It’s been a doozy for women’s reproductive health services the past six or so months (since Umbridge, er, Trump has been president). Just this week, there’s another GOP bill that would block faculty at University of Wisconsin-Madison from even teaching OB-GYN residents how to perform abortions.
Now, it’s been reported that there aren’t enough Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) doctors working right now–and that’s a really bad thing for anyone having a baby.
A study conducted by Doximity showed that the average age of OB-GYNs in the US is 51, meaning many will be retiring in the next several years. New York Magazine reports:
“Currently, the average age of OB/GYNs in the U.S. is 51, which the report says is “concerning,” since most of them will start to retire around age 59. But the average age varies across the country, ranging from around 53 in Pittsburgh to 49 in Houston. On top of that, the average OB/GYN in the U.S. currently handles 105 live births per year — a figure that goes up to 248 per year in Riverside, California, and down to just 58 each year in Hartford, Connecticut. In areas where physicians already have a heavy workload, the local workforce could be “significantly challenged” as more OB/GYNs retire.”
The other dangerous problem is the fact that, because of the lack of OB-GYN’s, there’s a crazy workload for the ones still workin. For instance, the typical OB-GYN assists 105 childbirths per year.
The cities most affected negatively right now are Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Riverside, and Miami. No wonder there are so many unnecessary birth and pregnancy complications and experiences that many women face–that could be prevented.
