Research

A new gene-editing method can now determine whether certain genetic mutations raise a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The technique helps resolve a long-standing issue in genetic testing, where many patients receive inconclusive results showing “variants of unknown significance” – genetic changes that cannot be clearly linked to cancer risk. Using the method, [...]

Routine mental health screening for new fathers is needed to protect child development, experts have warned, citing research linking paternal depression to poorer outcomes in children. A systematic review found that fathers experiencing depression, anxiety or stress during the perinatal period – the time shortly before and after birth – were more likely to have [...]

High blood pressure during pregnancy may raise the risk of seizures in children, according to new research. The condition, known as gestational hypertension, affects nearly 16 per cent of pregnancies in the US. It has previously been linked to complications such as stillbirth and premature birth, largely due to reduced blood flow through the placenta. [...]

A chemical linked to fertility problems has been found in 31 of 32 major rivers tested across the UK, raising concern over widespread environmental exposure. The substance, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), is part of a group known as PFAS – or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – often referred to as 'forever chemicals' because they can take [...]

A new trial will test whether workplace-based exercise can ease the transition back to work for women recovering from breast cancer treatment. An initial 12-week study will monitor 90 women who have completed breast cancer treatment and returned to work, tracking their physical activity levels, fatigue, mood, pain and workplace performance. The programme aims to [...]

A couple who had been trying to conceive for 19 years have become the first to achieve pregnancy using an artificial intelligence system designed to detect sperm in men with azoospermia – a condition where no sperm are visible in semen. The pregnancy was announced in March 2025 by doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center. [...]

Black and Latinx women are more likely to face serious complications during planned repeat caesareans than White women, new US research has found. While complication rates were similar across all racial and ethnic groups for vaginal births after a previous caesarean, disparities emerged in outcomes for those having planned repeat surgery. Researchers examined severe maternal [...]

Women who experience trauma or hardship in childhood may have up to twice the risk of developing endometriosis later in life, new research has found. A study involving more than 1.3 million women found those exposed to violence in childhood were over twice as likely to be diagnosed with the condition compared to those who [...]

Survivors of domestic violence face a higher risk of brain injury and long-term mental health conditions that can persist for decades after the abuse has ended, new research has found. A new study suggests that among those who suffer physical abuse, repeated head trauma is common—raising the risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and lasting [...]

A new artificial intelligence tool has improved doctors’ ability to detect skin cancer by 11 per cent, according to research from an international team led by Monash University. The system, named PanDerm, is designed to analyse multiple types of medical images simultaneously to help identify melanoma and other skin diseases more quickly and accurately than [...]