https://medicalxpress.com/womens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Women's Health Egg freezing is becoming increasingly popular, yet most people who freeze their eggs never return to use them. When imposed storage limits are reached, individuals must choose whether to discard unused eggs, donate them to others for reproductive use, or donate them to research; although many say their preference is to donate to research, actual donations remain rare, leaving a valuable resource largely unused for scientific progress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-overhaul-consent-donating-frozen-eggs.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:00:01 EDT news695552102 Repeated menstrual cycles may do more than trigger endometriosis. They may rewire the brain. That is the key finding from a new Washington State University study showing that recurring inflammation linked to the disease can sensitize the nervous system, driving lasting pain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-endometriosis-chronic-debilitating-pain.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:20:01 EDT news695549521 Korean women with heart disease showed higher awareness and treatment of major risk factors, but lower control rates, pointing to the need for sex-specific strategies to close the gap, according to a study being presented at ACC Asia 2026 Together with KSC Spring Conference taking place in Gyeongju, South Korea, on April 17–18. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-korean-women-cvd-gaps-factor.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:00:06 EDT news695464733 Children born to mothers who used buprenorphine for opioid addiction during pregnancy do not have a greater risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, compared with children whose mothers took methadone, finds a large US study published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-buprenorphine-safe-treatment-opioid-addiction.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:07 EDT news695466902 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing a petition to revoke the approval of Roche's top-selling drug ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) for treating primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)—a form of MS thought to affect around 15% of patients. The petition alleges that the drug was approved despite internal concerns about a lack of effectiveness in women and a potential increased risk of breast cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-women-primary-ms-bestselling-drug.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:02 EDT news695468221 Cognitive decline not only affects a woman's quality of life but also her ability to lead an independent lifestyle later in life. A new large-scale study suggests that a longer reproductive lifespan, resulting in greater exposure to endogenous estrogen, is associated with better cognitive health. Results of the study are published in Menopause. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-longer-reproductive-span-linked-slower.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:40:01 EDT news695482382 Most oncologists say they would prescribe hormone therapy to cervical cancer patients who experience early menopause from radiation treatment, but barriers are keeping many from doing so in practice, according to a new University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center study published in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-hormone-therapy-underused-cervical-cancer.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:20:07 EDT news695482082 Menopause has long been treated as something private, but the silence surrounding it is increasingly at odds with demographic reality. Women over 50 are the fastest-growing group in the workforce in many countries, and most will experience menopause during their working lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-women-menopause-symptoms-workplaces.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:40:02 EDT news695472241 Most tools used to assess the risk of fractures and osteoporosis rely on bone density alone, but these may miss a large number of women who still go on to break bones. A technology developed at Ohio University outperformed the current standard bone density test in detecting fracture risk for older women, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fracture-women-bone-density.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:02 EDT news695468118 Pregnancy-related deaths in the United States increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the greatest impact seen among Black women, a new study suggests. While rates have since returned to pre-pandemic levels for most groups, they remain significantly higher for Black mothers, according to the Michigan Medicine research in Obstetrics & Gynecology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-pregnancy-deaths-rose-pandemic-elevated.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:20:07 EDT news695400362 Our industrialized, modern lifestyles may be increasing how much estrogen (the female sex hormone) gets recycled in our bodies, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And it appears to be down to the increased abundance and diversity of specific bacteria in our gut. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-modern-lifestyles-affecting-bodies-recycle.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news695384340 Preeclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy complication that affects roughly 1 in 10 pregnancies worldwide and, in the United States alone, around 5%–8% of pregnancies. The condition can lead to severe, long-term health consequences for mothers and their babies. Despite its prevalence, though, the underlying cause has remained largely unknown. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-root-preeclampsia.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:40:01 EDT news695376782 The federal policy requiring states to keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic extended postpartum Medicaid coverage nationwide and sharply increased the number of individuals remaining insured after childbirth, according to a Rutgers Health researcher. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-postpartum-medicaid-coverage-pandemic-gains.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news695360821 When Maria looked at herself in the mirror for the first time after her mastectomy, she stood very still. One hand rested on the bathroom counter. The other hovered near the flat space where her breast had been. The scar was raw and angry. The loss was quiet but enormous. Her body felt foreign. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-myth-resilience-hard-life-story.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:20:04 EDT news695313288 Late-breaking results from the Phase III NRG GY019 trial indicate that letrozole monotherapy (L) did not demonstrate noninferiority to paclitaxel/carboplatin followed by letrozole (PC/L) for progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed stage II-IV low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-chemotherapy-letrozole-standard-advanced-grade.