https://medicalxpress.com/obstetrics-gynaecology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Obstetrics and gynaecology A research group has revealed through studies in humans and mice that a subset of clear cell ovarian cancers, which have been considered difficult to treat with anticancer drugs and immunotherapy, responds to immunotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immunotherapy-effective-subtype-difficult-ovarian.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:20:05 EDT news706205462 Climbers who love their sport may not have to hang up their ropes and harnesses just because they become pregnant, a University of Alberta study suggests. Although physical activity guidelines advise expectant women to stay grounded because of the risk of falling, the research presents the first direct evidence that continuing to climb into the third trimester doesn't increase the chances of self-reported pregnancy complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pregnant-climbers-stay-grounded.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:00:07 EDT news706172402 Women in rural and remote Queensland are facing major barriers to fertility care that are making an already difficult fertility journey even harder, new James Cook University research has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-reveals-rural-women-queensland-fertility.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:40:01 EDT news706164781 Charlotte Touzalin was still a young teenager when she began struggling with weight gain, abnormal periods and unwanted facial hair—the same puzzling symptoms that plagued her mom for decades and that no doctor could piece together. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-obesity-drugs-early-hormonal-disorder.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:06:18 EDT news706111545 I teach a university course called Hormones and Behaviour. What surprises students is that biological sex is not produced by a single switch. What surprises me is that many students have never been taught this before. It is basic biology, but it helps explain life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-chromosomes-sex-hormones-body-dont.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:00:04 EDT news705918347 Biologic medicines have transformed the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, migraine, inflammatory disorders and many other conditions. Yet their growing use among women of reproductive age constitutes a major clinical challenge because therapeutic IgG antibodies are actively transported across the placenta to the developing fetus. Evidence supporting the safe use of such therapeutics during pregnancy remains limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-placental-mechanism-safer-biologic-medicines.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:02 EDT news705857652 Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Germany: Around 1 in 8 women will develop it during their lifetime. In around 5% to 10% of cases, the condition is caused by a hereditary predisposition. Thirteen risk genes have currently been identified for genetic testing, including the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Variations (mutations) in these genes are associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-genome-analysis-uncovers-candidate-genes.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:20:04 EDT news705928442 Pregnant women with a history of child abuse or neglect experienced increased inflammation when exposed to mild stress compared with women without those experiences, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. Increased inflammation, in turn, was associated with a greater number of complications during pregnancy and birth, including premature birth, according to the research team. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-childhood-abuse-neglect-linked-life.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 07:10:05 EDT news705906651 Hospitals across the U.S. are trying to reduce maternal deaths and complications after pregnancies using one small tool: a silicone wristband stamped with the declaration "I Gave Birth." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-hospitals-tool-childbirth-wristbands.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:40:07 EDT news705825965 The proportion of women with early breast cancer who receive chemotherapy varies significantly across different regions of Sweden. A study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Breast Cancer Research, shows that these differences may affect survival among women 65 and older. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-regional-differences-chemotherapy-treatment-breast.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:40:01 EDT news705853441 Researchers at Peter Mac have discovered why breast cancer treatment stops working for some patients, uncovering the unexpected role of one of the body's most important cancer-fighting proteins. The study, published in Nature, revealed that the retinoblastoma (Rb) protein—long considered one of the body's natural brakes on cancer growth—has a more complex function than previously understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-rb-unexpected-estrogen-responsive-genes.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:20:03 EDT news705849422 Prenatal visits might include bloodwork, discussions of due dates and vitamins, and ultrasounds. What if these visits could also improve oral health care among pregnant patients? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dental-prenatal-boosts-oral-health.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:00:06 EDT news705758822 When a new life begins to grow in the mother's womb, the immune system must perform a demanding balancing act: It must tolerate the fetus, which is genetically half foreign, and at the same time protect the mother from infection. For most pregnant women, this happens without any problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pregnancy-immune-burden-women-arthritis.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:20:06 EDT news705850842 A new study conducted at Boston Medical Center (BMC), New England's largest essential hospital, found that a trauma-informed clinical guideline can help reduce reflexive Child Protective Services (CPS) reporting without compromising child safety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-prenatal-substance-exposure-cps-analysis.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:10:01 EDT news705840482 Women on regimens of estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy are at reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, a study by Stanford Medicine investigators has found. Because estrogen-only therapy is generally prescribed for women without a uterus, most of these users presumably had had hysterectomies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-estrogen-based-menopausal-hormone-therapy.