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Women's Health
Surge in cervical cancer screenings in Cape Town
Health authorities in Cape Town said they are encouraged by the rise in cervical cancer screening tests at local health facilities, the figures having...
SA women sue after faulty birth control pill recalled
More than 300 women are attempting to sue Bayer after it issued a recall on a batch of faulty contraceptive pills, linked to a...
Explosive boom in long-neglected menopause care market
After years of neglect, the frenzy of social media feeds brimming with influencers touting their personally tested “hacks” to solving menopausal symptoms, celebrities promoting...
US officials falsely link Covid vaccines to miscarriage risks
Prominent Republicans and others in Donald Trump’s administration have claimed that Covid-10 vaccines aren’t safe for pregnant women, but years of data show otherwise,...
Debate over anti-depressants in pregnancy is shifting, say experts
Researchers are pushing for a focus on shared structured decision-making processes when it comes to pregnant women and the treatment prescription of selective serotonin...
Hormone therapy drugs might reduce later dementia risk – US study
A US analysis using data from more than 20 000 women found that use of a specific form of hormone therapy in later life...
SA launches folic acid replacement trial
A major clinical trial launched recently will investigate whether a new nutritional supplement could be a potential replacement for the iron and folic acid...
Respectful maternity care starts with better hospital culture – KZN study
Every woman has the right to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect when giving birth, yet for many South African women, childbirth in public...
Pioneering heat treatment bolsters hope for SA women with cervical cancer
After more than a decade of research, testing and Africa’s only clinical trial of its kind, a cancer treatment that could improve the effectiveness...
Why ADHD poses unique health risks for women
Long considered a childhood disease affecting mostly boys – and thus with boys being the focus of most research – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)...
Fallopian tube removal slashes ‘ovarian cancer’ risk by 80%
Experts say that removal of the fallopian tubes can reduce the risk of a woman getting ovarian cancer by 80% – and that most...
When can doctors remove a womb without consent?
The recent Health-e News story about a 20-year old Limpopo mother accusing doctors of removing her womb without her knowledge or consent after childbirth has...
6 000 Zimbabwean babies, 500 mothers, died in 2025
More than 6 100 babies died within the neonatal period in Zimbabwe last year – most from birth asphyxia – while 563 women lost...
More options needed for osteoporosis treatment
Too many women with osteoporosis who are at high fracture risk are not receiving preventive treatment. Even after experiencing a fracture, less than 15%...
Nurses’ religious objections push SA teens to backstreet abortions
An 18-year-old from rural Limpopo said she had to resort to an illegal abortion from a traditional healer after a nurse at a public...
Draft PMOS guidelines for the UK could mean quicker diagnosis
Britain’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new draft guidelines for women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), recommending they...
Study finds link between brain tumour and progestogens, but risk very low
A population study in Denmark that was recently published in JAMA confirmed an association between progestogens in hormonal contraceptives and meningiomas, the most common brain tumour...
Egyptian doctor arrested after exposing obstetric violence
Egyptian human rights groups have condemned the arrest of a former doctor – later released on bail – after she had posted testimony on...
Mapping the clitoris to reshape understanding of women’s health
It's a little pea-sized thing that can give women immense pleasure. Except, as Dame Lesley Regan, MD, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at...
First oral carbapenem approved for complicated UTIs
The FDA has approved tebipenem pivoxil (Utebzi) tablets as the first oral carbapenem antibiotic to treat complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), reports MedPage Today.
Tebipenem pivoxil...
Pregnancy fears after birth control pill shortages
A contraception shortage in some North West and Gauteng clinics for the past three or four months is increasing women’s concerns about unplanned pregnancies,...
Why rebranding PCOS as PMOS is not ideal
A well-intentioned and recent name change may have unintended consequences, argue Kendall Soucie and Devika Bhushan in MedPage Today, after the name of a...
Aspirin may cut preterm birth risk in extreme heat – US study
Recent research led by scientists-physicians at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (BIDMC) suggests that low-dose aspirin initiated early in pregnancy may mitigate the...
DNA test helps breast cancer patients avoid chemo – global study
A study led by University College London suggests that millions of people with breast cancer might be able to avoid chemotherapy – after “practice-changing”...
Early birth safer for babies, mothers with high BP – Cochrane review
Planned early birth for pregnant women with high blood pressure cuts maternal complications by nearly half and reduces the risk of stillbirth, without increasing...
Infant RSV jab better protection than maternal jab – French study
Immunisation with the long-acting monoclonal antibody nirsevimab may provide stronger protection against hospitalisations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants than maternal RSV vaccination...
New name, new focus for PCOS
Experts hope that renaming a condition that can often affect women’s fertility and diabetes risk – and which, in numerous cases, goes undiagnosed –...
Anti-depressants in pregnancy not tied to autism/ADHD – Hong Kong analysis
In an analysis of more than half a million pregnancies, there was no indication that taking anti-depressants during pregnancy increased the risk of children...
Successful birth of quadruplets for Mpumalanga mother
Experts say the chances of conceiving quadruplets are extremely low, so the birth of four babies to an Mpumalanga mother last month was a...
Vitamin D boosts breast cancer treatment – Brazil study
Scientists in Brazil have found that a simple daily vitamin D supplement may help chemotherapy work more effectively in women with breast cancer and...
Some menopause supplements better than others, say experts
Social media is saturated with menopause solutions: powders for brain fog, gummies for sleep, or capsules promising hormonal balance, while supplements like magnesium, lion’s...
Active midlife halves women’s early death risk – Australian study
Women can slash their risk of dying by around 50% from any cause if they consistently meet recommended physical activity levels during middle age,...
Genetic testing boosts black women's breast cancer survival – US study
Researchers have suggested that advanced genetic testing could help erase the gaping disparities in breast cancer survival rates between white and black patients –...
Women were never meant to give birth on their backs – and why they do
It’s usually more dangerous for women to give birth lying down, so why do they? Turns out it’s all because of a Frenchman who...
Low CD4 count linked to cervical cancer risk – Swiss-SA study
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bern, Switzerland, and in collaboration with the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, has found...
Sanitary pad saga – MPs call for regulatory reforms
MPs have called for regulatory changes to be explored, including possible amendments to make the criteria of the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) compulsory,...
UCT study pioneers treatment for bacterial vaginosis
A collaborative study by researchers from several South African institutions and from the United States, has successfully isolated and characterised vaginal bacteria from South...
Early menopause linked to higher lifetime heart disease risk – US study
A recent study has linked premature menopause with a 40% higher lifetime risk of coronary heart disease, also finding that black women were more...
Hormone therapy after 65 tied to cancer, vascular events – Israeli study
Initiation of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) after the age of 65 is linked to significantly increased risks for cancer and vascular events, new data...
Non-hormonal drug for hot flushes now offered by NHS England
A non-hormonal drug for treating hot flushes and night sweats during menopause is now available on the NHS in England when HRT (hormone replacement...