Women's health: what physicians say, in their own words

Last updated September 24, 2026.

The short answer

Read together, the 479 KevinMD posts on women’s health say one thing consistently: the conditions women describe were dismissed, and the doctors writing agree with them. Endometriosis diagnosed after eight and a half years, perimenopause never taught in residency, a maternal death rate that is the highest among wealthy nations and two to three times higher for Black women, and a postpartum year the system treats as over at six weeks. Posts mentioning Black women rose from 1 percent of the record before 2013 to 6 percent in 2025 and 2026, and posts mentioning menopause from 4 to 15 percent. Where physicians disagree, on breastfeeding, on hormone therapy, on the epidural, and on abortion, both sides are on this page under their own names.

This page is a maintained record of what obstetricians, gynecologists, other physicians, nurses, and the women they treat have written about women’s health on KevinMD.com, a physician-authored publication founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician in Nashua, New Hampshire. It draws on 479 essays and podcast transcripts with a pregnancy, maternal, fertility, contraception, abortion, menopause, or gynecologic term in the title, published between May 2004 and September 2026 by 271 named contributors, 287 of the posts bylined by physicians, 49 of them podcast episodes with transcripts, and 11 written anonymously. Of the 479, 183 were published from 2023 onward and 64 in 2026 alone, the most of any year. Every claim is attributed to a named author with the month it was published, quoted in the author’s own words, and linked to the original.

This record is about the health of women as patients. Women physicians and what they are paid and asked to carry are on the Women in medicine: what women physicians say, in their own words record. Breast and cervical cancer screening belong to the Cancer: what physicians say, in their own words record, the HPV vaccine on the Vaccines: what physicians say, in their own words record, and maternal depression on the Mental health: what psychiatrists and physicians say, in their own words record; posts on those subjects were routed there. Patients and parents are cited at the same weight as physicians and identified as such. Each section opens with a direct answer, then what named authors have said, in the order they said it. Where authors cite figures, the source is named alongside the author and the figures are theirs as of the date they wrote. Contributors who sell services into this subject are identified where they are cited. This is physician opinion and experience, not clinical guidance.

This record at a glance

479posts

2004 to 2026years covered

271named contributors

49posts cited on this page

Questions this record answers

What do physicians say about pregnancy and childbirth?
Why are mothers dying? What physicians say about maternal mortality.
What do physicians say about postpartum care and breastfeeding?
What do physicians say about fertility and IVF?
What do physicians say about contraception and abortion?
What do physicians say about menopause and hormone therapy?
What do physicians say about the conditions women say were dismissed?
What do physicians disagree about?
What would fix it? What physicians propose.
How has the women’s health conversation changed since 2004?

What do physicians say about pregnancy and childbirth?

Obstetricians on KevinMD have argued about the cesarean since 2010, when the rate reached a third of births and one wrote that liability was driving it, and about the epidural since 2016, when an anesthesiologist asked why women feel it is unnatural. Since 2023 the pregnancy posts are written by physicians who became high-risk patients themselves. Cesarean or C-section appears in 10 percent of posts before 2013 and 9 percent since 2025.

Amy Tuteur, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in April 2010 that “Like many obstetricians, I suspect that the rising C-section rate is driven by liability concerns,” in “C-section rates and its association with lawsuits.” Cesar Padilla, MD, an anesthesiologist, wrote in May 2016 asking “Does having an epidural invalidate the process of giving birth simply based on the idea of pain relief,” in “Don’t be ashamed to receive an epidural during childbirth. Here’s why.” Shivani Patel, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine physician, wrote in June 2019 that eight years after her own preeclampsia “the thought of having my blood pressure taken triggers flashbacks and anxiety,” in “PTSD changed how this physician cared for pregnant women.” Jennifer Caputo-Seidler, MD, an internist, wrote in May 2024 that “The health system I practice in does not offer abortion care,” except when the pregnancy endangers the patient’s life, in “When pregnancy becomes a health risk.” Megan Rosenstein, MD, MBA and The Doctors Company, wrote in December 2025 citing the National Center for Health Statistics that “In 2023, 32.3 percent of live births were cesarean deliveries,” in “How to manage intraoperative pain during C-section deliveries.” An anonymous physician, an obstetrician-gynecologist writing anonymously, wrote in June 2026 of being “bleeding and pregnant and alone in a call room at 21 weeks,” in “Pregnant resident discrimination nearly cost me everything.”

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Why are mothers dying? What physicians say about maternal mortality.

