HHS Discontinues CDC Staff Responsible for Ensuring Safe Birth Control for Women with Medical Risks

In a significant policy change, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has dismissed key staff members at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who were instrumental in developing guidelines to ensure the safe prescription of contraception for women with underlying health conditions. These guidelines, established over a decade ago, provided critical insights into contraceptive safety for conditions such as heart disease, lupus, sickle cell disease, and obesity.

The CDC team’s work was vital in advising clinicians on which contraceptive methods are safe or risky for women at increased health risk, aiming to prevent adverse events like blood clots or heart failure. Their removal follows a broad downsizing of the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health, with about two-thirds of the division’s staff let go through layoffs, retirements, or reassignments, including those managing extensive maternal and reproductive health data.

One of the dismissed staff highlighted that the CDC's guidelines were the only comprehensive, up-to-date source of safety information for clinicians managing high-risk pregnancies and contraception. Without this team, ongoing monitoring of new evidence and updating of contraceptive safety protocols have halted, potentially leaving clinicians without authoritative, current guidance.

The implications are especially severe for women like Brianna Henderson, who developed peripartum cardiomyopathy—a rare, life-threatening heart failure condition after her second child. CDC guidelines recommend avoiding combined hormonal contraception for women with PPCM due to its increased risk of blood clots, guiding women and doctors toward safer options like progestin-only implants. Henderson’s own experience underscores the importance of specialized guidance, as she has to carefully select her contraception with her cardiologist’s approval.

The impact of the staffing cuts extends beyond individual cases. The CDC's reproductive health division historically managed crucial programs such as the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, which gathers data to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. The shutdown of these programs raises concerns about the long-term ability of the CDC to respond to emerging reproductive health issues.

While the CDC’s contraception guidelines are regarded as the gold standard—covering over 60 medical conditions—their recent reduction undermines the capacity to incorporate new research findings promptly. For instance, in 2020, updated recommendations for women at high HIV risk reflected evolving evidence, a process now hindered by staffing reductions.

HHS has declined to provide detailed reasons for the dismissals, which appear to represent a broader effort to streamline the federal workforce. Experts warn that this move could jeopardize future updates and compromises the safety of countless women relying on these guidelines for safe contraception choices.

In conclusion, the removal of the CDC staff responsible for reproductive health guidance poses significant risks to women with medical conditions who depend on expert, evidence-based recommendations to prevent life-threatening complications. Advocacy groups and clinicians emphasize the need for stable, up-to-date information to ensure safe contraceptive practices for all women.