Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we look at how to know when you’re in perimenopause, access to abortion in the US, the fascinating link between periodontal disease and breast cancer, the mind-body libido connection, a new report on the failings in maternity care in the UK, and more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

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News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

How to know when you’re in perimenopause

Perimenopause is an unpredictable, multi-year hormonal transition diagnosed through observable menstrual changes and clinical symptoms rather than routine blood tests.

• When it starts: It typically begins around age 47, roughly four years before the final period. The earliest signs are irregular cycles and changes in bleeding.

• Symptom progression: Erratic estrogen fluctuations trigger cascading symptoms over time, ranging from early flow changes to severe hot flashes (affecting up to 80% of women), sleep disruption, depression, and vaginal dryness.

• Why blood tests fail: Because daily hormone levels swing wildly during this phase, standard blood work is unreliable. Doctors instead rely on symptom tracking and medical history for diagnosis.

The takeaway: Tracking your menstrual shifts and daily symptoms is the most reliable way to identify perimenopause, as standard laboratory tests often miss the transition. Recognizing and documenting these patterns is essential for securing a clinical diagnosis and accessing treatment.

LINK

Planned Parenthood to offer “just in case” abortion pills in parts of the US

Planned Parenthood has launched a new initiative in Washington and Hawaii to provide “just in case” abortion pills in advance of pregnancy, aiming to protect access amid growing nationwide restrictions in the US.

• Clinics in Washington and Hawaii will now offer abortion medication in advance via telehealth and in-person visits for local residents, making them the first Planned Parenthood locations to adopt this proactive model of care.

• Having the medication on hand before becoming pregnant helps patients bypass severe, time-sensitive logistical hurdles, such as navigating rural geography, securing time off work, escaping intimate partner violence, or overcoming financial barriers.

The takeaway: As legal and logistical barriers to reproductive healthcare mount across the US, advance provision acts as a crucial safeguard for bodily autonomy and timely medical care.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

The link between breast cancer and periodontal disease

New research from reveals a surprising link between periodontal disease and breast cancer, demonstrating that the common gum-disease bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum can travel through the bloodstream to breast tissue. Once localized in the breast, the microbe triggers inflammation, error-prone DNA damage, and precancerous lesions while accelerating tumour growth, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance in existing cancers. Cells carrying inherited BRCA1 gene mutations are exceptionally vulnerable, as their cell surfaces naturally attract and absorb higher quantities of the destructive bacteria. This research shows how oral health is tied to cancer risk, beyond previously studied cancers like colon cancer, but also breast cancer.

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Closing the mind-body libido gap with Dr. Lori Brotto

In this episode of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information, host Dr. Lauren Streicher and clinical psychologist Dr. Lori Brotto explore the prevalent issue of low libido in women, explaining that it frequently stems from a profound mind-body disconnect rather than a purely physical dysfunction. A major key takeaway is that daily stressors, menopause, and self-criticism can severely distract the brain, causing it to completely miss or ignore the body’s physical arousal cues. To bridge this gap, Dr. Brotto highlights the proven effectiveness of mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in helping women stay present and tune into their bodies without judgment, which has been shown to significantly increase sexual desire.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

New report on failings in maternity care in England

A major government-commissioned inquiry into England's NHS maternity system has concluded that current services are "not set up to deliver consistently safe, high-quality and compassionate care." The independent review, chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos, uncovered racism and discrimination embedded within the system that directly compromises patient safety and contributes to preventable harm among mothers and babies. The inquiry is demanding an urgent, comprehensive overhaul of the healthcare system, including the appointment of an independent maternity and neonatal commissioner to drive national standards and accountability. In response to the report, the government has pledged to take immediate action to address these systemic failings, which officials admitted "shame our society."

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

Kelsey Pfendler just made history as the first American woman to row solo across 2,400 miles of the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii, shattering both the male and female records in the process. LINK

From fleeing the Taliban to running soccer clinics in Mexico City, exiled Afghan soccer captain Khalida Popal is fighting to ensure the World Cup leaves a lasting social legacy for the vulnerable women and girls outside the stadium gates. LINK

A succinct but nuanced explanation of how the male body became the default in medicine, and what a correction needs to look like. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we look at how the HPV vaccine has effectively eliminated cervical cancer amongst young women in the UK, what we know (and what we don’t know) about the benefits of GLP-1s, the impact of PMOS on the menopause transition, and a big step towards addressing period poverty in Pakistan, along with much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

Share Common Corpus

And if you want to learn more about what Common Corpus is, and why we do what we do, please visit our About page.

Subscribe now

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

The HPV vaccine effectively eliminates the risk of young women in England dying of cervical cancer

New research from England reveals that the HPV vaccine has effectively reduced the risk of young women dying from cervical cancer to practically zero.

• Analyzing health data between 2020 and 2024, researchers found that exactly zero women aged 20 to 24 died from cervical cancer, a historic first since the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was routinely rolled out to 12- and 13-year-olds.

• The study estimates the immunization program has already prevented roughly 200 cervical cancer deaths by successfully protecting adolescents before they are exposed to cancer-causing viral strains.

• This is anticipated to be just the beginning of the vaccine’s impact, with an expected increase in lives saved as this fully vaccinated generation reaches their late 30s and 40s, when cervical cancer mortality traditionally peaks.

The takeaway: This represents a massive public health achievement and stands as a testament to the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine as a highly successful, life-saving cancer-prevention tool. It also underscore the critical importance of robust, early-age HPV vaccination programs worldwide to eradicate cervical cancer.

LINK

Beyond the hype: What do we really know about the health benefits of GLP-1s?

While GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic show immense promise for a growing list of health conditions from cancer prevention to combating addiction, scientists caution that the research is still catching up to the hype.

• Beyond treating diabetes and weight loss, large clinical trials have already proven that GLP-1 medications effectively reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, metabolic liver disease, and sleep apnea.

