How Hospitals Can Tackle The Maternal Mortality Crisis American women are more likely to die from preventable childbirth complications than women in other developed countries. A group of obstetricians says hospitals can do a lot to change this. Mara Gordon
Despite Warnings, FDA Approves Potent New Opioid Painkiller Critics, including some leading anesthesiologists, say the drug is unnecessary, and they worry it will be diverted and abused. The Food And Drug Administration says it is addressing safety concerns. Jake Harper
She Chose To 'Go Flat' And Wants Other Breast Cancer Survivors To Know They Can Too After her double mastectomy, writer Catherine Guthrie came to embrace her new body, without breast reconstruction. But, she has learned, women have to push the medical system to support this choice. Rachel D. Cohen
How A Dog Could Stop The Global Spread Of Disease One scientist is training the ultimate disease watchdogs — canines that can smell malaria parasites living inside a person's blood. Michaeleen Doucleff
Immigrating To The U.S.? Get Ready For A New Gut Microbiome (And Maybe More Pounds) Hmong immigrants began losing native bacteria in their guts soon after arriving in the U.S., a change associated with more obesity. Eating an American diet plays a role but doesn't explain everything. Maanvi Singh
Merck Pulls Out Of Agreement To Supply Life-Saving Vaccine To Millions Of Kids The pharmaceutical giant will stop delivering its rotavirus vaccine to four West African countries — and will begin to sell it in China for likely more than 10 times the cost. Michaeleen Doucleff
Premature Birth Rates Rise Again, But A Few States Are Turning Things Around Premature birth rates are heading in the wrong direction after nearly a decade of decline. Some states have started to tackle the problem, while others struggle with stubbornly high rates. Rhitu Chatterjee
For Cervical Cancer Patients, Less Invasive Surgery Is Worse For Survival Two new studies suggest that minimally invasive surgery for early stage cervical cancer patients leads to death and recurring disease more often than standard surgery through a large incision. Richard Harris
How Yellow Fever Turned New Orleans Into The 'City Of The Dead' Some years the virus would wipe out a tenth of the population, earning New Orleans the nickname "Necropolis." The gruesome disease killed thousands, scapegoated immigrants and upheld white supremacy. Leah Donnella
Voters In 4 States Set To Decide On Medicaid Expansion Ballot initiatives in Utah, Nebraska and Idaho will determine whether to expand Medicaid, after legislators refused to do so. Montanans will vote on whether to keep the state's expansion intact. Alison Kodjak
