Research

Men and women with early Lyme disease show different symptoms, test results and clinical signs, according to a new study. The research analysed data from 243 adults aged 20 to 84, including 118 women and 125 men, diagnosed with early Lyme disease before and after treatment. Researchers found men were more likely to have a [...]

An electronic nose using machine learning can detect early signs of ovarian cancer in blood samples with 97 per cent accuracy, according to researchers. The device uses 32 sensors that react to volatile substances released from blood plasma. Different cancers emit different substances, meaning each effectively has a distinct chemical pattern. Rather than [...]

Very heavy or very light periods may be linked to underlying health problems that affect quality of life and can influence fertility, according to medical experts. Heavy menstrual bleeding is reported to have a major impact on daily life, with around two thirds of affected women seeking medical help. Beyond anaemia, which can cause fatigue, [...]

Black women who ate the most ultra-processed food before a breast cancer diagnosis were 40 per cent more likely to die from the disease, a study has found. The research analysed the diets of more than 1,730 Black women in New Jersey who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2019. About 10 months [...]

A non-hormonal radiofrequency treatment improved sexual function and vaginal health in postmenopausal women, according to results from a small randomised study. The study assessed nonablative capacitive-resistive monopolar radiofrequency, an energy-based treatment that delivers controlled heat to vaginal tissue to improve blood flow and tissue health. It was tested as a potential treatment for genitourinary syndrome [...]

A study of 900,000-plus patients found frail men faced a higher one-year death risk after a heart attack, although severe frailty was more common in women. While attention has rightly focused on women often being undertreated after a heart attack, the research points to what it describes as a hidden and serious vulnerability in men. [...]

Menopause hair loss trial data showed what the company called clinically meaningful regrowth from a scalp system in a phase II study of menopausal women. The four-month independent trial evaluated Prevention and Treatment Serums in 43 menopausal-aged women with androgenetic alopecia. Androgenetic alopecia is a common form of hair thinning. The trial was [...]

Most women still prefer clinic cervical screening over at-home self-sampling, despite home testing devices becoming available, a study has found. However, women who reported discrimination in healthcare, those on lower incomes and those who distrust the healthcare system were more likely to prefer at-home sampling or be unsure which option to choose. The US Food [...]

Childhood abuse may alter gene activity in some women, raising depression risk, UK Biobank analysis suggests. The pattern was not seen in men, suggesting the biological links between trauma and depression may differ by sex, an area of interest given higher depression rates among women. Using data from thousands of people in the UK Biobank, [...]

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 [...]