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    Dancing with the Stars’ Peta Murgatroyd shares fertility struggles after suffering third miscarriage

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    “Dancing with the Stars” fan-favorite Peta Murgatroyd is unloading her “backpack of trauma” to share her struggles with fertility after suffering her third miscarriage, according to a recent People interview.  

    “I’ve had three miscarriages and it’s been a long hard journey for [my husband] Maks and I. A traumatic, stressful, super sad journey,” the 35-year-old wrote on Instagram.  

    “The first time I let it out of my mouth to a colleague I felt strangely better, like a piece of shame had chipped away. … And so here I am…this is all of me, the bare me and I hope that by me sharing my journey with all of you it could help someone else going through the same situation.” 

     

    Several months ago after recently testing positive for COVID-19, she collapsed suddenly and called 911. 

    Emotional reunion between Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd at LAX airport as Maksim arriving back in LA from Ukraine.  (Fox News Digital)

    She thought her symptoms were secondary to the virus, but later learned in the hospital that she had just suffered a miscarriage.  

    “I ultimately had no idea (I was pregnant), which in hindsight was better for my recovery because I didn’t have that super joyous moment of, ‘I’m pregnant again!’” Murgatroyd, who resides in Los Angeles, Calif., told People.  

    ZENDAYA DENIES PREGNANCY RUMORS 

    In retrospect, she thinks being pregnant at the same time while fighting COVID-19 was too overwhelming for her body.  

    She suffered her first miscarriage while in the bathroom stall of a Whole Foods store in fall 2020 approximately five weeks into her first trimester. 

    “I was sitting in the bathroom sobbing. I’m surprised nobody walked in because I was crying so heavily and wailing, one of those deep cries,” Murgatroyd said. 

    Right away, she tried to get pregnant again, but it took approximately eight months before she was able to. She suffered her second miscarriage two days before she had to perform at a wedding.   

    An image of an episode of Dancing with the Stars.  (Photo by Carol Kaelson/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

    “I’m somebody who prides herself on health wellness. I exercise every single day. But as I came to realize, that doesn’t really go hand-in-hand with the reproductive system,” the Peta Jane Beauty founder said.  

    Approximately 1% women suffer repeated miscarriages, but the most common cause of miscarriages occurs by chance when an embryo receives an abnormal number of chromosomes during fertilization, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). 

    But when women suffer three or more miscarriages, a complete workup is recommended to try to find the underlying cause, per ACOG’s website.  

    Certain medical problems may predispose women to pregnancy loss, including antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), diabetes mellitus and polycystic ovarian syndrome. 

    APS is an autoimmune condition where the patient’s immune system accidently makes antibodies that lead to blood clots, while diabetes mellitus is a condition where the body has too much sugar in the bloodstream.  

    Murgatroyd, however, revealed she has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is an endocrine condition where the body produces too much male hormone, known as androgens, leading to irregular periods or sometimes no periods at all, according to Healthline.  

    Dr. Lawrence Werlin told South West News Service that the Coastal Fertility Medical Center has been announcing IVF pregancnies as a group since 1982. Certain medical problems may predispose women to pregnancy loss, including antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), diabetes mellitus and polycystic ovarian syndrome.  (SWNS)

    RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL CO-LAUNCHES FIRST PASTEURIZED BREAST MILK PROGRAM IN STATE 

    To meet the classic diagnosis, women have two of the three symptoms: 1) irregular periods or no periods, 2) overproduction of male hormones that may lead to acne, male pattern baldness or excess facial hair, or 3) multiple cysts on the ovaries (which is what “polycystic” means), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

    She noted she does not have any cysts on her ovaries but does have “hormonal imbalances” that are causing her eggs not to mature before they are released.  

    After suffering her third miscarriage, she had to make a choice – attempt to conceive naturally or go through in vitro fertilization (IVF).  

    She ultimately decided on IVF because she was worried of the time that might go in vain if she chose the natural route and it didn’t work.  

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    She is currently on medication, going through injections and the progress is “really promising.”  

    “I don’t have any other words but hope and positivity and just crossing my fingers and everything that this is going to work,” Murgatroyd added. 

    Woman on TikTok alleges her gynecologist refused to tie her tubes in case she meets ‘Mr. Right’ someday

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    A woman who wishes to remain “child-free” says a gynecologist denied her request for tubal ligation because of her age and dating future.

    Olivia, a 22-year-old student from Massachusetts, reenacted the alleged conversation she had with a female OB/GYN for her followers on TikTok.

    “Hi, Mrs. Gynecologist. My name is Olivia. I never want children,” she starts off while extending her hand to the camera, mocking an introductory handshake.

    “I’ve had this made up in my mind since I was old enough to think of the concept,” Olivia continued. “Can I please have my tubes tied?”

