Evidence-based reporting, analysis and perspectives on women’s health worldwide. Updated as stories develop.
A modified version of niclosamide, a decades-old tapeworm drug, shrank endometriosis lesions and eased pain sensitivity in mice, researchers at Washington State University report. Any treatment is at least five years from patients, but existing guidance already sets out how women can get symptoms recognised and treated.
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.
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.
Women who tested positive for bacterial vaginosis were more than three times as likely to have a sexually transmitted infection at the same time, laboratory data on more than 1.5 million US women show. Existing guidance already supports testing for both, and treating male partners has been shown to improve cure rates.
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