https://medicalxpress.com/obstetrics-gynaecology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Obstetrics and gynaecology An estimated 1 in 8 women live with polycystic ovarian syndrome, commonly referred to as PCOS. However, the name is a bit of a misnomer; it suggests that the condition affects only the ovaries. In actuality, the condition is a broader metabolic and hormonal disorder. After years of research and patient advocacy, a recent report in The Lancet announced a new designation to reflect the condition's whole-body impact: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ovaries-pcos-condition-multisystem-nature.html Fri, 29 May 2026 16:00:01 EDT news699268441 Moving more and sitting less could lower the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-movement-pregnancy-linked-complications.html Fri, 29 May 2026 12:20:03 EDT news699274223 Researchers at UBC found that B.C.'s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s. Unaffordable contraception is linked to higher rates of unintended pregnancy, which carries significant consequences for health, education and economic equality. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-free-contraception-policy-sharply-patient.html Fri, 29 May 2026 11:00:02 EDT news699166476 Most Americans know that how well a mother takes care of herself before and during pregnancy affects the health of a baby, but many people remain unclear about some specific maternal health recommendations, including when to start avoiding alcohol, according to a new nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-maternal-health-knowledge-strong-gaps.html Fri, 29 May 2026 09:40:02 EDT news699266342 Pain during intercourse is a topic that still rarely breaks into the public debate on health. As shown in the latest analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, dyspareunia affects up to one in five women. It is a medical problem, but also a social one, associated with shame and insufficient systemic support. In practice, this means that one of the most common sexual dysfunctions remains as one of the least frequently diagnosed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-pain-intercourse-widely-discussed.html Thu, 28 May 2026 18:00:03 EDT news699208262 Many cancers can be treated by administering DNA-damaging agents, such as platinum-based chemotherapy, because the resulting DNA damage causes the cancer cells to die. A subset of cancers, however, including ovarian cancers, can repair their own DNA. Because such cancers survive despite chemotherapy, ovarian cancer patients whose tumors are DNA repair proficient have historically faced a poor prognosis and commonly recur within six months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-scientists-metabolic-chemotherapy-resistance-ovarian.html Thu, 28 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news699191699 More than a quarter of women buying menstrual products also purchase pain relief at the same time—and those in lower-income areas are significantly less likely to do so—according to a new study published this week in PLOS Digital Health by Dr. Victoria Sivill of the University of Bristol, UK, and colleagues. The work used supermarket loyalty card data to map menstrual pain disparities across England. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-supermarket-receipts-trends-menstrual-pain.html Thu, 28 May 2026 14:00:01 EDT news699182197 Criticism about their weight from their loved ones—partners, family, and friends—may make it harder for women to stay active and eat well during pregnancy and after giving birth, a University of Alberta study shows. Surveys of 463 women showed that 85% of them felt the sting of weight stigma during pregnancy from the people closest to them, and 74% experienced it after giving birth, with the result that they were less likely to meet nutrition and physical activity guidelines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-weight-shaming-pregnancy-hinder-healthy.html Thu, 28 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news699184922 A new study led by Prof. Michael Klutstein at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Prof. Asaf Wilensky at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center and spearheaded by the students Dr. Paz Kles and Stephen Ameho has uncovered a striking biological link between chronic oral inflammation and female fertility, suggesting that conditions in the mouth may have far-reaching effects on reproductive health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-oral-inflammation-ovaries-fertility-decline.html Thu, 28 May 2026 10:20:01 EDT news699179549 A recent study from The University of Texas at San Antonio reveals that low-cost training for frontline health workers can significantly reduce medical supply shortages, potentially saving thousands of lives in developing nations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-simple-medical-shelves.html Thu, 28 May 2026 09:40:01 EDT news699178561 A report in the Journal of Medical Internet Research shows developments in the evidence gap in drug safety during pregnancy in its News and Perspectives section. In "How Machine Learning Can Help Close Evidence Gaps for Drug Safety in Pregnant Women", health writer Michelle Falci interviews the principal investigators of two projects which use machine learning to analyze large datasets of medication exposure and outcomes, then identify and evaluate possible links. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-machine-gaps-drug-safety-pregnancy.html Wed, 27 May 2026 21:00:01 EDT news699097260 Adopting low-insulinemic and planetary health diets during menopause is associated with optimized weight management, according to a study published online May 20 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-insulinemic-planetary-health-diets-optimize.html Wed, 27 May 2026 13:40:07 EDT news699106090 From 2010 to 2021, there was a significant increase in the incidence of stage IV breast cancer, according to a study published online May 12 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-incidence-stage-iv-breast-cancer.html Wed, 27 May 2026 13:20:53 EDT news699106085 For too many women, the journey to motherhood ends in death. Maternal mortality—the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of giving birth—is not a rare tragedy. Globally, the maternal mortality rate is unacceptably high—about 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023. In the U.S., it is also an ongoing crisis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-maternal-deaths-pennsylvania-weeks-birth.html Wed, 27 May 2026 12:40:05 EDT news699103502 Regular guava juice consumption may prove a readily accessible and affordable addition to helping lower the risk of anemia in women in low and middle income countries, suggests a synthesis of the available evidence, published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-regular-guava-juice-consumption-women.html Tue, 26 May 2026 18:30:02 EDT news698914493 The number of abortions in the U.S. rose by 21% between 2020 and 2025—despite the fact that 20 states have passed laws banning or severely restricting abortion care, overturning the constitutional right to abortion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-abortion-drugs-substances-childbirth-dangerous.html Tue, 26 May 2026 16:20:05 EDT news699021928 Picture a sweltering summer's day. Now imagine enduring the heat while eight months pregnant. Uncomfortable, to say the absolute least. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-climate-changerelated-premature-birth-countries.html Tue, 26 May 2026 14:20:04 EDT news699019062 Teens who were exposed to alcohol in utero are more likely than their peers to engage in risky behaviors—most notably, hazardous drinking and underage sex, a combination that could perpetuate the intergenerational transmission of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). The UK has one of Europe's highest rates of alcohol use during pregnancy: at least 41%, potentially reaching 75%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-prenatal-alcohol-exposure-linked-higher.html Tue, 26 May 2026 14:00:07 EDT news699017468 Earlier this month, endocrinology specialists at the European Congress of Endocrinology announced that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is being renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) to better reflect the fact that the condition extends beyond the ovaries. But will it make a difference to those it affects? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome.html Tue, 26 May 2026 12:40:06 EDT news699015301 As women navigate hot flashes, sleep issues and changing waistlines, there's another quieter change that can often occur during perimenopause and post-menopause that deserves just as much attention: heart health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-hot-menopause-heart.html Tue, 26 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news699005281 A largely overlooked space between cells in women's brains may hold the key to understanding memory loss tied to estrogen decline after menopause, reports a new preclinical Northwestern Medicine study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-memory-decline-menopause-linked-loss.html Tue, 26 May 2026 05:30:01 EDT news698919841 Engineers at the University of California San Diego have created a soft, wearable ultrasound patch that can continuously monitor a fetus for hours at a time—and it can do so consistently even as the fetus and umbilical cord constantly move during pregnancy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-wearable-ultrasound-patch-high-pregnancies.html Tue, 26 May 2026 05:00:01 EDT news698917441 Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that can cause severe breathing complications in babies, especially those younger than 6 months old. While many adults recover quickly from RSV with mild symptoms similar to a cold, infants often face a much greater risk of hospitalization due to their developing immune systems and smaller airways. One hundred to 300 children aged less than 5 years die of RSV each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-maternal-rsv-vaccine-lowers-infant.html Mon, 25 May 2026 18:00:04 EDT news698933920 Substantial and sustained weight loss has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer and cancer-related death, mainly in women. Two new studies now provide clues to why the risk is reduced—and suggest that gender, metabolism and genetics may play a crucial role. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-bariatric-surgery-cancer-insulin-sex.html Mon, 25 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news698926141 For decades, female sterilization has been one of the most common forms of birth control in the U.S.: 11.5% of U.S. women, ages 15–49, use female sterilization as their primary contraceptive method—nearly identical to the pill. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-factors-sterilization-policy.html Mon, 25 May 2026 10:20:02 EDT news698919902 It is known that the antiepileptic drug valproate increases the risk of developmental disorders in unborn children. A study conducted by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the University of Tübingen, and the University Heidelberg using lab-grown tissue models of the human brain gives new insights into the effects this drug has on early brain development. They open new avenues for research to mitigate the risk during pregnancy. The study has been published in Molecular Psychiatry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-common-epilepsy-drug-disrupts-early.html Fri, 22 May 2026 12:40:03 EDT news698668621 A new Expert Consensus Decision Pathway by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) provides recommended strategies for improving postpartum care for individuals with and at risk for short- and long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-acc-issues-decision-pathway-postpartum.html Fri, 22 May 2026 11:00:08 EDT news698662922 The latest Annual Epidemiological Reports from ECDC indicate a surge in bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe. In 2024, notifications of gonorrhea and syphilis, alongside congenital syphilis, reached their highest levels in over a decade, reflecting sustained transmission across multiple countries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-bacterial-stis-highs-europe-congenital.html Thu, 21 May 2026 21:00:02 EDT news698572664 Uterine cancer is the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system. Currently, clinicians treat the disease by using a mix of surgery and chemotherapy. But not everyone responds to this line of treatment, and those who fail first-line therapies are often left without next steps. Research by the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) shows that a breast cancer drug could provide new options for people suffering from treatment-resistant uterine cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-breast-cancer-drug-effective-treatment.html Thu, 21 May 2026 12:40:08 EDT news698582980 Gestational diabetes is a special type of diabetes that can affect pregnant women. The condition is defined as elevated blood sugar levels, without previously known diabetes. Treatment involves self-monitoring of blood sugar, advice on lifestyle habits and, if necessary, medication. Identifying gestational diabetes is important because the disease increases the risk of complications such as preeclampsia, the need for a cesarean section and high birth weight for the baby. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-gestational-diabetes-weight.html Thu, 21 May 2026 12:40:03 EDT news698578381