    ‘CHILD-FREE’ WOMEN FEEL LITTLE DISTRESS, STUDY FINDS

    Olivia, who omitted her surname on TikTok, went on to say the doctor told her “no” because the procedure is “permanent,” and instead suggested an intrauterine device (IUD) as a form of birth control.

    Obstetrician-gynecologists are medical doctors who consult patients on various reproductive treatments and procedures, including tubal ligation, also known as tube tying. (iStock)

    “You might meet Mr. Right and change your mind,” Olivia says the doctor told her.

    Olivia says she reiterated that she has her mind set and wouldn’t regret getting her tubes tied.

    “No. It’s not my plan,” Olivia claims she said in response to the denial. “It’s not in my five-year plan, it’s not in my ten-year plan, my fifty-year plan. I don’t want that.”

    Olivia says the doctor rejected her request once more on the basis of the procedure’s permanence and the slim chance that she could change her mind in the future.

    HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A BABY

    The doctor allegedly gave Olivia a brochure for a copper IUD, which she held up to the camera while she sat in her car.

    Olivia says the doctor went on to tell her that the IUD she recommends has the same efficacy rate as tube tying, but comes with the side effect of uterine cramps can last for months after insertion.

    “No, no thank you,” Olivia concludes.

    Fox News Digital reached out to Olivia for comment.

    Within one week of posting her video to TikTok, the clip has been viewed more than two million times.

    MORE COLLEGE-EDUCATED WOMEN ARE HAVING BABIES BEFORE MARRIAGE: STUDY

    Thousands of commenters have chimed in on the topic and the grand majority side with Olivia’s wishes over Mrs. Gynecologist’s warnings.

    “People need to understand NOT wanting kids!!!!!” one commenter wrote.

    “I’ve always hated the ‘what if you meet a man’ argument [because] … yes … let’s make life decisions on the chance a man comes into the picture,” another commenter wrote sarcastically.

    One TikTok user said they were shocked that Olivia left the doctor’s office and encouraged her to not give up.

    “How do you just leave after this??” the user wrote. “I can’t imagine a doctor denying my request just because they said so??? It hurts my brain, please keep pushing it!”

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    Tubal ligation is a birth control procedure where fallopian tubes are either “blocked or cut” as a means to prevent sperm from meeting an egg, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

    Candidates for tubal ligation include adult women who are in a “stable relationship” where both partners don’t want kids, have a health condition that pregnancy makes a serious health risk or don’t wish to pass on a genetic disorder, John Hopkins states on its website.

    If a patient is deemed a fit for tubal ligation, an OB/GYN will discuss next steps in the process. (iStock)

    In Massachusetts, where Olivia lives, according to her TikTok bio, there’s no age requirement for tube tying. However, women who wish to use a federal insurance (like Medicaid) to cover the cost of the procedure must be at least 21 years of age to undergo the procedure, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

    Tubal ligation requirements may vary by state and depend on a patient’s insurance coverage plan or personal funds. Still, many women have vented – claiming that it’s difficult to find a doctor to agree to do the procedure when they’re young or haven’t had a child. 

    The child-free hashtag on TikTok – which has more than 334.9 million views – is one place where women have relayed their experiences. 

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    Women have also turned to the child-free subreddit to share their stories. The online community has more than 1.4 million members. 

    In an October 2020 report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, data on “Current Contraceptive Status Among Women” ages 15 to 49 in the U.S. (2017–2019) showed 18.1% of women have turned to female sterilization as a form of birth control.

    Cortney Moore is an associate lifestyle writer/producer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent on Twitter at @CortneyMoore716.

    ‘Hot girl walk’ – the TikTok trend boosting moods and fitness

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    TikTok’s “hot girl walk” is one of the latest trends that has many lacing up their sneakers boosting their fitness and their self-esteem.  

    The social media trend was created by a USC student named Mia Lind who is also known on TikTok as @exactlyliketheothergirls. She explained on her TikTok post that the “hot girl walk” involves walking 2-4 miles a day for nearly an hour and can include listening to uplifting music or podcasts. While doing the “hot girl walk,” you mainly think about three things. They include:  

    • What you are grateful for? 
    • Your goals and steps needed to achieve them. 
    • Remind yourself of your personal beauty.

    Young fitness woman running in the city street. (iStock)

    On her social media post, the self-proclaimed creator of the “hot girl walk,” said, “The challenge is not about losing weight but about you achieving your goals.” In a video explanation on her Instagram post, Mia explained that before beginning one’s hot girl walk journey, the individual needs to write down three goals: personal, professional, and social – and check the status on these goals every 2 weeks.  

    ARIZONA MAN GOES VIRAL ON TIKTOK FOR COOKING PIZZA, BURGERS IN HOT CAR 

    The Instagram influencer even created a spreadsheet where you are not counting calories but actually tracking the days you walked and your goals. There is even a “hot girl walk” Spotify playlist one can listen to while they engage in their journey.   

