Policymaker

Congress is being urged to invest US$20bn over 10 years to close the women’s health gap. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Women’s Health Research and the Women First Research Coalition have unveiled the National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap. The framework calls for a coordinated national effort to [...]

Academics are calling for regulation banning toxic chemicals in period products as a major menstruation conference prepares to open in Brighton. The design, health and sustainability of period products will be a central theme at the Menstruation Research Conference 2026. Keynote speaker Helen Lynn will discuss the lack of regulation and encourage attendees to support [...]

WEC chair Sarah Owen has criticised delays over a ban on high harm cosmetic procedures, including liquid BBLs. The Women and Equalities Committee has published a letter from health minister Karin Smyth after the government missed the 18 April deadline to respond to the committee’s report on cosmetic procedures. The report, published on 18 February, [...]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an AI tool in beta to help policymakers, experts and healthcare professionals access sexual and reproductive health information faster. Called ChatHRP, the tool was created by WHO’s Human Reproduction Programme and draws only on verified research and guidance collected by HRP and WHO. It uses natural language processing [...]

Cervical cancer elimination in the EU is becoming achievable as HPV vaccination coverage rises, a new report says. As Europe marks European Immunisation Week 2026, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said progress in human papillomavirus vaccination is continuing across the EU and European Economic Area. All EU and European Economic Area countries [...]

France will reimburse reusable period products for women under 26 and those on low incomes, in a move aimed at tackling period poverty. The measure is expected to help 6.7m people, almost a tenth of France’s population of 69m, from the start of the next academic year in the autumn. Women under 26 [...]

Mariella Frostrup has been appointed the government's women's employment ambassador, a new role to support working women across the UK. The new role comes as the government steps up efforts to support women with menopause symptoms, with businesses being encouraged to publish action plans aimed at tackling the £1.7bn lost each year through sick days, [...]

Peers are set to debate abortion law changes that would pardon women in England and Wales already criminalised and halt active police investigations. Last summer, MPs voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate pregnancies outside the legal framework through a new clause in the crime and policing bill. The House of Lords will [...]

A new report by Clue has revealed the ‘Cost of Bleeding’ - a deep dive into the true cost of menstruation and the impact of related expenses adding up year after year. The consumer research reveals that, on average, respondents spend an estimated £41 on their cycle each month, amounting to an astounding £20,359 across [...]

Nearly 70 per cent of NHS regions in England fund only one IVF cycle for women under 40, breaking national guidelines, new research has found. Twenty-nine of the 42 integrated care boards, which control local NHS budgets, now offer only one round of treatment, after four reduced access in the past year. National [...]