• Mounting observational studies suggest these drugs may also have powerful anti-cancer properties, with recent research linking GLP-1 use to dramatically reduced tumour progression and up to a 35% lower risk of developing breast cancer.

• Researchers hypothesize that these medications might combat cancer by directly impacting various biological pathways in the body, independent of the benefits gained from weight loss alone.

• Despite these encouraging early findings, experts warn against treating GLP-1s as a universal cure-all, noting that observational studies only show associations rather than a causal link. And hope of GLP-1s holding benefits for cognitive function and Alzheimer’s disease based on observational data have not been borne out in clinical trials, meaning it is too early to infer too much from observational studies of other health benefits.

The takeaway: GLP-1 medications seem to hold much promise in terms of their potential to revolutionize modern preventative medicine and oncology. It is crucial, however, to temper the current excitement with scientific rigour. Long-term clinical trials are still needed to support these new applications.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

Women with PCOS/PMOS may experience a later menopausal transition

A recent population-based birth cohort study reveals that women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS, now PMOS) tend to experience a later menopausal transition. Specifically, researchers found that women with PCOS/PMOS were less likely to be in late peri- or postmenopause by age 46, reporting fewer disruptive symptoms like hot flashes and sleep disturbances at that age. Further investigation of the consequences of PCOS/PMOS beyond menopause is needed, but this evidence of prolonged ovarian function and longer exposure to natural estrogens could confer health benefits. This is rather timely given the recent renaming of the condition in an effort to shift the understanding of the condition and its treatment away from a purely reproductive focus.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

How to glow with Dr. Justine Hextall

Dermatologist Dr. Justine Hextall breaks down the biological changes that drive increased sensitivity, dryness, and dullness in women's skin throughout their 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. She explains how hormonal shifts, particularly the decline of collagen and estrogen, fundamentally alter skin structure, making the protection of your natural skin barrier far more critical than investing in expensive, trendy products. She cuts through all the misinformation online to clarify exactly which active ingredients, such as vitamin C and retinoids, are effective and how to introduce them safely without triggering inflammation. She also discusses the increasing use of active ingredients and cosmetic treatments by younger people, in their teens and 20s, and the problems with the use of more aggressive approaches to skincare at an early age. This is a very balanced, practical, evidence-based discussion of what women need to know to take care of their skin at every age.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Pakistan eliminates ‘luxury tax’ on menstrual products and contraceptives

Following a major legal battle and public advocacy campaign, the Pakistani government is officially eliminating the 18% "luxury" sales tax on menstrual products and contraceptives starting July 1, 2026. For decades, this steep tax has contributed to period poverty, putting commercially manufactured sanitary items out of reach for the vast majority of women and girls in the country. While human rights advocates are celebrating the unprecedented legal victory, experts warn that removing the sales tax does not automatically guarantee retailers will lower consumer prices, noting that other import duties still apply. Furthermore, activists stress that while making these essential health products affordable is a critical first step, the country still faces a massive hurdle in dismantling the deep, pervasive societal stigma surrounding menstruation.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

The perimenopause and menopause gold rush is on, and Apple wants in now too. LINK

From opening meetings with "hello ladies and sons of ladies" to assuming men are talking about women’s sports instead of men’s, women on social media are mastering the delightfully defiant art of "microfeminisms" to quietly flip the script on everyday sexism. LINK

Argentina has taken an unconventional approach to holding parents accountable for child support, handing over a list of 13,000 parents in child support debt to U.S. authorities and asking them to ban them from attending World Cup matches. The Argentine government makes a compelling case that if you can afford to attend the World Cup, you can afford to feed your kids. LINK

With a combined age of 316, three Brazilian sisters, recently named the world's oldest living siblings, hope to help scientists better understand the genetics behind longevity. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week marks the first three months of Common Corpus, so instead of our usual roundup of the latest news in women’s health, we take a look back at the content we’ve covered over the last three months and recap some of the highlights. We review the most interesting and important stories and research of the last few months, in case you missed it. Catch up on content you missed, or share something interesting with someone you care about.

Share Common Corpus

And a new feature: a Spotify playlist with all the podcasts included in past editions, now all in one place to make it easier to search and keep up on audio content.

Common Corpus Spotify Playlist

News & Noteworthy

What made the news in women’s health this quarter

Clitoral nerves fully mapped for the first time

Nearly 30 years after the penal nerves were first mapped, researchers have, for the first time, fully mapped the entire network of nerves running through the clitoris. A milestone not only in our understanding of female anatomy, but also for greater attention to how genital surgeries may impact female pleasure. LINK (edition no 1)

Should endometriosis be classified as a whole-body inflammatory disorder?

Experts argue it is time to redefine endometriosis, shifting its medical classification from a localized reproductive issue to a systemic, whole-body inflammatory disorder based on emerging research highlights that endometriosis is fundamentally driven by systemic immune dysfunction, much like many other autoimmune diseases. LINK (edition no 5)

Why colorectal cancer is missed more often in women

Early warning signs of colorectal cancer in women are frequently dismissed or misdiagnosed as routine gynaecological or hormonal issues, delaying diagnosis and care. LINK (edition no 6)

PCOS has been renamed PMOS in the hopes of better care for millions of women

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has officially been renamed to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) to shift away from the harmful perception of a purely reproductive/fertility condition, and to better reflect its complex, whole-body impact, including the hormonal and metabolic impacts. LINK (edition no 6)

The Latest Research

Highlights in academic research in women’s health this quarter

Teenage period pain linked to chronic pain later in life

New research suggests that adolescent period pain could be a key predictor of chronic pain later in life, changing how the nervous system processes pain. TLDR: period pain should not be dismissed just a part of being a women, but believed and actively managed. LINK (edition no 1)

Inflammation and cardiovascular risk in women

A new study found that women with elevated levels of the inflammatory marker hsCRP had a significantly increased lifetime risk of heart disease, even without other common risk factors, like smoking, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. LINK (edition no 3)

Does social connection matter more than physical intervention for longevity?

