https://medicalxpress.com/womens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Women's Health 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 Age 45: You've made it to middle age, you're ideally entering your prime earning years and, if you're like most adults, your doctor tells you that it's time to consider your first colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-age-health-screenings.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:40:06 EDT news706170062 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 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 A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, found that how families engage with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) during the first months after a child's birth may influence whether they remain enrolled through the child's first year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-early-engagement-wic.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:20:01 EDT news705770521 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 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 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 Women diagnosed with breast cancer are almost immediately confronted with treatment decisions. If a surgical oncologist gives a choice between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy to remove a tumor, that's often because either option will lead to a similar long-term health outcome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-breast-cancer-surgery-surgical-oncologist.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:40:07 EDT news705735676 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 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 Women with endometriosis have a 46% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women without the condition, according to a new study led by researchers at the George Mason College of Public Health and collaborators. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-women-endometriosis-higher-diabetes.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:20:06 EDT news705597122 Australians undergoing IVF now have a better chance of taking home a baby than they did just five years ago, as new data from Australia and New Zealand show treatment has evolved to become not only increasingly effective but also safer for mothers and babies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ivf-babies-australia-born-frozen.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705588734 A new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that women living in socially vulnerable communities face a 20% higher risk of death after an ovarian cancer diagnosis compared with women living in less vulnerable communities. The study, published today in JAMA Network Open, also found that Black women face a 45% higher risk of death than white women. Together, the findings suggest that neighborhood conditions may help explain persistent racial disparities in ovarian cancer survival. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-women-ovarian-cancer-survival-black.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news705247021 About 1 in 6 people experience infertility, with irregular or absent ovulation among the most common causes. The drug clomiphene citrate has long been a mainstay of fertility treatment, but a growing body of University of Adelaide research is raising safety concerns about higher cumulative doses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-higher-doses-common-fertility-drug.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:20:04 EDT news705568321 In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision allowed states to enact laws that ban or severely restrict abortion. Four years later, a study led by Harvard Medical School researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shows that the effects of those laws are being felt throughout the health care system, forcing physicians to weigh legal risks, delay treatment and deviate from standard medical practices when caring for patients with serious pregnancy-related conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-physicians-negative-impacts-abortion-pregnancy.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news705567722 The way women are screened for breast cancer in Australia is changing. According to a newly released review, this means moving away from screening based largely on someone's age. Instead, screening would be tailored according to individual risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dense-breasts-breast-cancer-family.html Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:40:01 EDT news705322464 The types of cells in the microenvironment of a breast tumor may affect how well the hormone therapy tamoxifen works over the long term. A study from Karolinska Institutet, published in BMC Medicine, shows this. The findings may help improve understanding of why some patients benefit more from treatment than others. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cells-breast-tumor-microenvironment-reveal.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:40:05 EDT news705317581