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Background: A large body of research has documented disparities in health and access to care among sexual minority populations, but very little population-based research has focused on the health care needs among pregnant sexual minority women., Methods: Data for this study came from 3,901 reproductive-age (18-44 years) women who identified as lesbian or bisexual and 63,827 reproductive-age women who identified as heterosexual in the 2014-2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Logistic regression models were used to compare health care access, health outcomes, and health behaviors by sexual orientation and pregnancy status while controlling for demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status., Results: Approximately 3% of reproductive-age sexual minority women were pregnant. Pregnant sexual minority women were more likely to have unmet medical care needs owing to cost, frequent mental distress, depression, poor/fair health, activity limitations, chronic conditions, and risky health behaviors compared with pregnant heterosexual women. Nonpregnant sexual minority women were more likely to report barriers to care, activity limitations, chronic conditions, smoking, and binge drinking compared with nonpregnant heterosexual women. Health outcomes were similar between pregnant and nonpregnant sexual minority women, but pregnant sexual minority women were more likely to smoke cigarettes every day compared with other women., Conclusions: This study adds new population-based research to the limited body of evidence on health and access to care for pregnant sexual minority women who may face stressors, discrimination, and stigma before and during pregnancy. More research and programs should focus on perinatal care that is inclusive of diverse families and sexual orientations., (Copyright © 2018 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed a vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV) that prevents the strains of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers. Within months, many states introduced legislation requiring the vaccine for girls, prompting controversy and heightened political and media attention to the issue. Previous research has shown differences in HPV vaccine awareness by individual-level characteristics such as race/ethnicity, income, and education levels. We examined how individual political orientation and exposure to media coverage can also shape awareness of the vaccine., Methods: Using data from a 2009 Internet survey of 1,216 nationally representative adult respondents linked to data on state-specific news coverage, we assessed how political orientation, media exposure, and state political context predicted HPV vaccine awareness., Results: Younger people, women, and those with more education were significantly more likely to be aware of the vaccine. Even after controlling for these characteristics, we found that exposure to news media was associated with higher HPV vaccine awareness. Whereas liberals and conservatives were both more aware of the vaccine compared with moderates, the data are suggestive that liberals were more sensitive to news coverage., Conclusion: These findings suggest that individual-level political identities and their interaction with the informational environment may be important factors to consider in evaluating the determinants of individuals' attitudes and behaviors related to politically charged women's health issues., (Copyright © 2013 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)