Women with high levels of social connection had a 10% longer overall lifespan and a 41% greater likelihood of surviving to age 85 or older compared to their more isolated peers, even after adjusting for chronic diseases, health behaviours, and depression. This is your sign call that friend, go for coffee, chat a little longer. LINK (edition no 11)

Listen & Learn

Editor’s picks in women’s health audio content this quarter

Does the gender of your physician matter?

Dr. Christopher Wallis delves into fascinating data, showing how patients operated on by female surgeons experience significantly lower rates of death, hospital readmission, and major medical complications, the specific behavioural differences driving these superior outcomes, and the systemic gender biases that still pervade our health care systems. LINK (edition no 10)

What every woman must know to prevent Alzheimer’s with Dr Lisa Mosconi

Neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi argues that Alzheimer’s is a disease of midlife. She breaks down the links between menopause, hormones and brain health, and explains why brain health is something we all need to be thinking proactively about now. LINK (edition no 2)

Breast health at every age with Dr. Heather Richardson

Breast cancer surgeon Dr. Heather Richardson debunks pervasive breast health myths, breaks down exactly what women should be doing and screening for in every decade of life, explains the importance of understanding breast density in choosing appropriate screening modalities and schedules, and provides one of the best explanations of how to perform a proper self-exam we’ve come across. LINK (edition no 4)

Female Hormone Health, PCOS, Endometriosis, Fertility & Breast Cancer with Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi

OB/GYN Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi unpacks what we know about PCOS (now PMOS) and endometriosis, two highly common yet frequently undiagnosed drivers of female infertility and chronic pain, why they are often missed by the medical system and what women need to know about navigating diagnosis and treatment. LINK (edition no 3)

The Global Perspective

Quarterly highlights in women’s health around the world

Violence against women remains a persistent global health crisis

Nearly 1 in 3 women globally have faced physical or sexual violence, a figure that has remained virtually unchanged for the last two decades. The WHO argues this violence not just as a social issue but a chronic health emergency. LINK (edition no 2)

Nurses for new parents sets a new global standard of postpartum care

The Netherlands sets the global gold standard for postpartum care with its unique, state-funded “kraamzorg” system that sends maternity nurses into new parents’ homes to provide comprehensive in-home care for the first eight to ten days following childbirth. The support includes everything from maternity and newborn care to household chores, providing a model of what comprehensive and equitable postpartum support can look like. LINK (edition no 5)

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this quarter

New data from a Kings College London and IPSOS Mori survey suggest global views on gender roles and gender equality are moving in a negative direction — Gen Z men hold the most traditional views of gender roles compared to Millennial, Gen X and Boomer men. LINK

A fascinating and highly important read on why algorithmic censorship of women’s health content on social media is so damaging and perpetuates shame, stigma and health illiteracy. LINK

This campaign song to de-stigmatize anatomically correct vocabulary when talking about women’s bodies by UK-based GP, Dr. Aziza Sesay, is rather catchy. LINK

This brief history of pubic hair offers a fascinating look at shifting trends over the centuries and what they suggested about wealth and health. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we explore how immune cells may explain why pain is experienced differently in men and women, whether antihistamines can treat perimenopause and PMDD symptoms, why social connection matters more for longevity than any biohack or supplement, and an innovative program in Colombia that is trying to dismantle traditional gender roles, among much more.

Next week will mark our first quarterly edition where we will recap some of our most interesting reads/listens over the past three months. If you have a couple of minutes to spare, please tell us what you think of Common Corpus, what your favourite topics/content have been, and what you would like to see covered in upcoming editions. Your feedback is invaluable in improving and growing Common Corpus and to helping us make sure the content is useful and interesting for all our readers.

Tell us what you think!

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Why does pain last longer for women? Immune cells may hold the answer

New research reveals a clear biological reason why women experience longer-lasting pain: their immune systems produce significantly less of a crucial pain-relieving molecule compared to men.

• While women are statistically much more likely to develop chronic pain disorders, their persistent pain has historically been incorrectly dismissed by the medical establishment as merely psychological or emotional.

• Scientists have discovered that the immune system plays a central role in this pain disparity, specifically through the production of a molecule called IL-10, which acts to calm and regulate pain-sensitive nerve cells.

• Driven by higher testosterone levels, men naturally release much larger quantities of this IL-10 molecule, allowing their bodies to recover from pain and physical injury more efficiently.

• Because women produce a lessened IL-10 response, their nervous systems remain inflamed and sensitive for longer periods, leaving them biologically predisposed to prolonged pain.

The takeaway: TLDR: women’s pain is not ‘all in their heads.’

LINK, RESEARCH ARTICLE

Can Allegra and Pepcid AC really help PMDD?

A viral trend of combining Allegra and Pepcid AC is offering some women unexpected relief from severe premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and menopause symptoms, but medical experts are urging caution over unproven long-term use.

• Driven by social media, many women are taking a daily combination of an H1 antihistamine (like Allegra) and an H2 blocker (like Pepcid) to combat hormone-related issues such as brain fog, severe anxiety, rage, and hot flashes.

• The theory behind the trend is plausible: erratic estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle and perimenopause can trigger mast cells to overproduce histamine, which exacerbates systemic inflammation and mood disruptions.

• While anecdotal reports describe the relief as “life-changing,” doctors warn there are currently no randomized controlled clinical trials proving the efficacy or safety of this over-the-counter combination for gynecological or mental health conditions.

• Experts caution that long-term, unguided use of these medications could lead to negative side effects like gut microbiome disruption and nutrient deficiencies, or inadvertently mask underlying issues that require targeted hormone therapy.