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:40:03 EDT news705831017 Adverse pregnancy outcomes—such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, low birth weight and preterm birth—are associated with risks of further complications, chronic disease and cardiovascular disease. They also disproportionately affect Black and Latina women. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-women-adverse-pregnancy-outcomes-higher.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:00:04 EDT news705768245 Pain, bleeding, itching and other bowel-related problems after childbirth are not merely a matter of physical discomfort. A study conducted by researchers from Wroclaw Medical University shows that more severe pelvic floor symptoms, particularly colorectal-anal symptoms, are associated with more severe depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-postpartum-pelvic-floor-symptoms-linked.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:20:03 EDT news705767941 Vanillin, a common flavoring chemical in e-cigarettes, may disrupt the normal development of embryos in pregnant women who vape, according to a study published in Human Reproduction. The finding explains how vaping may be linked to women having difficulty conceiving and to miscarriages. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-vanillin-flavoring-cigarettes-disrupt-human.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news705656342 Women carrying breech babies have a better chance of avoiding a cesarean delivery (C-section) when spinal or epidural anesthesia is used during external cephalic version (ECV), a procedure used to turn the baby head-down before labor, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-epidural-breech-babies-section.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:00:04 EDT news705767761 Use of hormone therapy later in life was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-estrogen-hormone-therapy-dementia.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:00:05 EDT news705659402 An analysis of Reddit posts about the maternal Tdap vaccine made by pregnant women reveals that expectant mothers turn to Reddit to seek advice and reassurance—with fewer outright instances of vaccine hesitancy or refusal than generally observed for other types of vaccines, according to a study published Aug. 12, 2026, in the journal PLOS Global Public Health by Soojung Jo from Purdue University, United States, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-reddit-reveals-pregnant-women-tdap.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:11 EDT news705588515 Organs don't just grow in early life; they can change in response to physiological or environmental challenges in adulthood. Researchers have now identified an active role for the intestinal muscles in remodeling the gut after reproduction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-female-gut-muscles-reshape-demands.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:40:03 EDT news705753421 Menstrual leave and flexible work arrangements are the forms of support women with endometriosis say would help them most, according to a new study by researchers at Semmelweis University published in Preventive Medicine Reports. Pain and fatigue lead to more frequent absences from work and reduced job performance. The first large-scale study of its kind from Central and Eastern Europe found that women with endometriosis lose an average of €1,757 in income each year—roughly equivalent to one month's average salary in Hungary. This estimate reflects income lost because of work absences and does not include the costs of reduced productivity at work or health care expenses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-women-endometriosis-month-salary-year.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news705746072 Early natural menopause is already associated with a higher long-term health burden. A new large-scale study demonstrates that cumulative social disadvantage—and, in particular, unemployment—is strongly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, as well as a marked predisposition to dementia, in women with early natural menopause. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-social-disadvantage-greatly-amplifies-mortality.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705736038 As mice age, their total egg reserve collapses around tenfold. Yet, according to a new study published in Nature Aging, the proportion of eggs in the brief window where a follicle is shifting from dormant to growing stays constant throughout life, at approximately 14%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-3d-lifespan-mouse-ovaries-constant.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:00:02 EDT news705677881 Doula care has been associated with improved breastfeeding initiation and less maternal anxiety. Perinatal doula care includes education about pregnancy and birth, advocacy for new parents in the hospital, and help after delivery with lactation and recovery. Doulas often work alongside doctors or midwives who provide medical care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-states-doula-access.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:40:05 EDT news705658710 For more than 30 years, one piece of pregnancy advice has been remarkably consistent: Take folic acid. The reason is clear. Folic acid, or vitamin B9, can lower the risk of neural tube defects, serious birth defects that happen when the early structure that becomes the brain and spinal cord does not close properly. What has been much less clear is how folic acid works. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-folic-acid-baby-brain-spinal.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:20:05 EDT news705667022 A birth doula is a support person a woman can privately hire during pregnancy. They usually attend the birth and provide nonclinical comfort measures such as massage, assistance getting into different birth positions and emotional reassurance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-doula-dont-childbirth.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:20:03 EDT news705662162 Maternal vaping is emerging as a potential risk factor for sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), according to New Zealand researchers who say their findings highlight the need to reassess public health messaging around vaping in pregnancy and bed sharing. The work is published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-maternal-vaping-linked-sudi-cases.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:07 EDT news705659101 Phthalates, which are chemicals found in plastics, personal care products and hundreds of other consumer goods, may contribute to high blood pressure in pregnant women, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-endocrine-disrupting-chemical-exposure-linked.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 07:00:02 EDT news705640861