Physicians on KevinMD were skeptical of the maternal mortality headlines in 2017 and stopped being skeptical by 2019: the United States has the highest rate among wealthy nations, it rose through 2021, and Black women die at two to three times the rate of white women regardless of income or education. The obstetricians writing say the two leading causes, hemorrhage and blood pressure, are recognized too late. Maternal mortality or maternal death appears in 1 percent of posts in 2013 to 2016 and 19 percent in 2023 and 2024.

Valerie A. Jones, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in October 2017 that in Maryland “the number of maternal deaths continues to increase at a rapid pace,” in “Is rising maternal mortality just hype? Nope, here’s why.” James Lozada, DO, an obstetric anesthesiologist, wrote in May 2019 that “Maternal mortality in the United States is higher than in any other developed country,” in “Protecting women from maternal mortality.” Shani R. Scott, MD, an internist, wrote in December 2019 that “Black women are more than twice as likely to die from maternity-related complications than their white counterparts,” in “The climbing rates of maternal mortality in Black women.” Cessilye R. Smith, a maternal health advocate, wrote in May 2022 citing the CDC that “non-Hispanic Black women die at two to three times the rate of non-Hispanic White women,” in “Protecting Black women’s maternal health is urgent.” Fatu Forna, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in February 2023 of being asked whether she would die that “I’ve had this conversation with pregnant women many times in my over 20-year career as an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN),” in “Why Black women are dying during pregnancy and what we can do about it.” Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD, a physician, wrote in September 2023 citing the CDC that “Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women,” in “I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth.” Alan Lindemann, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in September 2023 citing the CDC that “our maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 32.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births,” in “U.S. maternal mortality crisis: a deep dive.”

On The Podcast by KevinMD: “Why maternal mortality is on the rise,” Alan Lindemann, November 2023; and “Maternal mortality disparities,” Bayo Curry-Winchell, November 2023.

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What do physicians say about postpartum care and breastfeeding?

On breastfeeding, physicians on KevinMD have spent fifteen years asking the campaign to stand down: they support it, they say, and they are tired of what the pressure does to mothers who cannot. On the postpartum year, the physicians who lived it describe a system that discharges at six weeks and delegates the rounds to interns. Breastfeeding appears in 8 percent of posts in 2013 to 2016 and 4 percent since 2025; postpartum in 23 percent since 2025.

Yolanda Wong, MD, a pediatrician, wrote in June 2011 that “Breastfeeding is not a gauge of a mother’s love for her child,” in “Let’s stop the war between breastfeeding and formula feeding.” Melissa Arca, MD, a pediatrician, wrote in November 2012 asking “What if you simply (gasp) choose not to breastfeed,” in “The overzealous push to get all moms to breastfeed.” Roy Benaroch, MD, a pediatrician, wrote in December 2014 that “Look here: I am a breastfeeding supporter,” in “Stop the hyperbole when it comes to breastfeeding.” Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in April 2016 that “In my perfect world, new moms are seen within 3 days after hospital discharge,” in “What does a perfect world for postpartum moms look like?” Theresa Mahon, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in August 2023 that “As I progressed in my residency, postpartum rounding was delegated to the interns,” in “Essential postpartum care: lessons from 30 years in OB/GYN.” Phindile Chowa, MD, an emergency physician who now runs a postpartum concierge practice, wrote in September 2024 that “my experience revealed significant gaps in our health care system, especially in the support provided to new mothers,” in “Postpartum crisis: a physician’s call for comprehensive maternal support.”

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What do physicians say about fertility and IVF?

The fertility posts on KevinMD are written by the physicians who went through it: one in four women physicians reports infertility, and the essays describe egg retrievals between shifts, embryos that did not implant, and insurance that covered half the medications. The specialists writing say IVF is not the only option and that a perfect embryo grade does not guarantee a birth. Fertility or IVF appears in 23 percent of posts in 2013 to 2016 and 47 percent since 2025.

Melissa E. Parsons, MD, an emergency physician, wrote in March 2019 that “we went into the office and found out we only had two embryos,” in “Physicians should talk about the F word: fertility.” Stephanie E. Moss, a medical student, wrote in April 2022 that “I was now a part of the 1 in 4 female physicians who suffer from infertility,” in “The hidden costs of fully covered infertility treatment.” Lei Chu, MD, a physician, wrote in January 2023 that “I have never truly known heartbreak until the failure of IVF embryo transfers,” in “Infertility: Navigating the challenges of IVF and the importance of self-advocacy.” Erica Bove, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist, wrote in September 2025 that “A high-quality embryo may have up to a 70 percent chance of yielding a live birth,” in “Why do high-quality IVF embryos fail?” Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD, a fertility specialist and the second most frequent contributor on the subject, wrote in January 2026 that “uterine age can independently influence implantation, miscarriage risk, and live birth rates,” in “Uterine aging in IVF: Why the ‘soil’ matters as much as the seed.” Ilana Ressler, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist, wrote in March 2026 that “The myth of the ‘hyper-fertile’ Black woman also still exists within the medical community,” in “Debunking 4 myths about fertility treatments for women of color.”