The takeaway: While the Allegra-Pepcid trend highlights a very real, desperate gap in effective medical care for women suffering from PMDD and perimenopause, the long-term effects are not known, and masking symptoms may mean women do not seek out proper medical evaluation and treatment for these conditions.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

Does social connection matter more than physical intervention for longevity?

A large-scale, long-term study analyzing data from over 72,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study found that strong social integration is directly linked to a significantly longer lifespan in midlife women. Researchers found that women with high levels of social connection had a 10% longer overall lifespan and a 41% greater likelihood of surviving to age 85 or older compared to their more isolated peers, even after adjusting for chronic diseases, health behaviours, and depression. This evidence shows how psychosocial assets can be as critical as physical interventions when it comes to healthy aging. These findings underscore the importance of actively prioritizing robust social networks and community support as an essential in thinking about questions of longevity.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Perimenopause problems: an experts approach with Dr. Steven Goldstein

In a highly informative episode of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information, host Dr. Lauren Streicher and world-renowned menopause expert Dr. Steven Goldstein team up to demystify the notoriously unpredictable phase of perimenopause. A major takeaway from their discussion is that erratic bleeding and intense symptoms like anxiety are heavily driven by chaotic hormone fluctuations, making birth control pills a highly effective treatment to stabilize the body. They also clarify the biological difference between anovulatory bleeding and a true menstrual period, while detailing exactly when irregular bleeding requires a clinical evaluation to rule out issues like fibroids or polyps. This episode aims to provide clarity for women navigating the frustrating uncertainties of midlife, empowering them to understand different approaches to effective symptom relief rather than simply enduring the hormonal rollercoaster.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Unlearning machismo: Bogotá’s innovative care school for men

In an inspiring effort to dismantle deeply entrenched gender roles, a unique city-run initiative in Bogotá, Colombia, is explicitly teaching men how to take on their fair share of unpaid domestic labor and child-rearing. Highlighted in CNN’s As Equals series, the “Care School for Men” provides hands-on classes in practical tasks like changing diapers, braiding hair, and cleaning, alongside vital emotional support for anger management and conflict resolution. Women in Bogotá historically perform more than double the unpaid care work of men, a severe household imbalance that restricts women’s access to education, limits their earning potential, and actively drives female poverty. By reframing caregiving as a learned, highly valuable skill rather than a biological female trait, the program challenges Colombia’s traditional “machismo” culture. Participating men are building stronger emotional connections with their children while actively reducing the overwhelming physical and mental load placed on their partners.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

Serena is back and her return to professional tennis at age 44, nearly four years after her last match, marks one of the biggest moments in sport this year. LINK

BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet won the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction for The Finest Hotel in Kabul. The book uses Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel as a frame for modern Afghan history and the lives of people who endured decades of upheaval. LINK

Is period syncing really a thing? Not really, it turns out, but the idea may make menstruation more bearable. LINK

Meet the interstitium: the newly mapped, fluid-filled network hiding inside our bodies that might explain the science behind acupuncture. LINK

Demi Vollering just became only the second woman ever to win all three grand tours in cycling. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we explore if there is any truth to the cliché that women pee more often than men, an exciting new genomic test that holds the potential to spare some breast cancer patients from chemotherapy treatment, the link betweent the genetic risk for depression and heart disease, and the question of whether the gender of your physician matters, along with much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

Share Common Corpus

And if you want to learn more about what Common Corpus is, and why we do what we do, please visit our About page.

Subscribe now

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Do women need to pee more often than men?

While often dismissed as a simple biological quirk, female urinary frequency is a surprisingly complex issue shaped by physiology and anatomy but also social conditioning.

• Women and men’s bladder sizes are remarkably similar, both holding around 400–600 millilitres of urine.

• The pelvic floor acts as a crucial muscular sling, essential for maintaining normal bladder capacity and control. Physical events such as pregnancy, vaginal childbirth, and the natural estrogen decline during menopause can stretch, strain, or weaken these supporting muscles, which can increase daily urinary urgency.

• Women’s pelvic compartment is also more crowded, meaning they may feel the sensation of fullness at lower volumes of urine.

• Women naturally face a higher susceptibility to overactive bladder and urinary tract infections due to their distinct urological anatomy, further compounding the frequency of bathroom trips.

• But women are also conditioned to hold their urine more than men, often due to social conditions, whether the availability of public toilets or hygiene conditions.

The takeaway: There are clear anatomical, physiological/hormonal, and social reasons behind the cliché of women needing to pee more often, some of which may be addressed through specialized pelvic floor physical therapy.

LINK

New genomic test allows breast cancer patients to safely bypass chemotherapy

Results from a major international trial reveal that a groundbreaking genomic test can accurately identify which breast cancer patients can safely skip chemotherapy without increasing their risk of recurrence.

• The study followed over 4,000 newly diagnosed patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer to evaluate the effectiveness of the Prosigna genomic test.

• The test analyzes the activity of 50 genes within tumour tissue to generate a risk score that predicts the likelihood of the cancer returning over the next decade.

• Five years post-treatment, 94% of patients with a low test score who skipped chemotherapy were alive and cancer-free on hormone therapy alone, compared to 95% of those who endured both chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

The takeaway: This breakthrough represents a significant leap forward for personalized medicine. By using tumour biology rather than traditional clinical features to guide treatment, this tool holds the promise of both sparing patients the physical and emotional toll of unnecessary chemotherapy and saving healthcare system resources that could be allocated more efficiently.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

The hidden link between the genetic risk of depression and heart disease in women

A recent study reveals that women with a high genetic predisposition for major depression are significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases (such as coronary artery disease and heart failure) compared to men with the same genetic risk. Strikingly, this elevated cardiovascular risk is present even in women who have never been formally diagnosed with depression or prescribed psychiatric medications, suggesting there is a biological link, not simply a behavioural one. While more research is needed to untangle whether depression risk can help better predict cardiovascular risk, the research highlights how cardiovascular risk calculators need to better reflect sex differences.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Does the gender of your physician matter?

