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Stark health inequalities in the UK ‘still rife’, warn experts
Stigma and misinformation are putting women off attending smear tests and essential checks, research reveals
Stark inequalities are still rife, health experts in the UK have said, as a report reveals young women and those from ethnic minority groups are less likely to take up health screening and vaccination invitations.
Stigma and misinformation are putting women from ethnic minority groups off attending essential checks, research has found, with only 11 per cent reporting attendance for breast screening compared to 25 per cent of white women.
The report, as part of Hologic’s Global Women’s Health Index, has revealed that 90 per cent of white women reported an understanding of their personal risk of developing cancer compared to 84 per cent of women from ethnic minorities.
Additionally, younger women aged 18-24 said they were unlikely to take up health screening and vaccination invitations.
“This is proof that stark inequalities are still rife, particularly when it comes to healthcare for disadvantaged women or those of ethnic backgrounds,” says Dr Nighat Arif, a GP specialising in women’s health and family planning.
“As a GP, I regularly witness the barriers women face first-hand in accessing care and even life-saving health measures, such as health screenings and regular check-ups.
“There are a multitude of reasons why women from ethnic minority groups are more likely to face barriers when accessing care, but it can include things like cultural differences and stigma.
“However, education is really important here, along with holding better dialogue with women in health practice appointments, raising awareness of the importance of screening and normalising regular testing and check-ups for cervical, breast and sexual health screenings will help remove such barriers as stigma.”
Dr Nighat Arif
While positive steps have been made, Arif thinks more has to be done to improve women’s health outcomes and close the gender health gap.
“For me, it’s about ensuring all women’s voices are heard loud and clear. We need to hear women’s voices to be able to put their needs at the heart of the care delivered. We need to listen, we need to support, and we need to help educate and inform.
“There also needs to be better education on women’s health – so girls grow up knowing more about their bodies and when as well as where to seek help.
“We need to make a concerted effort to take away the shame and stigma around women’s biology and we need to get to a place where all women feel empowered to ask for help and get support when they need it.”
Tim Simpson, general manager at Hologic UK & Ireland which conducted the research, says it is important not only to tackle stigma and misinformation, but to also start encouraging health screenings more broadly.
“Research from Jo’s Trust Cervical Cancer Trust suggested incorrect knowledge about the human papilloma virus (HPV) is commonplace and that worrying levels of stigma and misunderstanding about the virus could be putting women off going for tests.
“Women’s health is a fundamental societal issue. Tackling these disparities and supporting women further comes down to putting them at the centre of their health.”
Tim Simpson, general manager at Hologic UK & Ireland
He adds: “Women are the cornerstone of families, communities, and economies. We know that health outcomes for women can – and should – be better, and ultimately, this is an issue that impacts all of us.
“A focus on ensuring that women can access care in the most convenient way for them and at a time that suits them is a huge part of the necessary vision to reduce gender health inequalities.
“We all need to play our part to boost women’s health and that includes moving innovation and technology forwards to help achieve better outcomes for more women.”
Ovarian cancer cells quickly activate survival responses after PARP inhibitor treatment, and a lung cancer drug could help block this, research suggests.
PARP inhibitors are a common treatment for ovarian cancer, particularly in tumours with faulty DNA repair. They stop cancer cells fixing DNA damage, which leads to cell death, but many tumours later stop responding.
Researchers identified a way cancer cells may survive PARP inhibitor treatment from the outset, pointing to a potential way to block that response. A Mayo Clinic team found ovarian cancer cells rapidly switch on a pro-survival programme after exposure to PARP inhibitors. A key driver is FRA1, a transcription factor (a protein that turns genes on and off) that helps cancer cells adapt and avoid death.
The team then tested whether brigatinib, a drug approved for certain lung cancers, could block this response and boost the effect of PARP inhibitors. Brigatinib was chosen because it inhibits multiple signalling pathways involved in cancer cell survival.
In laboratory studies, combining brigatinib with a PARP inhibitor was more effective than either treatment alone. Notably, the effect was seen in cancer cells but not normal cells, suggesting a more targeted approach.
Brigatinib also appeared to act in an unexpected way. Rather than working through the usual DNA repair routes, it shut down two signalling molecules, FAK and EPHA2, that aggressive ovarian cancer cells rely on. FAK and EPHA2 are proteins that relay survival signals inside cells. Blocking both at once weakened the cells’ ability to adapt and resist treatment, making them more vulnerable to PARP inhibitors.
Tumours with higher levels of FAK and EPHA2 responded better to the drug combination. Other data link high levels of these molecules to more aggressive disease, pointing to potential benefit in harder-to-treat cases.
Arun Kanakkanthara, an oncology investigator at Mayo Clinic and a senior author of the study, said: “This work shows that drug resistance does not always emerge slowly over time; cancer cells can activate survival programmes very early after treatment begins.”