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What do physicians say about contraception and abortion?

Physicians on KevinMD wrote about contraception as counseling and access until 2019, and about abortion as medicine and law from 2019 on; after Dobbs in 2022 the record doubled and turned to training, telemedicine, and consequences. The dissent, a physician who stopped prescribing birth control and a physician who says the debate needs ground rules, is on the page. Abortion appears in 13 percent of posts in 2013 to 2016 and 11 percent since 2025; Roe or Dobbs in 5 percent in 2023 and 2024.

Erica G. Jarrett, MD, a family physician, wrote in October 2016 that “natural family planning and birth control pills are nearly equally effective,” in “Why this physician stopped prescribing birth control.” Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in November 2016 of the 2016 presidential debate that “Considering both candidates got the facts on this very sensitive topic wrong,” in “When politics makes it necessary to dispel myths about late-term abortions.” Jeffrey A. Singer, MD, a surgeon, wrote in January 2018 that the United States should “join the 102 countries that currently allow birth control pills to be sold over the counter,” in “It’s time to make oral contraceptives available without a prescription.” Ton La, Jr., MD, JD, a physician and attorney, wrote in December 2019 that “there are hundreds of thousands of women every year who exercise their right to have an abortion,” in “Why abortion care is women’s health care.” Michael McCutchen, MD, MBA, a physician, wrote in July 2022 that “Abortion is a subject ripe for conscientious debate,” in “Abortion debates need to happen, but both sides need some ground rules.” Catherine Hennessey, MD, wrote in March 2023 that “As an OB/GYN, I know that medication abortion is safe, commonly used, and effective,” in “The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters.” Michael McCutchen, MD, MBA, a physician, wrote in April 2023 that after Dobbs “there has been a heavy backlash against this policy fragmentation,” in “The truth about hard cases and abortion: Separating fact from fiction.”

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What do physicians say about menopause and hormone therapy?

Menopause is the fastest-growing subject in this record, and the physicians writing about it are mostly writing about their own: an OB/GYN blindsided by her transition, a family physician who realized four years in that she was perimenopausal, an OB/GYN who says the seven years before menopause were never taught. On hormone therapy the record holds both sides, the Women’s Health Initiative’s harms and the women who say its timing was misread. Menopause appears in 4 percent of posts in 2013 to 2016 and 15 percent since 2025.

David L. Katz, MD, a preventive medicine physician, wrote in November 2013 that “treating with hormones soon after menopause has dramatically different effects than doing so a decade or two later,” in “Hormone replacement and the profound importance of maybe.” Beverly Joyce, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in September 2019 asking “So why was I so blindsided by my own menopause transition,” in “Is it physician burnout or perimenopause?” Martha Rosenberg, a health writer, wrote in December 2019 that “the public has definitely softened on the danger of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause,” in “Hormone replacement therapy is still linked to cancer.” Martha Rosenberg, a health writer, wrote in March 2023 that “HRT even made detecting breast cancer more difficult,” in “Fool women twice? Drug makers revive menopause as a ‘disease.’.” Caissa Troutman, MD, a family physician, wrote in May 2024 that at 47 she realized “I have been going through perimenopause for the last four years,” in “Eye dryness, insomnia, and more: hidden signs you’re in perimenopause.” Martha VanOrshoven, a patient, wrote in July 2026 that “the benefits of hormone replacement therapy were never extended to me when I was younger,” in “Why women must fight for hormone replacement therapy.” Roxanne Pero, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in July 2026 that “perimenopause isn’t something we learn in medical school or residency,” in “The perimenopause annual visit OB/GYNs keep missing.”

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What do physicians say about the conditions women say were dismissed?

Endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, pelvic pain, vaginismus: the physicians on KevinMD who treat these conditions say what the patients say, that the diagnosis takes years and the hysterectomy often does not help. The record also holds the pathologist who says overdiagnosis sends women to surgery they do not need. Endometriosis or PCOS appears in 5 percent of posts in 2013 to 2016 and 21 percent since 2025; dismissed or gaslighting in 8 percent since 2025.

