A few journalists have asked about MHRA yellow card reports relating to periods after the COVID-19 vaccine, as reported on … read more

Research, published in The BMJ, looked at menstrual cycle length and regularity and risk of early death.   Prof Wiebke … read more

The Zika virus outbreak in Brazil continues, and three UK travellers have been diagnosed with the virus, having travelled to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana. Zika is a mosquito-transmitted virus – the specific vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is found in tropical and subtropical regions. Although most people that contract Zika have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, there is the suggestion that the increase in Zika case numbers in Brazil is associated with an increase in cases of babies born there with microcephaly (small head and underdeveloped brain). In the US the CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travelling to infected countries. It is an emerging situation in Brazil and there is still a lot we don’t know about Zika. There is currently no vaccine and no treatment. read more

A series of papers has been published in The Lancet journal which explores how stillbirths might be reduced across the world. The report estimates that 2.6 million stillbirths occur annually, of which 98% occur in low- and middle-income countries. read more

The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has published her annual report, this year focusing on women’s health and exploring common and taboo health issues. It emphasises the need to tackle obesity on a national scale in the hope of relieving strain on health services and improving quality of life for women. read more

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has investigated between vaginal birth, planned and unscheduled cesarean delivery, and subsequent health problems or early death of the child, reporting differences in risk of a range of outcomes between the three groups. read more

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has investigated between vaginal birth, planned and unscheduled cesarean delivery, and subsequent health problems or early death of the child, reporting differences in risk of a range of outcomes between the three groups. read more

A paper published in The BMJ has examined differences in quality and safety of maternity services between different days, and reports that according to some of the measures which they assessed, weekends saw worse performances than weekdays. read more

Publishing in the journal Cell Reports, a group of researchers has explored changes to age-related changes to fertility cycles in mice, reporting that changes to cycles of light and dark disrupted the regularity of oestrus in middle-aged female mice. read more

Vaginal mesh surgery for stress urinary incontinence has been in the news over the last couple of years, with questions being asked about its safety, effectiveness and potential side effects. The procedure involves implanting a sling made of artificial mesh under the urethra to support the muscles of the bladder. There have been a number of reports of women suffering pain and injury after surgery, and some suggestion that side-effects may be due to the sling which is made of non-absorbable plastic. This has led to court cases worldwide, with some already under way in the UK, the USA and Canada. In Scotland, the health minister called for hospitals to consider the suspension of mesh operations until more evidence is available. An independent review set up in Scotland in 2014 to review the safety of these operations will publish its findings later this year. read more

This study on the association between foetal growth and miscarriage was presented as a conference abstract at the 2012 British Fertility Society annual meeting in Leeds. read more

Research from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam suggested a link between IVF treatment and the occurrence of borderline ovarian tumours (but not invasive ovarian cancer). read more

Four new papers investigated the diagnosis of miscarriage. read more

Four new studies investigating the diagnosis of miscarriage were published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology; two of the lead authors briefed journalists on their findings and the implications. read more

The research suggested that use of painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen during pregnancy may be linked to male reproductive disorders such as undescended testicles. read more

The study reported the birth of several babies conceived through IVF and genetically screened using the established technique of comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) by microarray, which screens for chromosomal abnormalities in eggs. read more

The research suggested that the risk of stillbirth could be higher in association with certain types of IVF treatment. read more

An expert in reproductive science comments on findings presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that a class of drugs known as dopamine agonists form an effective treatment for the gynaecological condition endometriosis. read more