If you’re pregnant, Delfina wants to support you in your journey—however you identify. Queer people experience a number of disparities when it comes to their experiences of pregnancy. From higher rates of perinatal depression among queer women, to queer people reporting worse birthing experiences than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts, it’s clear that something has to change. Here’s what we’re doing at Delfina to provide the best care for our LGBTQ+ pregnant patients.
Mental health and postpartum offerings
For all patients, mental health during pregnancy and postpartum is a serious consideration. Within the queer community, rates of mental health struggles are higher: over a third of queer women reported perinatal depression, compared to around 10-20% of the general population. 61% of queer folks reported mental health complications after pregnancy, nearly double the rate of cisgender, heterosexual people. Delfina Care makes it easier to get a referral to a mental health specialist, and Delfina Medical Group employs expert mental health clinicians.
The postpartum period is a crucial and underserved stage of the pregnancy journey. Over half of pregnancy-related deaths happen within the first year postpartum, and a shocking 83% of queer people report complications after pregnancy. We recognize this, and are expanding our offerings to include more postpartum care. We hope that when patients can continue to meet with our Delfina Guides, to use our mental health and educational offerings, and to track symptoms like blood pressure, Delfina will be able to continue to facilitate excellent care—even after delivery.
Inclusive language
The level of care that a pregnant patient receives shouldn’t depend on their gender or sexuality. In order to make our platform accessible to queer people, we are intentional about using non-gendered language when we refer to our pregnant patients. It is widely acknowledged that educating and encouraging providers on the use of inclusive language improves care access for transgender and gender diverse patients. 23% of trans people avoid healthcare altogether due to “fear of being mistreated as a transgender person.” We aim to change this inequality with Delfina Care.
In order to help all Delfina Care users feel welcome, all of our educational content and in-app copy uses terms like “pregnant patient,” “pregnant person,” “birthing parent,” or even just “parent.” We do not assume marital status of our patients, and if another parent is mentioned we describe them as a “partner.” In a public health context, we also sometimes talk about “maternal health” or “moms,” understanding that there are many different ways to be a mother. There are mothers who give birth to children, and there are also mothers who adopt, who struggle with infertility, who are trans, who do not fit the traditional gendered role of a mother. Language is contextual, and we strive to tailor our language to each patient the same way that we personalize the rest of our care program.
Inclusive language is about more than just making all patients feel welcome: decoupling pregnancy from gender is part of an intentional move to make trans pregnant patients visible. A system that refers to all pregnant people as “women” erases the existence of pregnant patients with other gender identities. When working to serve a community that is routinely underserved in healthcare, it’s paramount that we strive to provide patient-centric care for our transgender patients just as we would for our cisgender patients.
Accessibility
In addition to barriers to care like discrimination or exclusion, queer individuals are also less likely to be insured. Transgender people are more likely to be low-income, and report barriers to accessing healthcare due to cost. The Delfina Care platform is free for patients and for providers, ensuring that as many people who need care can access it. We currently serve patients who are largely covered by Medicaid. We want Delfina Care to be accessible to the patients who need our care provisions the most.
Additionally, 56% of queer people report using telehealth services for their perinatal care vs. 41% of heterosexual, cisgender patients. Delfina Care has many telehealth offerings, like group classes, one-on-one meetings with Delfina Guides, and referrals to other telehealth providers like therapists and nutritionists. We also offer all of our care services in both English and Spanish, so that more patients in the U.S. can use Delfina Care.
Health equity is at the center of what we do. Delfina is working to improve pregnancy outcomes for all patients, all over the U.S. If you want to be a part of delivering the best care to all pregnant people, join us. If there are ways we can make our company or our product more inclusive, we want to know: contact us at info@delfina.com.