Jennifer Gunter, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in December 2014 that “The problem with hysterectomy for CPP is that it often fails to improve the pain,” in “Hysterectomy for chronic pelvic pain: 7 questions to ask.” Roger Reichert, MD, PhD, a pathologist, wrote in May 2017 of endometrial hyperplasia that “This toxic combination of overdiagnosis by the pathologist and overtreatment by the gynecologist results in many patients undergoing needless hysterectomy,” in “This gynecological issue is misdiagnosed over 50 percent of the time.” Miles J. Varn, MD, a physician, wrote in September 2022 that women with endometriosis wait “an average of 8.5 years from first seeking care to diagnosis,” in “Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed. How to get the right diagnosis.” Taytum Kahl wrote in March 2024 that “some, especially women of color, never receive a proper diagnosis at all,” in “Women of color face biases in endometriosis diagnosis and surgical treatment.” Aislinn Jones, a medical student, wrote in July 2026 that “Women concerned about their own health are being dismissed,” in “The PCOS diagnosis gap medical schools must close.” Riti Shah, MPT, a pelvic floor physiotherapist, wrote in August 2026 that “Vaginismus gets very little dedicated time in medical school and residency training,” in “Why vaginismus stays hidden for years before diagnosis.”

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What do physicians disagree about?

On breastfeeding, Yolanda Wong, MD, and Roy Benaroch, MD, asked the campaign to stand down, and Melvin Sanicas, MD, a physician, wrote in August 2019 that “Breastfeeding provides ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants,” in “Breastfeeding is best, but why do some countries struggle?” On natural childbirth, Amy Tuteur, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in February 2011 that “It’s hard to imagine people complaining that pilots worry too much about safety,” but natural childbirth advocates might, in “The biggest problem faced by pilots and obstetricians alike is nature.” On hormone therapy, Martha Rosenberg says the danger has been forgotten and Martha VanOrshoven says the benefit was withheld from her generation. On contraception, Erica G. Jarrett, MD, stopped prescribing it and Jeffrey A. Singer, MD, wants it over the counter. On abortion, Ton La, Jr., MD, JD, calls it health care, Michael McCutchen, MD, MBA, calls it a subject for conscientious debate, and both are cited. The record does not resolve these; it dates them.

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What would fix it? What physicians propose.

Asked what would fix women’s health care, physicians on KevinMD propose lactation support that starts in pregnancy, maternity units kept open in rural counties, a care team the patient trusts, and physicians who speak up when a law contradicts the evidence.

Jennifer Lincoln, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in April 2016 that “Breastfeeding support that starts in pregnancy and continues on,” in “What does a perfect world for postpartum moms look like?” Shikha Jain, MD, an oncologist, wrote in July 2017 that “it is imperative that we continue to challenge any law that goes against scientific evidence,” in “The oral contraceptive’s PR problem.” Fatu Forna, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote in February 2023 that “Patients should assemble a care team they trust,” in “Why Black women are dying during pregnancy and what we can do about it.” Jesus Ruiz, MD, a family physician, wrote in February 2026 that “we must move beyond closure management and toward intentional investment in local maternity care infrastructure,” in “Rural maternity care in crisis: 5 solutions to save local OB units.”

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How has the women’s health conversation changed since 2004?

The record starts with Kevin Pho’s short commentaries from 2005 to 2011, 39 of them, counted here but not cited, and with 8 board-review case questions, counted but not cited. The 2009 to 2014 posts are obstetricians arguing about the cesarean, the epidural, and natural birth, and pediatricians arguing about breastfeeding. The 2016 to 2019 posts add fertility written in the first person, contraception counseling, and the first maternal mortality essays. The pandemic years add postpartum care and the physicians who found it missing. Since 2023 the record is Black maternal mortality, Dobbs, menopause, and the conditions women say were dismissed, and AI is mentioned in 10 percent of the 2025 and 2026 posts.

Two things did not change. Pregnancy or prenatal is named in 51 to 75 percent of posts in every period. And the sharpest accounts of what women’s health care gets wrong are written by physicians who were the patient.