Urologic oncologist Dr. Christopher Wallis dives into fascinating population-level data, showing how patients operated on by female surgeons experience significantly lower rates of death, hospital readmission, and major medical complications. Dr. Wallis breaks down the specific behavioural differences driving these superior outcomes, noting that female physicians consistently spend more time with patients, adhere more strictly to clinical guidelines, and utilize a more patient-centered communication style. He also discusses a stark, measurable double standard in the medical field: data shows that when a male surgeon has a bad patient outcome, his referral network remains intact, but female surgeons face a drastic, punitive drop in referrals following a similar complication. This conversation is a powerful, data-driven wake-up call to recognize and dismantle systemic biases embedded in our healthcare systems.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Why merging UNFPA and UN Women might be a problem

In response to United Nations funding challenges, a recent proposal suggests merging UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) into a single entity to streamline operations. However, this Devex opinion piece argues that this merger would severely undermine global gender equality by diluting the distinct, irreplaceable mandates of both agencies. Because UN Women focuses on broad gender norms and policies while UNFPA specializes in sexual and reproductive health, combining them risks weakening critical funding streams and specialized frontline capabilities. Ultimately, consolidating these efforts could make the new agency an easier target for political attacks, leaving vulnerable women and girls at greater risk amid an unprecedented global backlash against women’s rights.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

There has been a lot of good news in cancer research lately...

• An experimental vaccine shows promise in reducing the recurrence and spread of melanoma. LINK

• Researchers have identified proteins that appear to accurately predict lung cancer risk more than five years before diagnosis, and have early evidence of an existing anti-inflammatory drug that seems to reduce lung cancer risk in people with these proteins. LINK

• And another experimental medication has nearly doubled survival rates for pancreatic cancer. LINK

Melinda French Gates just invested an additional $215 million in women’s health. Listen to her conversation with OBGYN Dr. Jen Gunter about why. LINK

Andrex’s new campaign “push like you’re pooing” aims to dismantle the stigma around pooing during childbirth and opens up a conversation about one of the most common but least discussed anxieties about childbirth. LINK

FIFA has announced a new worldwide education program focused on the science behind optimizing female athletic performance, including everything from sleep, to hormones, to pregnancy and menopause. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we cover a promising new treatment for preeclampsia, a proposed new policy approach to dealing with medical misogyny, pelvic floor health across the lifespan, and how climate change and droughts may increase the risk of violence for adolescent girls, and much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

Share Common Corpus

And if you want to learn more about what Common Corpus is, and why we do what we do, please visit our About page.

Subscribe now

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Can issuing fines for medical misogyny improve healthcare for women?

A newly unveiled plan by the UK’s health secretary would penalize hospitals for “medical misogyny”. But does this risk diverting crucial resources away from frontline care, and ultimately worsening the systemic failures that harm female patients?

• There is a real crisis of systemic gender bias in healthcare, where women’s pain is dismissed and maternal care falls short. But, this article argues financial punishments will not address the root cultural and educational causes of medical misogyny.

• Imposing fines on already financially strained health services effectively strips money away from essential patient care, staff training, and specialized women’s health clinics needed to improve outcomes. This is likely to impact the worst performing hospitals most, creating a vicious cycle of poor patient satisfaction scores, reduced funding, and therefore fewer resources to improve patient care.

The takeaway: While the notion of financial penalties for medical misogyny may appeal to a sense of injustice, such fines may inadvertently undercut healthcare institutions struggling to provide care. Ultimately, ensuring equitable treatment for women requires actively funding systemic cultural change and frontline resources, and prioritizing women’s health research, rather than simply fining hospitals into further dysfunction.

LINK

New dialysis-like treatment for preeclampsia

A new dialysis-like treatment may help safely extend pregnancies for women suffering from early severe preeclampsia.

• The experimental device uses a process called extracorporeal apheresis to filter the mother’s blood to remove the toxic placental protein responsible for damaging blood vessels and driving life-threatening high blood pressure.

• In an early-stage trial, this targeted therapy successfully stabilized maternal blood pressure, allowed the babies to continue developing normally, and extended pregnancies by an average of 10 extra days (more than double the duration seen in untreated patients).

The takeaway: This holds the potential to significantly shift the management of one of the most dangerous and historically untreatable pregnancy complications. By safely buying crucial extra time in the womb, this therapy could reduce the health risks associated with premature birth while protecting maternal lives.

LINK, VIDEO REPORT

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

New evidence and guidelines on testosterone therapy for women

A new article highlights that testosterone therapy provides physiological benefits across multiple organ systems for postmenopausal women, extending far beyond the traditional focus on simply boosting libido. Key findings of the study are that transdermal testosterone is preferred, and there is strong evidence to support improved sexual function. Interestingly, there are promising data that suggest testosterone might have a wider therapeutic role for women in terms of bone health, musculoskeletal strength, cognition, and bladder health, among others, although more research and evidence are needed before prescribing testosterone specifically for these conditions. This research highlights how testosterone should be part of the conversation about women’s health.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

How to stop leaking, prolapse and pain

In this episode of The Woman's Handbook, specialized women’s health physiotherapists Monica Donaldson and Tamara Gerdis debunk pervasive myths surrounding pelvic floor dysfunction. A key takeaway: though symptoms like leaking, heaviness, and pain are common after childbirth or during menopause, they are not a "normal" consequence of aging and childbirth that women must simply accept. They caution against the blanket prescription of Kegels, explaining that for many women experiencing pelvic pain or dysfunction, blindly tightening the muscles can actually worsen symptoms. Instead, they highlight highly effective, non-surgical interventions (ranging from targeted physical therapy to specialized pessaries) that can safely address everything from prolapse to painful intercourse. This episode is wide-ranging, taking women through the changes to the pelvic floor over the life-course, and the treatments available to what are very common but not normal pelvic floor conditions.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