    Lind’s followers use a hashtag, #hotgirlwalk, to post photos of their walking journeys, which are typically done 3-5 days a week with some rest days. The Instagram trendsetter also suggested limiting drinking to social situations and promoted acts of kindness to others and to yourself.   

    The University of Southern California student told one media outlet that she was looking for a form of exercise during COVID pandemic that she “didn’t dread” and liked the meditative element that coincides with going for long walks.  According to media reports, Lind said walking was not viewed strongly as a form of exercise so she decided to rebrand it as a “hot girl walk,” shared it on social media and it went global. She now has over 136 million views on TikTok and her followers range from college to middle-aged women.  

    A warm spring morning in Utah. The University of Southern California student told one media outlet that she was looking for a form of exercise during COVID pandemic that she “didn’t dread” and liked the meditative element that coincides with going for long walks.   (iStock)

    One of Lind’s TikTok followers, Giovanna Amodio, told Fox News that she began doing the hot girl walk while at college during the pandemic and said “I would 100 % say it boosts self-esteem.” Amodio shared with Fox News that she began walking during the quarantine as a way of getting out of the house and seeing others in a safe way. When she began following the hot girl trend she said, “It developed into a way to help clear your head, have some alone time, listen to inspirational podcasts, and keep you in shape.”  

    TENNESSEE PARK UNVEILS NEW WALKING TRAIL MADE OF OLD, RECYCLED TIRES 

    Studies have shown that walking can foster a positive affect even when participants are not even focused on the actual activity.  

    Dr. DJ Moran, PhD, is an Associate professor at Touro University in New York, and commented on the TikTok trend to Fox News. “This trend shows the remarkable power of social media and hashtags to support a healthy trend.  It’s fantastic that hot girl walks encourage more people to exercise and work on self-improvement. I’m really glad to hear more young adults are taking walks and doing it more frequently, especially while engaging in gratitude and self-reflection.” 

    A woman goes for a morning run. Dr. DJ Moran, PhD, notes that “It’s fantastic that Hot Girl Walks encourage more people to exercise and work on self-improvement. “I’m really glad to hear more young adults are taking walks and doing it more frequently, especially while engaging in gratitude and self-reflection.”  (Fox News)

    Moran, however, said, “I am a bit concerned that they are encouraged to think about how hot they are… As long as this is about self-improvement, great!  If it is about self-aggrandizing, I’m not so thrilled.” 

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    Tamar Amitay is a physical therapist at Thrive Integrated Physical Therapy in New York City. Amitay told Fox News that this latest walking trend might have positive physical benefits. “Several studies have concluded that walking reduces arthritis relate pain. Walking protects the joints of the lower extremity, especially the hips and knees by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support these joints,” Amitay said.  

    Amitay said walking could also help promote heart health, prevent weight gain, and reduce the risk for cancer and chronic disease. Physical therapists told Fox News that if you do begin a walking program it is important to wear comfortable supportive sneakers and to stay hydrated.  

    I’m a female collegiate athlete fighting for the future of women’s sports

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    I can take a few bumps and bruises. After all, I signed up for this. Playing college sports is a privilege, not a right. Losing sleep, missing classes because you’re traveling, taking care of sore muscles and maintaining a strict training regimen — they’re all part of the game when you’re a collegiate track and cross-country athlete. 

    But what I signed up for was running against similarly advantaged competitors — other women. What I have experienced, and seen repeated across the nation, is a different story, and it’s why I’m speaking out. 

    FEMALE SKATEBOARDER SPOKE OUT ON TRANS COMPETITOR FOR HER FUTURE DAUGHTERS

    I was born into a family of college athletes in Ohio and ran my first race at the age of 5. Running has had my heart ever since. In high school, I was a three-time All-Ohioan for cross-country and six-time track All-Ohioan. 

    The allure of the West drew me to Southern Utah University and, after meeting the track coach and the girls on the team, I fell in love with my new family away from home. 

    Madisan DeBos at the Stanford Invite at Stanford University, April 2022.

    I’m heading into my senior year at Southern Utah and run cross-country and track in the fall, winter, and spring, specializing in events including the 1,500m, 3k steeplechase, and 5k. Competing at this level takes every ounce of your dedication and energy, but it is so rewarding to play the sport you love. 

    At my time here at SUU, I, along with my teammates, have set the school record in the distance medley relay. At the 2022 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships, I scored in the 3k steeplechase and 5,000-meter run. This year I was also able to break into the top-10 list in the 1,500m and 5k, as well as reach into the top five in the 3k steeplechase. 

    I wake up every day excited that I’m able to run, and that I have the privilege of training my body to become stronger and faster. I also now realize the fragility of fair competition and how easily it can be taken away from female athletes. 

    One day at practice during my freshman year, our coach told us that another team in our conference had an athlete who had previously competed on the men’s team who now identified as female and would be competing against us. This biological male runner had posted the same time in the 1,500-meter as the fastest woman in the world in that event — 3:50. Now, it was my teammates and I who were being forced to compete against someone who had already broken the female record. 

