated.