New evidence on autism, autoimmune disease and heart attacks shows women diagnosed later than men, for overlapping reasons. Cardiologists, researchers and England’s health service have begun to change the tools and rules behind those delays.
Analysis
Evidence-based reporting, analysis and perspectives on women’s health worldwide. Updated as stories develop.
The online industry selling grievance to young men, and what it means for women
A new report shows how much of the online “manosphere” runs as a business, earning money from young men’s loneliness and casting women as the problem. Consumer law, platform rules and programmes that involve men in care already offer ways to respond.
Laws for women’s equality are only half enforced, and health pays the price
The average country scores 67 out of 100 for laws supporting women’s economic equality, and 53 for enforcing them, the World Bank finds. The gap is widest on safety from violence, but 68 economies passed reforms in two years, and Egypt shows how fast laws can change.
Severe maternal morbidity: the measure health systems are missing
For every woman who dies in pregnancy or childbirth, many more survive life-threatening complications. Surveillance systems that count these near misses are helping countries such as Italy and the UK improve care, and an international network that met in Rome this month wants that work to spread.
PCOS is becoming PMOS: why the new name is important for diagnosis
In 2017, a third of women surveyed had waited more than two years for a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. The condition now has a new name, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, and its backers hope it will lead to faster diagnosis and better long-term care.
The contraceptive implant now lasts five years: what changes for women and clinicians
WHO’s new contraception guidelines, published on 23 September 2026, support the etonogestrel implant for up to five years, following five-year licences in the US and UK. The change could mean fewer procedures and lower costs for women and health systems, although the US approval came with new training rules for clinicians.
Why perimenopause mental health still falls between the gaps in care
Anxiety and depression become more common for some women during the menopause transition, and many don’t link the two. Guidelines from NICE and FIGO now give women a clear basis to ask for mood to be assessed, and Australia has funded a GP check that includes it.
Social media and teenage girls’ mental health: why the early teens carry the most risk
New studies from Canada and Australia link more time on social media to higher rates of depression in teenagers, with the clearest signals in girls aged 12 and 13. Both countries are writing age limits into law, and health bodies set out steps families and schools can take now.
Breast cancer survival still depends on where a woman lives
Five-year breast cancer survival ranges from more than 90% in Australia and Japan to 29.9% in Somalia, the first global estimates show. Countries from Mauritius to Denmark show the gap can narrow when cancers are found early and treated quickly.
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