The link between climate change and violence against adolescent girls

A recent study using data from Southern Africa reveals that severe drought exposure is associated with an elevated risk of violence, particularly for adolescent girls, who face up to double the overall risk of violence and a 46% increase in sexual violence by non-partners. This pattern may be explained by worsening household financial circumstances where water scarcity destroys agricultural livelihoods, which may also increase the likelihood of early marriage and forced migration, and by the need to travel longer distances to secure basic resources like water and firewood, a burden largely borne by young women. This highlights the need to integrate violence prevention and gender-sensitive approaches to climate resilience strategies.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

This brief history of pubic hair offers a fascinating look at shifting trends over the centuries and what they suggested about wealth and health. LINK

Hollywood would rather cast a talking animal or a guy named Chris than a woman over 60. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we explore new research on why women’s fertility declines with age, the little-known but common condition of post-mastectomy pain, how hormones affect women and men’s hearing differently, promising advances in treating vulvar pain, and much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

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News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

New research on why women’s fertility declines with age

Emerging research is trying to answer a key questions around ageing and fertility: why do women’s eggs deteriorate with age? The general explanation of declining fertility with age has been well-known for a long time: that age increases the risk of miscarriage, often due to eggs containing the wrong number of chromosomes (aneuploidy). New research suggests that the decline of certain proteins may be an important clue as to why aneuploidy (an incorrect number of chromosomes) occurs more often in older eggs.

• While men produce sperm throughout their lives, women are born with a lifetime supply of oocytes, the precursor cells that develop into eggs.

• In one of the final stages of meiosis where the oocyte develops into an egg, the paired copies of chromosomes are meant to separate in an orderly fashion, leaving the egg with only one copy of each chromosome. The risk with age, however, is that this process is disrupted and the egg receives the wrong number of chromosomes.

• Recent research suggests that part of the explanation of why aneuploidy occurs and why the likelihood of it increases with age has to do with the loss of cohesion proteins (that maintain the cohesion of chromosomes in the oocyte) as well as proteins that protect the cohesion proteins, called Shugoshin (Japanese for ‘guardian spirit’) proteins.

• Emerging research is exploring the role of Shugoshin proteins in protecting cohesion proteins and maintaining the cohesion of chromosomes as women age. Scientists have been working on restoring Shugoshin protein production by microinjecting mRNA that coded for the protein. They were able to increase the number of healthy eggs with the right number of chromosomes from about 50% to nearly 75%.

• Fertility treatments have tended to focus on retrieving as many eggs as possible in the hopes of having a good number of healthy eggs with the right number of chromosomes. This new research shifts the focus to trying to improve the cellular quality of older eggs and to preventing age-related chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidy).

• While the research is emergent, and is not likely to explain all chromosomal errors, it adds to the growing body of research exploring fundamental questions about the development of eggs that could lead to new options for preserving fertility and possibly restoring it in some instances.

The takeaway: This research matters immensely in the context of the trend towards delaying childbearing beyond the biologically optimal window for reproduction. By shifting the scientific focus from simply retrieving and freezing eggs to actively repairing their structural integrity, these emerging technologies could fundamentally revolutionize fertility treatments and offer a profound new wave of hope for genetic parenthood.

LINK (paywalled; hence the longer summary)

The hidden reality of post-mastectomy pain

Post-Mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS), a debilitating but frequently overlooked condition that leaves some breast cancer survivors grappling with chronic, long-term pain.

• Despite mastectomy being a life-saving surgical procedure, a staggering percentage (some estimates up to 50%) of mastectomy patients experience persistent, nerve-related chest and arm pain that lasts for months or even years post-surgery.

• This chronic pain is typically caused by unavoidable nerve damage or scar tissue formation during the removal of breast tissue and underarm lymph nodes.

• Because the immediate focus is understandably on eradicating the cancer, both patients and doctors often fail to adequately discuss long-term pain management, leading many women to mistakenly believe they must suffer in silence.

• Symptoms often manifest as severe burning, tingling, numbness, or shooting pain in the chest wall or armpit, which can profoundly limit mobility, interrupt sleep, and erode a woman’s emotional well-being.

• Medical experts urge patients not to accept chronic discomfort as the “price of survival,” advocating instead for early, targeted interventions like specialized physical therapy, nerve blocks, and nerve-targeting medications.

The takeaway: This report is vital reading for breast cancer survivors, those preparing for preventive or cancer-related mastectomies, and the oncologists and surgeons who guide their recovery. This article highlights the need for more research on PMPS, more discussion of this possible side effect, more proactive identification, and management of pain with patients.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

The crucial role of hormones in hearing differences between men and women

A new presentation from the 190th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America highlights the significant, biologically driven differences in how men and women process sound. Historically, medical research on hearing has generalized male data to women, ignoring the profound impact that hormonal changes, which influence cellular behaviour in the brain’s auditory processing centres, have on hearing. The research reveals that while men typically show an earlier, more gradual auditory decline, women experience hearing fluctuations tied to their menstrual cycles and face sharper changes during menopause. This research is yet unpublished, but suggests that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to audiology is problematic for women and the need for studying sex-dependent auditory variability. Ultimately, more research is needed but this represents a first step in paving the way for more accurate diagnoses and personalized management of hearing loss for everyone.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Cervical cancer, birth control, vulvar pain, gaslighting with Dr. Andrew Goldstein

In this wide-ranging and insightful episode of You Are Not Broken, vulvovaginal expert Dr. Andrew Goldstein dismantles the medical gaslighting surrounding painful sex, proving that vulvar pain is a physical reality rather than something "all in your head." He discusses cervical cancer, emphasizing that life-saving HPV vaccines and regular testing are absolutely non-negotiable for early detection and prevention. Shifting focus to painful intercourse, Dr. Goldstein explains that vulvar pain often stems from biological root causes, such as an abnormal overgrowth of nerve endings or the prolonged use of oral birth control pills that chronically suppress essential local hormones. He also discusses Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and the fascinating connection between hypermobility and vulvar pain, as well as the emerging research on mast cells (which we typically associate with allergies) and their role in pelvic pain, including vulvodynia and endometriosis. This is a highly illuminating conversation on some of the latest research on vulvar and pelvic pain, concluding with a simple but deeply important call to action from Dr. Goldstein: “Women’s pain needs to be believed and relieved.”

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

The devastating gender gap in Ebola outbreaks

In a stark warning regarding the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, UN Women highlights a devastating, 50-year pattern: women are historically and overwhelmingly overrepresented in Ebola deaths. This extreme disparity does not occur because the virus is biologically more lethal to females, but because deeply entrenched gender roles (such as domestic caregiving, preparing bodies for burial, and performing front-line healthcare duties) put women in direct, constant contact with the infected. Additionally, pregnant women face nearly a 100-percent rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes due to their frequent interactions with compromised healthcare systems, while general quarantine measures simultaneously increase their risk for gender-based violence. This exposes how societal expectations and gender inequalities are exacerbated during health crises, transforming unpaid domestic labor and caregiving into a fatal occupational hazard. Ultimately, this urgent call to action underscores that global disease response cannot succeed unless governments and health agencies put gender inequalities at the centre of decision-making.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

Continuing on the topic of vulvodynia, the dramedy Lady Parts, based on the true story of a woman undergoing a vulvar vestibulectomy, offers a humorous and raw look into the experience of vaginal pain and treatment that few women talk about but many experience. LINK

Dr Sara Berg offers an eloquent and important reminder to women to ditch the deeply conditioned "sorry to bother you" reflex and start unapologetically claiming the space, time, and attention they deserve in everyday life. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we look at why ACL injuries are so much more common in female athletes and the simple fix for prevention, the first major innovation in instruments for assisted births since the 1950s, new data on the safety of MHT, and much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

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News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Why are ACL injuries more common amongst females?

This fascinating article delves into the youth sports industry, revealing a devastating epidemic of ACL tears among teenage female athletes, a crisis driven not just by biology, but by a sports culture that is failing to properly train and protect them.

• Teenage girls currently tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at three to six times the rate of their male counterparts, with injury rates among high school girls surging 32% over a recent 15-year period.

• While these injuries have historically been dismissed as the inevitable result of female anatomy (such as a wider pelvis) or hormonal joint laxity, experts now point to a “perfect storm” of early, year-round sport specialization and the modern loss of diverse, unstructured free play.

• A massive gender gap in sports science means many young women are trained using conditioning models built for male bodies, delaying vital strength training and failing to develop the specific neuromuscular control female joints require to safely absorb impact.

• Compounding the issue is a hyper-competitive youth sports culture that chronically prioritizes tactics, immediate wins, and extra scrimmage time over foundational movement quality and proper jump-landing mechanics.

• The ultimate tragedy of this crisis is that proven, evidence-based neuromuscular warm-up programs—such as the widely studied FIFA 11+—already exist and can dramatically reduce the risk of ACL injuries by 50% to 80%.

• Despite their massive efficacy, these 20-minute preventative routines are heavily under-utilized, with less than one-third of youth coaches making use of them due to a lack of awareness and an absence of safety mandates from sports governing bodies.

• The long-term consequences of these preventable tears are severe, frequently robbing young women of college athletic opportunities, plunging them into gruelling surgical rehabs, and drastically increasing their lifetime risk of chronic pain and early-onset osteoarthritis.

The takeaway: This reframes the high rate of ACL tears in young girls from an unavoidable biological fate to a highly preventable structural failure within youth sports. The critical takeaway is that parents and athletic programs must demand the integration of injury prevention protocols into mandatory daily practice routines. Ultimately, holding youth sports cultures accountable for implementing these proven safeguards is essential to ensure girls can safely enjoy the physical and mental benefits of athletics without sacrificing their long-term joint health.

LINK

Transforming assisted births? A new delivery instrument promises just that

A revolutionary new birthing device is officially being rolled out across European hospitals as a gentle, highly effective alternative to forceps and vacuum extractors.

• The OdonAssist device, which originated from an idea by an Argentine inventor almost two decades ago, uses a soft, inflatable air cuff to gently grip and guide the baby’s head through the birth canal during contractions.

• Unlike traditional forceps or ventouse (vacuum) extractors, the OdonAssist distributes pressure evenly, dramatically reducing the risk of maternal tearing and neonatal soft-tissue bruising.

• Following extensive testing and overwhelmingly positive feedback from participating mothers, the device recently received its safety approval and is officially being introduced into routine obstetric care.

The takeaway: This breakthrough represents a modernization of instruments for assisted birth, which have seen little innovation since the 1950s, providing a significantly safer, less traumatic option for prolonged or complicated labor.

LINK, VIDEO DEMONSTRATION

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

New study shows menopause hormone therapy is not associated with higher mortality rates

A large, nationwide cohort study analyzing nearly a million women has confirmed that systemic menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is not associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality. For over two decades, the global use of hormone therapy drastically declined due to lingering, pervasive fears from the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study that originally linked the treatment to an increased risk of cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. However, this new registry-based research, which tracked Danish women for a median of 14 years, found no significant differences in cancer-specific or cardiovascular-specific death rates between MHT users and non-users. The study revealed a highly protective benefit for women who underwent the surgical removal of both ovaries between ages 45 and 54, showing a 27% to 34% decrease in mortality among those who subsequently used hormone therapy. This research provides much-needed, evidence-based reassurance that actively and effectively treating menopause does not compromise a woman's overall longevity.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Colon cancer is rising in women under 50 with Dr. Beth Moore

In this episode of the SHE MD podcast, colorectal surgeon Dr. Beth Moore dismantles the dangerous myth that colon cancer is an “older man’s disease.” This conversation is crucial for women of all ages, especially those under 50, who are currently facing an alarming rise in colorectal cancer. It matters because nearly 80% of colon cancer cases occur in patients with absolutely no family history, meaning proactive screening and symptom awareness are a crucial first line of defence. A vital takeaway is that the colonoscopy remains the undisputed gold standard of care, not just because it detects cancer early, but because it actively prevents the disease by allowing doctors to seamlessly identify and remove precancerous polyps. Ultimately, this episode is an important reminder of the need to be aware of symptoms and proactive about screening for and prevention of colorectal cancer.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Does online gender-based violence threaten democracy?