    Madisan DeBos (center) at the Bob Larsen Invite at UCLA, March 2022.

    At the indoor Big Sky Championships in 2020, I started the distance medley relay for our team, and the biological male runner anchored the relay for the University of Montana. That’s when we heard the athlete’s coach say something no one expected to hear: “Slow down.” 

    Slow down to give the appearance of a fair fight, I suppose. But we watched as this athlete went on to take first place in the mile — replacing a female runner on the podium. 

    When you show up at a conference meet and see a biological male athlete towering over you, way more muscular and with a completely different build than any female on the starting blocks, it is at first surprising. Then, quickly, disheartening and even heartbreaking. How do I stand a chance, despite my nearly two decades of training for this moment?

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    My teammates and I have been working so hard to be in this program, and we realize all of that could be stripped away by allowing biologicial males to compete in our sport. We talked a lot about what this meant for us personally and for women’s sports generally. I felt powerless. It was gut-wrenching that no one was stopping such an obviously unfair advantage or standing up for us. 

    How much longer will we see women stand at the top of the podium in their own sport’s competition? 

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    The only way to maintain a fair and level playing field and preserve the future of women’s sports is to protect separate categories for men and women (something that used to be common sense now bears repeating over and over). We cannot lose the ground women have gained in the fight for equal access and opportunity — wins my mother and so many others fought to make a reality. Personally, I’m not going to wait until one more woman loses a spot before I speak out on this devastating reality. 

    I can take a few bumps and bruises along the way to fight for the future of women’s sports. I am doing this so that all the other girls like me who love to run can follow their dreams and experience the thrill of being rewarded for their hard work and dedication. 

    Madisan DeBos is a cross-country and track athlete at Southern Utah University. 

    NYC woman sells her eggs to help pay down $165K in student loan debt: ‘I was desperate’

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    Kassandra Jones has tried really hard to get rid of her student loan debt — including donating her eggs for money. 

    Jones, 28, of New York City, is a freelance videographer specializing in public health communications and social media content strategy; she works primarily with nonprofit organizations.

    After earning a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s in public health, Jones found herself with $165,000 in student loan debt. 

    “I’ve probably wasted a year of my life … getting financial advice, going to workshops, researching on the internet, talking to people, applying for grants and scholarships to no avail and very little success,” Jones told Fox News Digital. 

    NJ COLLEGE GRADUATE PAYS OFF $70K IN STUDENT LOANS BY STARTING USED BOOK BUSINESS

    She said she began thinking about the cost of college when she was only 15 years old. 

    Kassandra Jones, 28, of New York City, wound up with $165,000 in student loan debt, despite trying to mitigate the cost of her education.  (Courtesy Kassandra Jones)

    At the time, she was living in California and participated in a program offering free community college classes to high school students, which gave her a debt-free head start on her college career.

    After high school graduation, Jones attended Pasadena City College, a community college, rather than a university because of the cost of tuition, she said.

    “The consensus across the board was, if I wanted to get a high-paying job, if I wanted to take the logical next steps in my career, I had to go to grad school.”

    While she was there, she earned two associate’s degrees, then transferred to the University of La Verne in California.  

    Jones said she did everything she could to mitigate her college costs. She lived with her parents, delivered pizza and did video production work on the side.

    She received some scholarships and a California grant to help cover tuition. Still, she graduated with $25,000 in student loan debt.

    OHIO WRITER PAID OFF $48K IN STUDENT LOANS IN 14 MONTHS: IT WAS ‘AN ADVENTURE’

    After graduating from La Verne in 2016, Jones explored next steps. 

    “[I] talked to career counselors and professors and people in my field with informational interviews,” Jones told Fox News Digital. “The consensus across the board was, if I wanted to get a high-paying job, if I wanted to take the logical next steps in my career, I had to go to grad school.”

    ‘Ran out of time’: Paying for degree number two

    For her first round of graduate school applications, Jones focused on registered dietetic programs; she was rejected from all of them. 

    “I had about a month to come up with enough cash to afford the first semester of NYU.”

    After spending a few months traveling on a small budget to different countries, she realized she was passionate about public health. 

    Jones applied to NYU’s Global Public Health program — and was accepted right before classes began.

    Jones (left) attended Pasadena City College in California, a community college, before transferring to the University of La Verne in California, to save on tuition costs. She’s pictured giving a presentation at La Verne. (Courtesy Kassandra Jones)

    “I had about a month to come up with enough cash to afford the first semester of NYU,” Jones said. 

    As Jones was researching ways to pay for grad school, she heard about egg donations from some of her friends.

    Jones said her friends told her she could make between $6,000 and $10,000 per donation — and that the recovery would be minimal. 

    “When I heard there was this opportunity for a large contribution toward my education, but was something that still gave me kind of bodily autonomy … I became very curious,” Jones said. 