John Weroha, a medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic and a senior author of the study, said: “From a clinical perspective, resistance remains one of the biggest challenges in treating ovarian cancer. By combining mechanistic insights from Dr Kanakkanthara’s laboratory with my clinical experience, this preclinical work supports the strategy of targeting resistance early, before it has a chance to take hold. This strategy could improve patient outcomes.”
Nighttime temperatures during pregnancy may be linked to a higher chance of an autism diagnosis in children, a recent study suggests.
The research tracked nearly 295,000 mother-child pairs in Southern California from 2001 to 2014 and linked warmer overnight temperatures with higher risk in early and late pregnancy.
Children of mothers exposed to higher than typical nighttime temperatures during weeks one to 10 of pregnancy had a 15 per cent higher risk of an autism diagnosis.
Exposure during weeks 30 to 37 was linked to a 13 per cent higher risk.
Lead author David Luglio, a post-doctoral fellow at Tulane University, said: “A key takeaway is that we identified specific windows when a mother and her developing child can be most affected by exposures to higher nighttime temperatures.
“This is critical and hopefully can help mothers prepare accordingly.”
The study is described as the first to examine how temperature may affect fetal neurodevelopment, the process by which a baby’s brain and nervous system form during pregnancy.
Extreme temperatures linked to increased risk were classified as above the 90th percentile, meaning 3.6°F hotter than average, and the 99th percentile, 5.6°F above average.
The association held even after researchers accounted for factors such as neighbourhood conditions, vegetation and fine-particle air pollution.
The study could not account for other factors such as access to air conditioning. Researchers did not find the same association with daytime temperatures, potentially because people spend more time away from home during the day.
“Heat waves are becoming more frequent, and people may only think of the dangers of daytime heat exposure,” said Mostafijur Rahman, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Tulane University.
“These results indicate a strong association between high nighttime temperatures during pregnancy and autism risk in children and show that we need to think about exposure to heat around the clock.”
The study did not examine how higher temperatures at night might affect prenatal development, though Luglio said it is possible that warmer nights disrupt sleep for pregnant mothers.
Previous research has suggested insufficient sleep during pregnancy may be linked to a higher risk of neurocognitive delays in children.
“Extreme heat exposure during pregnancy has been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes, including prenatal neurodevelopment delays and complications with an embryo’s development of a central nervous system,” Luglio said.
“The goal of our study was to specifically explore the link between prenatal heat exposure and autism diagnoses for the first time.”
Kindbody has launched a fertility platform integrating AI with clinical care and patient support for employers and health plans.
The platform will enter a pilot with select Kindbody employer clients in 2026, covering over three million lives, ahead of wider availability in 2027.
Building on the company’s clinical model, the platform aims to improve outcomes and cost efficiency across family-building journeys. It connects Kindbody-owned clinics, partner clinics and an integrated clinical app.
The app offers virtual care across conception, pregnancy and reproductive health, extending through the menopause transition.
Launch features include updates in medication management, third-party reproduction, adoption, pregnancy, men’s health and global programme design.
David Stern, chief executive of Kindbody, said: “With our next-generation fertility platform, Kindbody is redefining what comprehensive, intelligent and affordable family-building care looks like for employers, health plans and patients.
“By unifying best-in-class clinical care, AI-driven intelligence and whole-person support, we are making it easier and more cost-effective for more people to build the families they envision.”
Kindbody has expanded access via its national network of IVF centres, including IVIRMA, Inception Fertility and Ivy Fertility.
A new Fertility Medication Portal is designed to streamline authorisations so medicines can be dispensed on time, giving patients visibility from prescription to coverage, pharmacy fulfilment and delivery tracking.
Through KindMan, men’s health education, digital resources and integrated clinical care are expanding, including hormone management programmes.
Services cover andropause (age-related testosterone decline), erectile dysfunction, low testosterone and other male reproductive conditions.
Specialist fertility care includes semen analysis, diagnostic testing, male hormone panels, genetic testing, surgical sperm extraction and sperm cryopreservation.
Launching in the second quarter, a pregnancy support app will act as a digital companion for expecting and new parents, with resources, interactive tools and clinical assessments to identify social drivers of health and mental health needs during pregnancy and beyond.
Kindbody’s physician-led menopause programme provides consultations with board-certified obstetricians and gynaecologists to diagnose, treat and manage menopausal symptoms, including hormone replacement therapy where appropriate, with support from nutritionists, mental health therapists and pelvic floor specialists.
AI and analytics will be embedded across the care journey. An AI care navigator will guide employees from benefit activation through intake, triage and scheduling.
Tools will track benefits and treatment plans, showing coverage and expected out-of-pocket costs at each step.
AI-supported scribing will assist clinicians with documentation, and a predictor tool will estimate a patient’s likelihood of having a baby across different treatment paths.
In 2027, Kindbody plans a savings model for eligible large employers that it says will guarantee lower total fertility spend while improving clinical efficiency and patient experience.
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