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Women's Health
Sweden may green-light home abortions
A Swedish Government-commissioned investigation has recommended a legislative change that would allow home abortions without requiring patients to visit a clinic for their first...
Breast cancer deaths to rise 68% by 2050 – WHO study
Global cancer researchers have warned that breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are expected to surge worldwide in the coming decades, rising to more than...
Time for change in the world of contraception?
Something is changing when it comes to contraception. Lots of people aren’t using it. In The Guardian, columnist Martha Gill observes that when contraception has...
Pros and cons of growing trend of testosterone therapy for women
The effects of low testosterone in women can range from low libido, lack of energy, loss of strength and muscle tone, to cognitive difficulties...
Some hormonal contraceptives linked to clots – Danish study
A team of researchers has suggested that some progesterone-only hormonal contraceptives may carry similar clot risk to certain combined pills, according to their study.
The Danish...
Sepsis and necrosis after butt-lifts, UK investigation finds
A British “beauty consultant” is carrying out potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures – many of which result in disfiguring infection and needing surgery – and...
UK mesh victims still awaiting compensation
British women harmed by pelvic mesh implants are still waiting for government compensation a year after a call for urgent action by a major...
Major study of 100 000 black women to probe cancer risks
When the VOICES of Black Women pilot study launched in 2023, its co-principal investigator Lauren McCullough, PhD, MSPH, was the first participant to sign...
Pharmacists obliged to dispense abortion drugs if prescribed, council warns
The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) has issued a notice confirming pharmacists may not – based on personal beliefs, moral reasons or religious grounds...
Steroids in pregnancy tied to brain disorder risks – Danish cohort study
Scientists from Denmark who analysed data from more than 1m births have suggested that children exposed to glucocorticoids prenatally may have an increased risk...
Hormone therapy not tied to higher glioma risk in women – Chinese analysis
Experts said postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) did not significantly increase the risk of glioma, leaving unresolved the reason for the sex disparity incidence, according...
Hormonal contraceptives and cancer risk – Australian study
Many women worry that hormonal contraceptives have dangerous side-effects, including increased cancer risk. But this perception is often out of proportion with the actual...
SA women allege Pfizer knew about contraceptive tumour risk
Four South African women who used Pfizer’s Depo-Provera for decades blame the injectable contraceptive for causing them to develop brain tumours, but the company...
Marketers of CBD-coated tampons warned by FDA
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has slammed a UK company for “adulterating” its products, sending it a warning letter for selling tampons...
No red flags with non-hormonal menopause drug phase 3b trial
Results from a phase 3 randomised controlled trial of the non-hormonal drug Fezolinetant (45mg once daily) found the treatment to be efficacious and well...
SA mental health and motherhood guidelines ineffective without resources
In South Africa, mothers and pregnant women suffer from high levels of mental health issues, with at least one out of every three experiencing...
Period pains linked to depression gene, scientists say
Women with certain genes linked to depression are more likely to have period pains, scientists reported last week, but other researchers said the interplay...
Hysterectomies still not clear-cut for most women
Aside from C-sections, hysterectomies are still the most common surgical procedure among women, but most women who undergo the procedure don't understand their full...
Swedish study links some HRT medicines to higher cardio risks
Researchers who analysed almost a million women in Sweden have found those taking certain HRT tablets suffered higher rates of heart complications and blood...
Contraceptive pills recalled in SA after packaging ‘mix-up’
Bayer has recalled a batch of Yaz Plus contraceptive pills in South Africa over a packaging “mix-up” it says could compromise its efficacy.
“In close...
African activists fear Trump will cut birth control funds
There is growing anxiety across Africa – and other countries – that US President elect Donald Trump might end the donor funding for services...
Criticism over updated menopause guidelines
New guidelines which recommend women with menopause symptoms be offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a first-line treatment, not therapy, have been slated by...
FDA approves new oral drug for UTIs, despite concerns
A new oral antibiotic has cracked the nod from the FDA for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections, despite the agency’s reviewers voicing...
Triplets becoming less common in the US
Giving birth to triplets, quadruplets or even more has become increasingly less common in the United States, the decline being particularly noticeable in mothers...
SA women could have three-monthly anti-HIV ring by 2026
A flexible silicone ring that slowly releases antiretrovirals is one of just two long-acting HIV prevention products registered for use in South Africa, but...
Updated stroke guidelines highlight risks for women
New guidelines for preventing strokes spell out, for the first time, the risks faced by women, noting that pre-term births and conditions like endometriosis...
More risk of lupus, diabetes if periods stop early – Finnish study
Women with premature ovarian insufficiency, whose periods stop before 40, have a much greater risk of severe autoimmune diseases like diabetes and lupus, according...
Dentists warn of risk to teeth from menopause
A little-known symptom of menopause can often be overlooked, say dental experts, because hot flashes and night sweats are among the most infamous maladies...
Breastfeeding after breast cancer a safe option – Italian studies
Two international studies presented at last week’s ESMO Congress 2024 in Barcelona showed no increase in recurrence or new breast cancers in women who...
FDA launches probe into lead, arsenic detected in tampons
The US Food and Drug Administration will be carrying out studies to investigate any potential harm to women from the presence of heavy metals,...
FDA alert on menopausal drug
The FDA has issued an alert warning women about menopausal medicine for hot flushes, saying fezolinetant (Veozah), a hormone-free pill, could cause rare but...
Blind women help detect possible breast cancers in India
In an extraordinary programme, blind women in India are assisting in the diagnosis of possible breast cancers, in a country where mammograms are in...
Possible secret chlamydia hiding spot found – German study
The world’s most common sexual infection may have a secret hiding spot in the body where it can avoid antibiotics, suggest researchers, after uncovering...
Fallopian tube removal in sterilisation is safe – Swedish experts
The removal of fallopian tubes during sterilisation is about as safe as sterilisation procedures that damage the tubes but leave them intact, a recent...
Easier self-tests may soon replace the dreaded Pap smear
Healthcare companies are preparing to introduce a new model for cervical cancer screening and prevention: self-collection, in which a woman swabs her vagina in...
NHS rolls out osteoporosis drug for menopausal women
A new drug that helps prevent bone fractures in women – and increases bone density by stimulating the cells that make new bones –...
Updated guidelines for IUDs acknowledge insertion pain
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated guidelines on intrauterine contraceptive devices(IUD) insertions to include pain management.
In the first update...
Cervical cancer treatment success with heat therapy – Wits study
Researchers at Wits University have successfully enhanced the effectiveness of heat therapy to help treat cervical cancer – the second most common cancer among...
Cranberries reduce UTI risk, meta analysis confirms
Unsweetened cranberry juice is often recommended by doctors as a treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs), and yet given a lack of solid scientific evidence, some...
Double mastectomy no guarantee against cancer – Canadian cohort study
Women who had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy and kept their other breast did just as well as women who had a double mastectomy,...