    “That number [$165,000] started to really hit me in the face,”

    Jones researched the process, then donated her eggs at The Center for Fertility and Gynecology in Tarzana, California. She was paid $6,000, she said.

    Egg donation requires hormone injections — much like the process of in vitro fertilization. Doctors monitor donors to determine when the eggs are ready to be collected, which happens during a 10-to-20-minute procedure, the NYU Langone Fertility Center website notes.

    Donated eggs are matched with women who don’t have viable eggs for a variety of reasons, including illness, age, prior surgery or genetic abnormalities, according to the center.

    FLORIDA-BASED MOM PAYS OFF $40K IN STUDENT DEBT AFTER LIVING ‘PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK’

    In August 2017, Jones made her first egg donation, one day before starting classes at NYU. 

    “I ran out of time,” Jones said. “I was desperate.”

    To help lessen the cost of her education and start to pay off her student loans, Jones (left) decided to donate her eggs.  (Courtesy Kassandra Jones)

    Jones ended up receiving a $25,000 scholarship through NYU’s School of Global Public Health. 

    “[With] the cost of living, the rest of tuition and everything else, [the scholarship] was nice and I’m grateful for it,” Jones said. Still, she added, “It barely made a dent in the long run.”

    Jones wound up taking about $140,000 in loans to pay for NYU — which meant her student loan debt peaked at roughly $165,000 when she graduated. 

    “It wasn’t until I started getting close to the end of the program that that number started to really hit me in the face,” Jones said. 

    Today, Jones is a freelance videographer specializing in public health communications, mostly for nonprofit organizations in New York City.  (Courtesy Kassandra Jones)

    Despite months of filling out job applications and attending career workshops, Jones had a hard time finding steady work.

    “You’re staring down the end of this mountain of debt, with no solutions,” Jones said. “There’s no job prospects, there’s no income. You’re in an expensive city, still. And you have to figure out how to live.”

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    Jones said that’s when she decided to donate her eggs again — four more times.

    In July 2019, Jones donated her eggs at the NYU Langone Fertility Clinic, which paid her $10,000. She donated again at NYU Langone in October 2019, in July 2020 and in February 2021. For each donation, she made another $10,000, she said.

    Fox News Digital reached out to NYU Langone for comment.

    Student loan repayment pause: ‘A lifesaver’

    Jones said desperation is what led her to donate her eggs. 

    “I would not put my body through this so many times if I felt like I had another option, if I felt like I had a job prospect that was paying me enough to survive and start tackling these student loans,” Jones said. 

    Jones, who has her master’s in public health from NYU, told Fox News Digital she doesn’t regret the decisions she made, although she’s had to overcome numerous challenges. (Courtesy Kassandra Jones)

    Even after donating her eggs — which earned her a total of $46,000 — Jones has only made a small dent in her student loan debt.

    That’s partly because of interest rates and partly because she used some egg donation money to cover her cost of living while she looked for jobs.

    She said she has about $150,000 in debt today.

    “I’m disappointed that the system charges this much for our education.”

    After submitting hundreds of applications, Jones was eventually able to get a full-time job, while also taking on additional clients on the side.

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    After she covers her costs of living, Jones sets aside the remainder of her paychecks in preparation for when the student loan repayment pause is lifted. Right now, she has $10,000 set aside.

    “It has been a lifesaver,” Jones said of the pause.

    Avoiding a ‘victim mentality’

    In 2021, Jones earned her MBA — for free — from an online pilot program at Quantic School of Business and Technology. 

    “Part of the reason I got the MBA was that I wasn’t going to keep this victim mentality with student loans,” Jones said. 

    BIDEN’S PLAN FOR STUDENT LOANS AN ‘EXPENSIVE AND INEQUITABLE ELECTION-YEAR STUNT,’ SAYS WAPO EDITORIAL BOARD

    She said she has been able to improve her financial literacy to repay her loans and to set herself up for future success.

    Despite the challenges she’s faced, Jones said she learned lessons in the process. 

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    “I don’t regret all the education I’ve gained, all the people I’ve met, all the experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to have,” Jones said. 

    She added, “I’m disappointed that the system charges this much for our education.”

    US birth rates rise for the first time in seven years

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    The United States’ birth rate in 2021 rose for the first time in seven years, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. 

    “We’re still not returning to pre-pandemic levels,” Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine, said.

    The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reviewed 99.94% of registered birth records in 2021 and found a 1% birth rate increase that year compared to 2020. 

    It is the first birth rate increase since 2014. Prior to the 2021 data, birth rates had fallen by an average of 2% each year. 

    US BIRTH RATE FALLS TO LOWEST POINT IN MORE THAN A CENTURY

    The data found there were 3.7 million births reported last year, compared to about 3.6 million recorded in 2020. Though the birth rate ticked up last year, there were still about 86,000 fewer births in 2021 compared to 2019. 

