The World Health Organization has updated its contraceptive guidelines to recommend a wider range of safe and effective options, including emergency contraception, longer-lasting implants, and future contraceptives for men. The expansion aims to give people more choices that meet their individual needs.
The family of Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old San Antonio woman who died from preeclampsia in 2024 after being denied an abortion, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, doctors, and state health officials. The lawsuit alleges that Texas's abortion ban contributed to her death.
New research shows that multiple micronutrient supplements during pregnancy significantly reduce the risk of maternal anaemia, stillbirth, and low birth weight. The supplements are beginning to be distributed in the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates.
A bipartisan campaign founded by philanthropists Olivia and Tom Walton announced a $100 million, 5-year commitment to make giving birth in the United States safer and reduce maternal mortality rates by half.
Multiple studies released this week show hormone therapy during menopause may reduce heart disease risk and improve mood symptoms, while supplements marketed for menopause lack evidence and contain inconsistent doses. The research comes amid growing attention to the economic costs of menopause symptoms for women.
Bereaved parents in Sussex are being encouraged to participate in public meetings as part of a major independent review into maternity and neonatal services. The review follows cases like that of Susan Cacciacarro, whose daughter Chiara died in 2021 at nearly 37 weeks of pregnancy.
A U.S. federal jury sided with Reckitt Benckiser's Mead Johnson in a test trial over claims that its Enfamil preterm infant formula caused necrotizing enterocolitis, a deadly bowel disease in premature babies.
A federal judge paused a lawsuit by Florida and Texas seeking to severely limit nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone while the Trump administration completes a review of the drug's approval.
A large study of over 2,000 women found those who used estrogen-only hormone therapy later in life were less likely to develop dementia and showed fewer signs of Alzheimer's disease in their brains upon autopsy.
The Department of Defense will begin a three-year pilot program next month offering service members reimbursements for fertility preservation, with up to $10,000 per year for egg freezing and $500 per year for sperm freezing.
AbCellera Biologics reported that its non-hormonal menopause treatment ABCL-635 significantly reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes in a 92-person Phase 2 trial, with the drug meeting both primary endpoints after four weeks. The results sent the company's shares surging nearly 40% in early trading.
A new study published in Frontiers in Environmental Health reveals that while overall prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decreased between 2003 and 2019, wildfire smoke's contribution to prenatal PM2.5 exposure more than doubled during this period, making it the dominant source of unhealthy air pollution for pregnant women in the United States.
Kenya has entered a five-year cooperation framework with the Beginnings Fund, securing $80 million (Sh10.4 billion) to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare across 21 high-burden counties and approximately 200 health facilities, with an expected reach of over six million women and newborns.
Maternal mortality rates have doubled in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as pregnant women avoid healthcare facilities due to fear and misinformation about the country's worst-ever Ebola outbreak, which has recorded over 3,600 cases as of late July 2026.
A U.S. federal judge ruled that Biden-era FDA restrictions on prescribing the abortion drug mifepristone are unlawful and unjustified, ordering the Trump Administration to reconsider existing regulations. The decision comes as over 400 state lawmakers from all 50 states have signed an amicus brief demanding protection for telehealth abortion care access.
A major study published in The Lancet analyzing 2.5 million U.S. women found that those with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly PCOS) have four times the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes, compared to women without the condition.
Researchers discovered that each pregnancy brings distinct patterns of brain changes, with second pregnancies causing different neural rewiring than first pregnancies. The findings could improve understanding of maternal brain health.
Family planning and health organizations in Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit alleging that a new Trump administration policy could delay or deny federal funding to providers serving tens of thousands of patients across the state.
Healthcare providers and patients across the United States are reporting intermittent shortages of oral progesterone, a hormone widely used in fertility and menopause treatments. The supply strain reflects growing demand for hormone replacement therapy.
Melinda French Gates announced a $215 million donation to improve women's health worldwide, focusing on contraceptive access, maternal care, and initiatives for middle-aged women including menopause support. The pledge comes two years after she left the Gates Foundation to focus on her own philanthropic organization, Pivotal.
A major multi-country study found that WHO-recommended first-line antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are likely to be effective in only one-quarter of infections in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting a critical gap in global infant health treatment protocols.
Study finds women with epilepsy taking antiseizure medication who initiate high-dose folic acid before pregnancy have approximately 45% reduced risk of major congenital anomalies in their children.
Children born to mothers who used buprenorphine for opioid addiction during pregnancy show no greater risk of neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism compared to children whose mothers did not use the medication, providing reassurance about this critical treatment option.
Cornell researchers have taken a significant step toward developing a safe, reversible, long-acting and 100% effective nonhormonal male contraceptive, with proof-of-concept results representing progress toward what's considered the 'holy grail' of male contraception.
Researchers at the University of Tartu Faculty of Medicine have identified a rare variant in the MGRN1 gene that may cause congenital heart malformations in fetuses, a gene not previously associated with cardiac defects.
New analysis finds that exposure to chemicals used to make plastic more flexible may have contributed to approximately 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone, representing more than 8% of the world's total preterm births that year.
