Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus
Published on: December 5, 2015
Structural heteropatriarchy and maternal cardiovascular morbidities
Bethany G Everett1, Morgan M Philbin2, Patricia Homan3
1Department of Sociology, University of Utah, United States.
None:
The United States has some of the poorest maternal health outcomes of any developed nation. Existing research on maternal cardiovascular morbidities has focused predominantly on individual- and clinic-level drivers, but we know little about community- and structural-level factors that shape these outcomes. We use a composite measure of "structural heteropatriarchy" which includes measures of structural sexism and structural LGB-stigma to examine the relationship between structural heteropatriarchy and three cardiovascular-related maternal morbidities using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 3928). Results using multivariate regressions show that structural heteropatriarchy is associated with increased risk of reporting maternal morbidities. Our findings provide further evidence that sexuality- and gender-based stigma operate together to shape health disparities, including maternal health.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...
Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH...
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Imbalances in Cardiac Output
CHF can occur due to the failure of either side of the heart. Left-side failure leads to pulmonary congestion—the right side continues to send...
Hormonal Regulation of Blood Pressure
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
The adrenal medulla releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, catecholamines that enhance and extend the sympathetic or "fight or flight" physiological response. These hormones escalate heart rate and the force of contraction...