    First moments with the baby and the excitement of being a family or parents (iStock)

    Officials think last year’s uptick reflects births from pregnancies that had been put off during the uncertain early days of the pandemic. Data show births were down in January of 2021, but ticked up as the year continued, Brady Hamilton, lead author of the new report, said. 

    US BIRTHRATE FIGURES DECLINE TO RECORD-LOW RATES: REPORT

    Birth rates rose for both Hispanic and White women, by 1% and 3% respectively. While birth rates among Asian women, Black women, and Native American and Alaska Native women all fell anywhere from 1% to 4% in 2021. 

    Teen birth rates notably fell by 6%, while pregnancies among older women increased. The data show births among women in their early 30s increased by ​​3%, 5% for women in their late 30s, and 3% for women in their early 40s.

    POLICY ANALYST ON FALLING BIRTH RATES: RHETORIC FROM THE LEFT CONTRIBUTING TO ‘CHANGE IN NORMS’

    Doctor attends to a pregnant woman during the pandemic (iStock) (istock)

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    “That sort of suggests [that] when we saw the decline in births from 2019 to 2020, probably a lot of births were postponed,” Hamilton said. “People were waiting to see what happened [with the pandemic] and rates rose in older women as they may have proceeded to have that child.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this article.

    Florida suspends abortion clinic after hospitalizations

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    An abortion clinic that serves women from all over the U.S. South had its license suspended this weekend under an emergency order from Florida health officials after two women who had undergone procedures at the clinic were hospitalized this year.

    The state Agency for Health Care Administration ordered the suspension of the license for American Family Planning of Pensacola, effective starting Saturday.

    In cases cited by the agency, the clinic failed to monitor the patients at all times, didn’t provide medical records when patients were transferred for greater care and didn’t contact the patients within 24 hours after they left the clinic to assess their recovery, said the order which was issued on Friday.

    BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE: bIDEN CELEBRATES AS 78,000 POUNDS OF BABY FORMULA FLOWN TO US

    It said the problems were operational deficiencies “endangering the health, safety and welfare” of the clinic’s patients, and the clinic failed to submit timely reports about the incidents to the state agency.

    In one case, clinic workers urged the husband of a patient to take her to a hospital in Mobile, Alabama, rather than a closer hospital in Pensacola that had a transfer agreement with the clinic, delaying her treatment. At the Alabama hospital, the woman needed to be resuscitated and required a transfusion to replace blood loss, according to the emergency order.

    Security fencing is in place outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Saturday, May 14, 2022, ahead of expected abortion right rallies later in the day.  (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

    In another case from March, a patient was taken to the emergency room of a Pensacola hospital with bleeding and low blood pressure. She needed emergency surgery and a surgeon performed a hysterectomy. Last year, a third patient required a uterine perforation repair, according to the emergency order.

    “Women receiving abortions must receive the level of care and services mandated by law,” the emergency order said.

    NYC PARAMEDIC SHOT INSIDE AMBULANCE AFTER MAN PULLS GUN ON WAY TO HOSPITAL: POLICE

    The clinic is entitled to a hearing about the decision.

    A woman who says she works for the clinic’s scheduling service answered its phone on Sunday but said nobody was there who could talk about the emergency order.

    Because of its historically less restrictive laws, Florida has long been considered a “safe haven” for women from neighboring states wanting to get abortions. On its website, the clinic says it serves women from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.

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    Even though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law last month legislation that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks, Florida’s abortion law is still likely to be less restrictive than those of neighboring states should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade.

    WaPo column touts opening of clinic for ‘later abortion care’ after SCOTUS leak, calls it a ‘lifeline’

    Escorts stand outside of EMW Women’s Surgical Center in Louisville, Ky., the last abortion clinic in the state. The center is embroiled in a legal battle with the state over requirements to stay open. (Reuters/Chris Kenning)

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    In the wake of the Supreme Court draft opinion leak signaling the potential dismantling of Roe v Wade this summer, The Washington Post published an opinion column Friday by an abortionist touting her new “later abortion” clinic, which is called a “lifeline.”

    Morgan Nuzzo, a nurse-midwife and co-founder of Partners in Abortion Care, began her column talking about her “plan for the Bad Day in June,” i.e. the day the Supreme Court officially releases its abortion ruling and “a massive rollback of civil and human rights” begins.

    Her plan for that day includes “coping strategies: stocking up on comfort foods and favorite beers, hand-selecting the people we’d want to be with — the colleagues we felt closest to, the ones we loved the most, the ones who were going to quietly pass the tissues when we couldn’t hold back the tears.”

    ABORTION ACTIVIST EVISCERATED FOR TESTIFYING THAT MEN CAN HAVE ABORTIONS: ‘THE PARTY OF SCIENCE’

    Abortion rights activist Cristela Luiz (L) confronts an anti-abortion demonstrator during a Bans Off Our Bodies rally at the base of the Washington Monument on May, 14 2022, in Washington. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

    “We knew we would remember who was with us the day Roe was overturned. We knew the worst was coming. And seeing the leaked draft opinion, we weren’t wrong. The Bad Day in June was simply preceded by the Bad Day in May,” she added. 