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:20:06 EDT news695308982 Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, along with collaborators at UC San Francisco, have discovered that APOE4, the most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, causes bone quality deficits specifically in female mice, through a mechanism that is invisible to standard imaging and can emerge as early as midlife. The findings, published in Advanced Science, reveal an unexpected biological link between Alzheimer's risk and skeletal health, and identify a new molecular pathway that could one day inform earlier diagnosis of cognitive decline or guide treatment for bone quality loss in women who carry the APOE4 gene. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-apoe4-alzheimer-gene-silently-undermines.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:20:02 EDT news695318042 Neuroscientists from Monash University, the University of Melbourne and University College London are calling for clinical studies to understand the causes of brain fog in menopause and find effective treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-redefining-brain-fog-menopause-pave.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:20:05 EDT news695300523 An invisible radioactive gas could be increasing women's risk for ovarian cancer, a new study says. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-radon-gas-ovarian-cancer.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:20:01 EDT news695295954 Just a fraction of prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone were filled at brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies after federal drug regulators lifted longstanding dispensing limits, according to a new USC study in JAMA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2023 permanently removed rules requiring patients to obtain mifepristone—the first of two drugs used in medication abortion—in person at a clinic or hospital. That change meant in-store and mail-order pharmacies could provide the drug when it was prescribed by a certified provider, a shift expected to broaden access nationwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fda-retail-pharmacies-mifepristone.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:00:17 EDT news695042382 New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (May 12–15), reveals distinct patterns of heart, metabolic, and inflammatory health risks between men and women living with obesity, providing an insight into how clinicians may be able to tailor management approaches. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-heart-metabolic-inflammatory-patterns-differ.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:10:01 EDT news695040781 A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa physician is working to change how a common but often overlooked gynecologic condition is diagnosed and treated. Kimberly Kho, who holds the nation's first professorship in advanced gynecological surgery in the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), authored a clinical expert series review on adenomyosis in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The publication places Kho among a select group of internationally recognized experts in women's health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-guidance-adenomyosis-overlooked-uterine-condition.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695019241 Increasing maternal prepregnancy body mass index (ppBMI) and increasing birth length are associated with offspring atopic dermatitis by age 3 years, according to a study published online March 23 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-maternal-prepregnancy-bmi-birth-length.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:20:04 EDT news695044113 Growing demand for estrogen patches to relieve menopause symptoms has led to shortages, leaving women searching multiple pharmacies or switching medications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-demand-surge-shortages-estrogen-patches.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:40:05 EDT news695044125 Statistics show clear differences in the population's immune system according to sex: men are more susceptible to infections and cancers, while women have stronger immune responses, which translate, for example, into better responses to vaccines. Even so, with a more reactive immune system, the probability of the body attacking itself also increases, causing 80% of autoimmune disease development to occur in women. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-women-immune-bigger-age-men.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:20:04 EDT news695038681 By using AI to analyze more than 400,000 Reddit posts, Penn researchers have identified patient-reported symptoms associated with GLP-1s, the popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide, that may not be fully captured in clinical trials or regulatory documents. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-scans-reddit-flag-overlooked.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news694973341 Researchers have discovered that a mutation of the MDGA1 gene, a key factor modulating the connections and characteristics between nerve cells, serves as a new cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and suggested the possibility of a drug to treat the disorder. This study holds great significance, as it provides biological clues on why autism is more frequent among men than among women. The findings are published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-autism-affects-men-women-mdga1.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:00:05 EDT news694970581 The number of births and general fertility rate decreased 1% from 2024 to 2025 in the United States, according to an April Vital Statistics Rapid Release report, a publication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cdc-decline-births-fertility.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:00:04 EDT news694958930 U.S. District Judge David Joseph turned down Louisiana officials' request to stop mail order delivery of the drug mifepristone nationwide while the case is still in court. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-abortion-pill-mailed.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:40:01 EDT news694957382 The Privacy Commissioner of Canada recently announced the outcome of its investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), concluding a years-long examination of the organization's data-sharing practices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-privacy-complaint-world-antidoping-agency.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:05 EDT news694958041 Breastfeeding not only affects your weight while you are breastfeeding—women gain up to 6.5 kilos less on average later in life if they breastfeed for at least three months, according to a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-breastfeeding-months-weight-gain-decades.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:20:01 EDT news694946402