The Unique Reproductive Healthcare Needs of Black LGBTQ+ Families

Dr. Kendra Ivy, an internal medicine resident physician at the Morehouse School of Medicine, discusses the ways in which LGBTQ+ folks have historically been, and continue to be, failed by the American healthcare system—and the Black queer community most of all. Structural barriers, such as the high cost of care and discrimination from providers and insurance companies, are particularly grueling when it comes to sexual and reproductive healthcare: "All these families want is to pour their love into a new life," she says, "but navigating this process within a system that's just not designed for them can be devastating."

Visit OWN's Heart Health page throughout the month of February for vital updates and information about cardiac disease prevention.