    Nuzzo then described how she and her “obstetrician/gynecologist” partner Diane Horvath have performed abortions for 20 years, saying, “[W]e have cared for patients as state legislatures have chipped away at our freedom and the anti-choice movement at our culture.”

    The pair has been planning a new abortion clinic since they started seeing the Supreme Court being “meticulously stacked” with conservative justices and it will open this fall in Maryland.

    The author explained independent abortion clinics have been closing down and, “If Roe is overturned, more will follow. That is why we decided to open our clinic, even as the future is uncertain.”

    DNC CHAIR: GOP LAUNCHING ‘FULL-FRONTAL ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY,’ LIKE ‘SOMETHING YOU WOULD SEE IN RUSSIA’

    Abortion-rights protesters wave flags during a demonstration outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Washington. A draft opinion suggests the Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report.  ((AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe))

    With many states expected to ban abortion if Roe falls, their clinic “could soon become one of the southernmost abortion providers in the nation. It will be a lifeline for patients in our community and throughout the Southeast and across the country.”

    Nuzzo wrote that their abortion clinic “will specialize in later abortion care” which is the preferred pro-choice phrase for the more commonly known “late-term abortion.” According to her abortion clinic’s website, “She is one of the few midwives trained to provide abortion care through all trimesters.”

    Instead of offering the typical response that late abortions are done only because of health problems or fetal abnormalities, the main reason she gave was that women “simply didn’t know they were pregnant” yet. She cited one study that said “most people seeking abortions in the second trimester discovered their pregnancy after eight weeks, and 1 in 5 discovered theirs after 20 weeks,” indicating elective abortions.

    “We will offer later abortion care simply because people need it and will likely need it even more if Roe is overturned,” Nuzzo declared. 

    Roe v Wade is dismantled.” src=”https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2018/09/640/320/baby_feet.jpg?ve=1&tl=1″>

    Washington Post column stresses urgency for new Maryland abortion clinic to help women terminate pregnancies if Roe v Wade is dismantled. (malhrovitz)

    “There is nothing easy about starting a clinic, to be sure. Especially now. I fear for my family’s safety and my own,” she wrote. 

    She wrote of the financial burdens, “In addition, we have to rely on crowdfunding to help get our clinic started. That, sadly, is the reality of health care in 2022.” But, then, in the next paragraph, said, “So many have rallied around us as we prepare to open our clinic. People are supporting their local abortion funds and independent clinics like ours through Keep Our Clinics.”

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    “Though we believed the worst was coming, our community is showing up for our patients and each other. As abortion providers, we see the best of our communities every day. And that gives me hope,” she concluded. 

    Republicans introduce ‘Women’s Bill of Rights’ to protect accomplishments, ensure safety of biological females

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    EXCLUSIVE: Republicans are introducing a “Women’s Bill of Rights” in order to enshrine into law protections for females based on their biological sex.

    Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., is leading lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest group of conservative lawmakers on the Hill, in formally introducing the legislation Thursday morning. 

    “I am proud to introduce the Women’s Bill of Rights to affirm the importance of acknowledging women and their unique and distinguishing characteristics and contributions to our nation. As the Left continues to erase women, we must fight for women and their place in our society. Whether it’s keeping the word “mother” in written law, or ensuring women’s domestic violence shelters do not have to accept biological men, we must stand up for women,” Lesko told Fox News Digital.

    Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., is leading lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee in formally introducing the legislation Thursday morning.

    The bill states that the Women’s Bill of Rights is necessary to establish in order to “reaffirm legal protections afforded to women under Federal law” due to that face that males and females have unique biological differences, which increases as they age.

    The lawmakers’ bill says that due to biological differences, only females are able to “get pregnant, give birth, breastfeed children.” In addition, males are larger and possess greater strength than females due to biology. The text also states that females are subjected to more specific forms of violence, including sexual violence.

    Despite these biological differences, the lawmakers point out that women have succeeded in education, athletic and other accomplishments, and due to “misguided court rulings related to the definition of ‘sex,'” that has endangered “spaces and resources” dedicated to women, the bill is necessary to clarify terms in order to afford women protections.

    HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO MAKE PROTECTING WOMEN’S SPORTS A ‘PRIORITY’ IF THEY RETAKE MAJORITY

    RSC chairman Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital: “The modern Democrat party has put the Left’s woke agenda before the rights of women. These days, Democrats refuse to even admit women exist or recognize them as unique beings, with unique abilities.”

    Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas waits for a preliminary heat in the Women’s NCAA 500 meter freestyle swimming championship start Thursday, March 17, 2022, in at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

    “While radical liberals strip away the progress and protections that generations of women fought to achieve, Republicans must fight back and acknowledge these basic biological truths. As the father of three daughters, I’m proud to co-lead this resolution reaffirming the legal protections afforded to them under federal law,” Banks continued.

