Prepregnant = Prepared
I was a day early in recommending everyone read A Handmaid's Tale. If you're a woman, you should be alarmed by the CDC's report released today. In a nutshell, it says your uterus and the health of its future content(s) is more important than you are.
The report recommends all women of childbearing age- between the ages of 15-44- be treated as "pre-pregnant." The logic? Because nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, women should treat themselves as nearly pregnant as long as they menstruate. Do you 15-year-old virgins hear that?
Their recommendations? Even if you are not pregnant and have no intentions of becoming pregnant - you should still be taking a folic acid prenatal vitamin, not smoke, manage diabetes, do not drink excessively and maintain a healthy wait because "During the first weeks (before 52 days’ gestation) of pregnancy, exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; lack of essential vitamins (e.g., folic acid); and workplace hazards can adversely affect fetal development and results in pregnancy complications and poor outcomes for both the mother and infant..."
Why don't doctors take off the labels- pre-pregnant- and just talk about maintaining good health? Smoking, binge drinking, obesity and diabetes are detrimental to all women- not just those of us who may or MAY NOT bear a child in the next 35 years.
With this report, we now know what the CDC values- functioning uteri (or uteruses). Don't treat women- just treat them as vessels for future humans.
My uterus is done. And if my doctor EVER suggests that I am "pre-pregnant" I will leave his/her office.
The report recommends all women of childbearing age- between the ages of 15-44- be treated as "pre-pregnant." The logic? Because nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, women should treat themselves as nearly pregnant as long as they menstruate. Do you 15-year-old virgins hear that?
Their recommendations? Even if you are not pregnant and have no intentions of becoming pregnant - you should still be taking a folic acid prenatal vitamin, not smoke, manage diabetes, do not drink excessively and maintain a healthy wait because "During the first weeks (before 52 days’ gestation) of pregnancy, exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; lack of essential vitamins (e.g., folic acid); and workplace hazards can adversely affect fetal development and results in pregnancy complications and poor outcomes for both the mother and infant..."
Why don't doctors take off the labels- pre-pregnant- and just talk about maintaining good health? Smoking, binge drinking, obesity and diabetes are detrimental to all women- not just those of us who may or MAY NOT bear a child in the next 35 years.
With this report, we now know what the CDC values- functioning uteri (or uteruses). Don't treat women- just treat them as vessels for future humans.
My uterus is done. And if my doctor EVER suggests that I am "pre-pregnant" I will leave his/her office.
posted by Miss Melissa at 3:45 PM
1 Comments:
Dude, you can have my permission to use this post however you see fit. I can't see your recents posts on your blog- it's weird- black screen. I'll keep checking. It seems I take a break from getting all hot and bothered, and then shit like this comes down the pike. No rest for the weary feminist!
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