HomeWomen's Health
Women's Health
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,...
Ultrasound cancer screening less accurate in black women – US study
Experts suggest that a common screening technique used to assess the risk of endometrial cancer may be less effective in black women, and that...
US sterilisations double after Roe v Wade overturned
US doctors say that since the controversial overturning by the Supreme Court of Roe v Wade in June 2022, sterilisations in certain states have tripled, with...
Experts warn against over-prescription of testosterone for women
The prescribing of testosterone for middle-aged women is “out of control” and may have long-term implications for their health, warn experts, amid concerns over...
Toxic metals, including lead, found in tampons – US study
American researchers who investigated the presence of metals in tampons commonly used by menstruating women found several toxic metals, like cadmium, lead, and arsenic,...
Post-menopause CKD tied to tooth loss – South Korean study
There's an association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and increased tooth loss in post-menopausal women, particularly those aged 66-79, according to a South Korean...
US launches 30-year study on black women and cancer
A long-term population study – which will track 100 000 women for three decades – has been started by the American Cancer Society (ACS),...
Male birth control gel shows promise in US trial
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) says a combination hormonal topical gel has shown promise by suppressing sperm production in a shorter amount...
Women see GP 10 times before menopause diagnosis – UK expert
British women are having at least 10 GP visits before they get a menopause diagnosis, said an expert on the subject, who suggested almost...
Durban experts flag breast cancer genetic trends for different race groups
Precise tracking of breast cancer trends in Sub-Saharan Africa is difficult because of a lack of population-specific data, but in KwaZulu-Natal, researchers were able...
Premenstrual disorders tied to higher suicide risk – Swedish study
Women with premenstrual disorders (PMDs) have been associated with a higher risk of death from non-natural causes, a study in Sweden has suggested, with...
Weight-loss shots linked to unexpected pregnancies
With claims suggesting that weight-loss jabs may be fuelling an unexpected increase in pregnancies, experts have recommended that women pair the use of drugs...
What period blood can reveal about health
In a move highlighting the potential for future studies and findings, the FDA recently approved the first at-home diagnostic test based on period blood,...
UK inquiry hears of mothers' maternity trauma
A British parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma has called for a national plan to improve maternity care, declaring that good care is “the exception rather than the...
New breast cancer genes identified in African women
The identification of a dozen breast cancer genes only recently discovered in women of African ancestry might help improve predictions for their chances of...
Hormones safe for menopause – US study dispels old flawed findings
The benefits of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopause symptoms outweigh the risks, and what is available now is very different from two...
Depression risk ‘40% higher’ in perimenopause – UK meta-analysis
British researchers have suggested that women who are approaching menopause have a 40% higher risk of suffering from anxiety and depression than those with...