    Reps. Mary Miller of Illinois and Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee are also leading the bill with Lesko and Banks. Joining them as original cosponsors include Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York, Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Ronny Jackson of Texas and Doug LaMalfa of California. A bill has also been introduced in the Senate led by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.

    “This common-sense document will help codify our common understanding and the reality we all know of the words ‘female,’ ‘woman,’ and ‘sex’, and I am proud to support it,” Rep. Miller added.

    The legislation clarifies, “for purposes of Federal law, a person’s ‘sex’ means his or her biological sex (either male or female) at birth” and the term “mother” means “parents of female sex and ‘father’ is defined as parent of the male sex.” It continues: “there are important reasons to distinguish between the sexes with respect to athletics, prisons, domestic violence shelters, restrooms, and other areas, particularly where biology, safety, and privacy are implicated.”

    Women’s groups including Independent Women’s Voice, Family Policy Alliance and Concerned Women for America, are supportive of the legislation, which they say will help fight sex discrimination and better protect women.

    “We can’t fight sex discrimination if we can’t agree on what it means to be a woman. And we can’t collect accurate data regarding public health, medicine, education, crime, and the economic status of women if we redefine sex to mean ‘gender identity,’” Independent Women’s Law Center director Jennifer C. Braceras told Fox News Digital.

    The issue of biological males competing in women’s sports has been in the national spotlight recently as transgender woman Lia Thomas swept races at the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship.

    Transgender woman Lia Thomas (L) of the University of Pennsylvania stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists (L-R) Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde pose for a photo at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championship. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

    On Wednesday, Democratic witness Aimee Arrambide, the executive director of the abortion rights nonprofit Avow Texas, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on abortion rights and declared that men can get pregnant and have abortions.

    In addition, a “pregnant man” and “pregnant person” emojis were released earlier this year in a voluntary update to the iPhone. 

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    A senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital earlier this week that “protecting women’s sports will be a priority of a Republican majority” and Republican members are gearing up to tackle the issue should the House flip in November.

    The RSC is also pushing that the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” led by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., be brought to the House floor expeditiously through a discharge petition. 

    Fox News’ Houston Keene and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.

    Washington state school board director set to host ‘Queer Youth Open Mic Night’ at sex shop

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    A Washington state school board director is slated to host a “Queer Youth Open Mic Night” for children ranging from ages 0-18 at a sex shop. 

    “All queer youth (0 to 18 years old) are invited to share poetry, music, or a story at our open mic night. Sign up for a performer spot ahead of time, 5-minute time limit,” a Facebook post from the sex shop WinkWink in Bellingham, Washington, says. 

    WinkWink is described as a “woman-owned, identity-inclusive sex shop” that is “sex-positive, body-positive, and gender-affirming.” The sex shop is owned by Jenn Mason, the school board director for the Bellingham School District, KTTH radio host Jason Rantz reported Wednesday. 

    Jenn Mason, School Board Director at Bellingham School District in Washington State. Google Maps shot of WinkWink sex shop in Washington State.  (Bellingham Public Schools/Google Maps)

    The event for children will be hosted at WinkWink on June 1 and is billed as an opportunity to “celebrate youth pride” by holding a space and “stage for young queer voices in our community.”

    NJ BOARD OF EDUCATION REFUSES TO REVIEW CONTROVERSIAL SEX EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR YOUNG STUDENTS

    “WinkWink offers a space for people — including queer folks — to ask questions and learn about sexuality in an accepting, safe, and shame-free environment. We receive extensive sexual health training and are a knowledgeable, inclusive community resource — something severely lacking around sexuality in our culture,” Mason told the Jason Rantz Show. 

    Toronto, Canada – 25 June 2017: Gay Pride Parade spectator holding small gay rainbow flag during Toronto Pride Parade in 2017 (iStock)

    JASON RANTZ SLAMS LIBERALS’ ‘ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS’ ATTACKS ON GOV. DESANTIS: THEY ‘CALL EVERYBODY A BIGOT’

    Mason added that the event is not related to her role on the school board and explained that the open mic night for kids would be “physically separated” from the sex toys in the shop. The shop notes on its website that in addition to selling sex toys and other intimate items, it also hosts classes such as “Non-monogomy for newbies” and private intimacy and sex coaching sessions taught by Mason. 

    CO MOM SAYS MIDDLE SCHOOL INVITED HER DAUGHTER TO SECRET LGBTQ CLUB, TOLD STUDENTS TO KEEP INFO FROM PARENTS

    “As this is a public event at a private business, anyone uncomfortable with the location may choose to not attend,” Mason said of the open mic night. 

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    A spokesperson for Bellingham School District told Fox News Digital that the “community event is not sponsored by our schools or school district.”