Term	2004 to 2012 (78 posts)	2013 to 2016 (75 posts)	2017 to 2019 (74 posts)	2020 to 2022 (69 posts)	2023 to 2024 (84 posts)	2025 to 2026 (99 posts)
Pregnancy or prenatal	51 percent	75 percent	74 percent	64 percent	71 percent	69 percent
Cesarean or C-section	10 percent	16 percent	20 percent	14 percent	20 percent	9 percent
Maternal mortality or maternal death	1 percent	1 percent	8 percent	22 percent	19 percent	16 percent
Black women	1 percent	0 percent	5 percent	9 percent	11 percent	6 percent
Breastfeeding	9 percent	8 percent	18 percent	14 percent	11 percent	4 percent
Postpartum	4 percent	5 percent	28 percent	23 percent	31 percent	23 percent
Fertility or IVF	17 percent	23 percent	19 percent	19 percent	26 percent	47 percent
Abortion	14 percent	13 percent	19 percent	20 percent	12 percent	11 percent
Roe or Dobbs	0 percent	0 percent	5 percent	17 percent	5 percent	8 percent
Menopause	4 percent	4 percent	9 percent	4 percent	12 percent	15 percent
Endometriosis or PCOS	3 percent	5 percent	7 percent	3 percent	8 percent	21 percent
Dismissed or gaslighting	3 percent	1 percent	0 percent	0 percent	6 percent	8 percent
AI	0 percent	0 percent	1 percent	9 percent	20 percent	10 percent

Term frequencies are the share of posts in each period whose text contains the term at least once, computed on the September 24, 2026 corpus of 479 posts with one stored expression per term.

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About this record

The KevinMD women’s health corpus by the numbers

These figures describe the set of KevinMD posts this page draws on. They are counts of what KevinMD has published, not clinical data.

Measure	Value
Posts in the corpus	479
Published 2023 or later	183
Published in 2026 (through September)	64
Named contributors	271
Posts bylined by physicians (MD or DO)	287
Podcast episodes with transcripts	49
Written anonymously	11
Kevin Pho’s 2005 to 2011 commentaries, counted but not cited	39
Board-review case questions, counted but not cited	8
Posts not indexed, counted but not cited	38
Most frequent contributors	Jennifer Gunter, MD (19); Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD (14); Andrea Eisenberg, MD (9); Amy Tuteur, MD (6); Jeff Livingston, MD (4)
Title matches routed or excluded	177: 57 cancer screening posts to the cancer record, 17 HPV vaccine posts to the vaccines record, 103 with the subject thin in the text

How this page was built and how it is updated

The corpus was assembled from title searches for women’s health, pregnancy, prenatal, maternal, maternity, obstetric, OB/GYN, gynecology, postpartum, childbirth, labor and delivery, cesarean, midwife, doula, breastfeeding, miscarriage, stillbirth, fertility, infertility, IVF, egg freezing, surrogacy, contraception, birth control, IUD, abortion, Roe, Dobbs, reproductive, menopause, perimenopause, hormone replacement, estrogen, PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, hysterectomy, pelvic floor, vaginismus, preeclampsia, gestational, and maternal mental health. Titles about women physicians were excluded, because they belong to the women in medicine record. Breast and cervical cancer screening posts were routed to the cancer record and HPV vaccine posts to the vaccines record; posts whose text mentioned the subject fewer than four times were excluded. Term frequencies were computed against the full text of each post. Posts are counted whether or not they are indexed; citations on this page are limited to posts that are indexed and can be verified at the link. 38 posts in the corpus are not indexed, including Kevin Pho’s 2005 to 2011 commentaries and podcast episodes without transcripts; they are counted but not cited. Board-review case questions are counted but not cited. Quotations are taken verbatim from the original posts and were checked against the source text by script. Author credentials are as they appeared in the byline at publication; where the byline gave none, the credential is the one the post itself states. A patient, medical students, a maternal health advocate, and a physiotherapist are cited at the same weight as physicians and identified as such. Contributors who sell services into this subject are identified where they are cited: Phindile Chowa, MD, runs a postpartum concierge practice. On abortion, physicians on both sides are cited under their own names and the page does not adjudicate. Every source is linked in the sentence that cites it, and the full list appears at the end of the page. The closest archive is the OB/GYN tag. Related records: Women in medicine: what women physicians say, in their own words, Cancer: what physicians say, in their own words, Mental health: what psychiatrists and physicians say, in their own words, Race and medicine: what physicians say, in their own words, and Aging and dementia: what physicians say, in their own words.

This page is updated as new women’s health essays are published on KevinMD. When it is updated, the date at the top changes, the counts in the tables are recomputed, and new named claims are added to the relevant section. Nothing is removed unless the original post is removed. An author who believes a quotation on this page misrepresents them can write to Kevin Pho and the page will be corrected.

To cite this page: Pho K. Women’s health: what physicians say, in their own words. KevinMD.com. Updated September 24, 2026. https://kevinmd.com/womens-health