Menstrual & gynaecological health

Michigan State University researchers are launching a novel project to transform how medications are developed and prescribed for women. A US$4.6m award will fund computer models designed to predict how hormonal changes affect the way medicines move through and act in women’s bodies. The funding is the first instalment of an award worth up to [...]

Women with endometriosis reported less pain and better sleep after taking medical cannabis, with improvements lasting for two years in a UK study. Researchers cautioned that the findings do not prove medical cannabis caused the improvements because the study had no control group and participants received different products and doses. The observational study followed 101 [...]

Gail’s has unveiled a menopause action plan offering new workplace support to thousands of staff ahead of legal reforms due in 2027. The high street bakery chain will offer new benefits including 24/7 digital GP access and a new employee assistance programme, according to The Times. It will also explore new online training [...]

Hormone therapy started in peri- or early post-menopause was linked to a 22 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular events in women with vasomotor symptoms in a recent study. The findings came from an observational analysis of 20 years of health data and do not show that hormone therapy caused the reduction in cardiovascular risk. [...]

Small bowel microbiome differences between women and men may help explain why some conditions are more common in women, a study suggests. The small bowel microbiome is the community of microorganisms living in this part of the digestive tract, where they play vital roles in immune function, metabolism and hormonal regulation. Researchers found differences between [...]

Weight loss surgery was linked to more regular periods and fewer polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) symptoms in women aged 18 to 45 living with obesity in a recent study. The researchers recommend that women undergoing the procedure have access to preconception care and reproductive counselling to support their reproductive health. Researchers at [...]

Estriol treatment may ease menopause brain fog and other cognitive symptoms, according to a small observational study of 20 menopausal women. The study involved menopausal women with an average age of 53. They underwent an initial assessment of their cognitive symptoms before receiving a customised regimen of estriol and progesterone for 12 months. Estriol is [...]

Deaf women face barriers to menstrual health information and support at UK universities, according to a study involving 12 BSL users. Researchers believe it is the first study of its kind. Participants described difficulties discussing sensitive health issues because universities and healthcare services often rely on hearing-centred communication systems. The study was led [...]

Menopausal women in Wales are posing as men to buy testosterone online amid difficulties accessing NHS prescriptions, a consultant has said. Access to testosterone for postmenopausal women varies between Welsh health boards despite a “very sharp increase” in referrals, according to menopause specialist Dr Michelle Olver. Olver said she had seen women with testosterone levels [...]

Prepared for Femtech World by Dr Emilė Radytė, neuroscientist and co-founder and CEO of Samphire Neuroscience The short answer Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) does not usually result from abnormal hormone levels. Research suggests that the brain can respond differently to expected changes in estrogen, progesterone, and the progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone. This helps explain why blood [...]