Mary Rose Somarriba

Mary Rose Somarriba is a writer, editor, and speaker with over a decade of experience in publishing and facilitating timely cultural discussions.
The Human Life Review •

NYT Report Reveals Many Prenatal Tests Give False Positives for Grave Diseases

Many of us have heard stories of women who received a prenatal test indicating their baby has some horrible health condition, only to have the baby born completely healthy. Anecdotes like these have fueled prolifers’ insistence to take prenatal testing results with a grain of salt or to decline them altogether, noting that they add pressure to consider abortion for some moms, and add stress to all of them. These stories have now been legitimized in research . . .
Natural Womanhood •

Interview with Elina Berglund of Natural Cycles

Like many women, Dr. Elina Berglund found herself needing birth control. But, like an increasing proportion of birth control-seeking women, Elina didn’t want to go on the synthetic hormones found in popular options like the pill or the patch. She also didn’t want anything invasive like the implant, the vaginal ring, or an IUD. When she couldn’t find anything that suited her needs, she did what any resourceful scientist does: she hit the books . . .
Verily •

'Black Widow' Highlights the Tragedy of Forced Sterilization

We heard it referenced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, when Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson) told Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) that she could never conceive children because her tyrannical spy/warrior training program in Russia forced sterilization on its members. “In the Red Room where I was trained... where I was raised, they have a graduation ceremony. They sterilize you. It's efficient. One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a mission. . . "
Verily •

Britney Spears Speaks Out on Coercive IUD, Working Conditions, and Putting on a Smile for Social Media

Britney Spears alleged in a court hearing this week a significant amount of coercion at the hands of her conservators, including her father Jamie Spears. Spears’ strict guardianship-type arrangement, which has been in place since her mental breakdown over a decade ago, received widespread attention for its unfairness after Hulu aired “Framing Britney Spears” . . .
The Human Life Review •

The Little Discussed But High Blood Clot Risk of Hormonal Birth Control

In April, the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine received scrutiny after six women experienced a rare blood clot condition, causing the United States to pause its distribution “out of an abundance of caution.” Immediately, some trying to downplay the risk compared the J&J vaccine to hormonal birth control. While the type of blood clot apparently caused by the J&J vaccine and those caused by birth control are different types of clots, I couldn’t help but wonder if the comparisons to birth control . . .
The Human Life Review •

State Laws are Targeting Eugenic Abortion

Abortion is often referenced today in the context of the healthcare of the mother. Despite the fact that, as groups like Live Action have persuasively pointed out, abortion is never necessary for the health of the mother (early labor might be needed, and the fetus may not survive, but intentionally ending the life of the preborn child in the womb is never medically necessary), hearing Planned Parenthood’s “abortion is healthcare” mantra on repeat has led many to accept the thinking that . . .
Natural Womanhood •

Yes, birth control affects mental health

“I had severe depression with suicidal thoughts. I had no libido and I got severe fatigue. I took on weight and was not able to lose it…. After stopping with the birth control pill these symptoms vanished.” —Ursula, public commenter on the FDA Citizen’s Petition for greater transparency of birth control side effects. It’s not all in your head: the Pill definitely affects mental health. I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard women share that they didn’t feel themselves—and worse, experience . . .
Natural Womanhood •

Why this OB/GYN doesn't prescribe birth control

Dr. Monique Ruberu is a board-certified OB-GYN serving patients in the specialties of gynecology and infertility at Natural Women’s Health in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania, about a half-hour drive from Philadelphia. Dr. Ruberu studied medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch and completed her OB-GYN residency training at Drexel University. After her residency and a year of a research fellowship, she practiced mainstream OB-GYN medicine for six years. In 2014, Dr. Ruberu became certified in Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology)
Natural Womanhood •

The FDA Approved the Clue App for Contraceptive Use. Here's What That Means.

Earlier this month, the FDA announced it cleared another cycle charting app for contraceptive use—this time it is the app called Clue Birth Control. In 2018, the FDA cleared the app Natural Cycles to be marketed as a medical device for contraceptive use, and many wonder if this is the dawn of FemTech possibilities, offering hope to women who are sick of birth control side effects yet still want reliable contraception. But there are some important clarifications . . .
Natural Womanhood •

An exclusive interview with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack

Many people know Lisa Hendrickson-Jack as the creator of the most popular podcast on fertility health, Fertility Friday. Others know her from her pivotal book The Fifth Vital Sign. Still others know her for her one-on-one coaching in navigating the challenging transition from hormonal birth control to fertility awareness charting. However you may know Lisa, we are pleased to bring you an interview with her, completed exclusively for Natural Womanhood.
Verily •

Our Awkward Semantics About When Life Begins—And What It Means For Women’s Health Care

A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Obstetricians and Gynecology found that half of the gynecologist-obstetricians surveyed believe that life begins when the sperm meets the egg, that is, the moment of conception. “One-half of US obstetrician-gynecologists (57%) believe pregnancy begins at conception. Fewer (28%) believe it begins at implantation, and 16% are not sure,” the results stated.
Verily •

Girls’ Suicide Numbers Are Increasing—and Current Media Isn’t Helping

This year, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published some troubling findings: suicides in girls have significantly increased in the past decades. The article cited a report in which “female youth aged 10 to 14 years experienced the largest percentage increase in suicide rates compared with other age groups,” and another report found “youth aged 15 to 19 years showed suicide rates for female individuals more than doubled from 2007 to 2015.” In a commentary published alongs
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