Women's Health News

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Study reveals how breast cancer cells hide in the bone marrow

Treating breast cancer remains a major medical challenge worldwide. This is largely due to the ability of breast cancer cells to remain hidden for years before triggering a relapse, which can occur even decades after successful treatment of the primary tumor.

4 Jun 2026

Exercise during pregnancy links to lower infant BMI at one year

Supervised exercise during pregnancy may lower infant BMI and reduce obesity risk, highlighting the impact of maternal health on early growth trajectories.

4 Jun 2026

Constipation may be tied to more than discomfort

Constipation was associated with approximately twofold higher odds of depression in a meta-analysis of 18 observational studies involving 730,263 participants. The findings support integrated gastrointestinal and mental health assessment, especially for adolescents and young adults, while emphasizing that causality cannot yet be established.

3 Jun 2026

What pregnancy reveals about a woman’s future heart health

Pregnancy acts as a natural cardiovascular stress test, revealing hidden heart disease and identifying women at higher long-term risk after complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth. The review highlights major evidence gaps in cardio-obstetric care and calls for stronger postpartum screening, dedicated women’s health clinics, and better inclusion of reproductive-age women in research.

3 Jun 2026

Could GLP-1 drugs help prevent breast cancer? New study points to a possible link

A large retrospective cohort study of 111,646 overweight or obese women found that GLP-1 agonist exposure was associated with lower breast cancer incidence. After propensity-score matching, GLP-1 exposure was linked to nearly 30% lower odds of breast cancer, but the authors stress that randomized trials are needed before these drugs can be considered for prevention.

3 Jun 2026

New study reevaluates stroke risk for female patients with atrial fibrillation

A new Tulane University study challenges a long-standing assumption in heart care: that being female automatically increases stroke risk for patients with atrial fibrillation, a common condition that causes the heart to beat irregularly.

3 Jun 2026

The best foods for brain health may change as you age

Investigating brain foods, this review highlights dietary influences on cognition and neurodevelopment, while addressing significant gaps in current research.

3 Jun 2026

New study links primary infertility to accelerated reproductive aging

The average woman spends more than one-third of her life in menopause. Some women, however, must deal with menopause-related symptoms longer and face added health problems because of premature menopause (before age 40) or early menopause (before age 45).

3 Jun 2026

New US dietary guidelines may raise the climate cost of protein

Removing ultra-processed foods from the Mean American Diet could reduce environmental impacts, but the benefits are largely offset when the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are modeled with higher protein intake. The study found that higher-protein, animal-heavy diets increased greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and nitrogen fertilizer use compared with current diets, while plant-based protein scenarios produced substantially lower impacts.

2 Jun 2026

Is any level of alcohol safe? Major review reveals where drinking risks rise

This Burden of Proof review found that alcohol consumption is associated with higher risks for several cancers, liver disease, pancreatitis, lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and atrial fibrillation. Although low-to-moderate drinking showed modest observational links with lower risks of type 2 diabetes, dementia, and some cardiovascular outcomes, the evidence was weaker and potentially biased.

2 Jun 2026

AI turns everyday smartphone use into passive heart-rate tracking

Researchers developed Passive Heart-Rate Monitoring, a deep-learning smartphone system that estimates heart rate and daily resting heart rate from eight-second facial videos captured during normal phone use. Validated on more than 160,000 videos, the system met accuracy targets across skin-tone groups, although usable measurement rates were lower in the darkest skin-tone group and clinical use still requires further testing.

2 Jun 2026

New AI tool cuts breast cancer biopsy wait times

Women with abnormal mammograms often have to wait for weeks to find out whether they have breast cancer.

2 Jun 2026

Scalable solutions can help address anxiety and mood disorders in women

Women make up half the world's population yet are the focus of relatively little research, leading to deficits in their mental health care.

2 Jun 2026

GLP-1 medications linked to lower breast cancer risk in women

A retrospective analysis of more than 110,000 women between the ages of 45 and 80 found that those who took GLP-1 medications were about 30 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not take GLP-1 medications, according to research presented today at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 10506) by Elizabeth McDonald, MD, PhD, a professor of Radiology in the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and a practicing breast radiologist at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center.

2 Jun 2026

Midlife sleep problems affect long-term psychological well-being in women

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting found that sleep problems in middle-aged and older adults are tied to lower psychological well-being nine years later.

2 Jun 2026

Shopping data reveals hidden period pain disparities in England

The study highlights how shopping behavior reflects menstrual pain prevalence, revealing inequalities in health management across income levels.

2 Jun 2026

Genetic testing finds breast cancer risks that standard screening models miss

Population-based pathogenic variant testing identified breast cancer susceptibility gene carriers who would often be missed by clinical risk models, even when polygenic risk scores were added. In the WISDOM Study analysis, fewer than 1% of high-penetrance variant carriers would have received the same high-risk screening recommendation using clinical plus polygenic risk alone.

1 Jun 2026

Study evaluates statistical models for estimating breast cancer risk

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin, St James's Hospital, and collaborating institutions have carried out the most comprehensive review to date of tools used to estimate breast cancer risk in women with a family history of the disease.

1 Jun 2026

Pharmacist-led care delivering real results for women’s health

Pharmacy Guild of Australia, NSW Branch, today welcomed the release of new data from two NSW Government-sponsored clinical trials confirming allowing pharmacists to diagnose and treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and providing resupply of oral contraception is delivering safe, effective care for women, while easing pressure on the health system and saving emergency departments millions of dollars.

1 Jun 2026

The right seafood choices can help diets meet health and climate goals

Fish can support healthy and sustainable diets, especially when it replaces red and processed meat rather than adding to overall animal-food intake. However, its environmental value depends on species, production system, supply chain, local dietary patterns, and the scale of greenhouse gas reductions required.

1 Jun 2026