A sobering recent Guardian report highlights how technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) has escalated into a profound democratic crisis by systematically silencing women online. Driven by the rise of deepfakes, doxxing, and highly sexualized cyberbullying, this digital abuse disproportionately targets women in public life, prompting 76% of victims to alter their social media presence and nearly a third to stop sharing their opinions altogether. While enacting protective laws is a necessary step, safety requires governments and tech companies to actively enforce these regulations, invest in digital literacy, and curb the weaponization of artificial intelligence. This issue matters immensely because the coordinated online harassment of female politicians, activists, and journalists is not merely a personal threat, but one that compromises the integrity of political discourse and elections.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

A fascinating and highly important read on why algorithmic censorship of women’s health content on social media is so damaging and perpetuates shame, stigma and health illiteracy. LINK

This campaign song to de-stigmatize anatomically correct vocabulary when talking about women’s bodies by UK-based GP, Dr. Aziza Sesay, is rather catchy. LINK

This Unbiased Science substack breaks down menopause ‘wellness’ trends, helpfully separating marketing from medicine. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we look at the renaming of PCOS in the hopes of improving care for the condition, why colorectal cancer should be on every woman’s radar, how sleep apnea looks different in women, and how AI deep learning models may hold the potential to improve breast cancer screening, among much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

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News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

PCOS has been renamed PMOS in the hopes of better care for millions of women

After more than a decade of global campaigning driven by patient advocacy, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is officially being renamed to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) to better reflect its complex, whole-body impact.

• The misleading term “polycystic” often confused both patients and doctors, creating a false impression that the condition strictly involved dangerous ovarian cysts and was solely a gynaecological or fertility issue.

• In reality, the syndrome is a profound hormonal and metabolic disorder driven by insulin resistance and androgen imbalances, which significantly increases a woman’s risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• The renaming effort, spearheaded by endocrinologist Prof. Helena Teede and involving 56 medical societies across six continents, was heavily influenced by patient representatives who have suffered through delayed diagnoses and dismissive medical care.

• Many women have historically been told by doctors that their diagnosis only mattered if they wanted to get pregnant, while their broader metabolic and mental health symptoms were ignored.

• By emphasizing the “polyendocrine” and “metabolic” realities, the new name signals a crucial shift away from the harmful perception of a purely “reproductive” condition, validating the multi-system burden that many women have experienced.

The takeaway: This landmark renaming matters immensely for the estimated 170 million women globally living with the condition, as well as the clinicians responsible for their care. By officially shifting the medical focus from isolated ovarian symptoms to the entire metabolic system, this change empowers women to finally demand comprehensive, whole-body healthcare rather than just fertility-focused interventions.

LINK, FULL ANNOUNCEMENT (from The Lancet)

Why colorectal cancer is missed more often in women

A new report highlights how early warning signs of colorectal cancer in women are frequently dismissed or misdiagnosed as routine gynaecological or hormonal issues, leading to dangerously delayed care.

• Women frequently experience subtle symptoms of colon cancer—such as severe fatigue, vague abdominal discomfort, or iron-deficiency anemia caused by slow internal bleeding.

• Because these symptoms are incredibly common, both patients and doctors often mistakenly attribute them to menstrual cycles, perimenopause, postpartum recovery, or conditions like IBS and endometriosis.

• Iron-deficiency anemia is a prime example of this gender bias in diagnostics; in women, it is routinely blamed on heavy periods and left un-investigated, whereas the exact same symptom in a man typically triggers an urgent cancer workup.

• Medical experts stress that while benign causes like hemorrhoids are common, any persistent red flags—especially unexplained anemia, new constipation or diarrhea, thinning stool, or blood in the stool—must be thoroughly evaluated with a colonoscopy.

• Gastroenterologists urge women to persistently advocate for themselves if their symptoms are brushed off as “just hormones,” advising them to demand clear explanations and seek second opinions or specialist referrals if they don’t feel heard.

The takeaway: This article is critical reading for women of all ages, but especially younger women and the clinicians who treat them. The rise in colorectal cancer rates in men and women under 50 means younger women/people need to be better informed of the risks and possible symptoms. This is particularly important for women because understanding how colorectal cancer can mask itself behind everyday female health complaints is key for women to know how to advocate for potentially life-saving diagnostic testing.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

AI outperforms breast density classifications in predicting cancer risk

A new study reveals that an AI-driven deep learning model outperforms traditional radiologist assessments of breast density in predicting a woman’s future risk of breast cancer. By analyzing over 123,000 screening mammograms, researchers discovered that the deep learning model demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in predicting future cancer than breast density alone and identifying which patients were at the highest risk for dangerous false-negative results. This research is incredibly timely and matters deeply for women navigating routine mammograms, especially as some countries have shifted to mandatory notification of breast density classification (BI-RADS C or D) (e.g., the US and most provinces in Canada), while others debate the introduction of mandatory notification (e.g., the UK). While relying strictly on binary breast density categories can either trigger unnecessary anxiety or falsely reassure patients, the AI model appears to hold the promise of a more precise, personalized risk calculation in decisions around supplemental imaging to routine mammography.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Decoding better sleep with Dr. Jade Wu

In a deeply practical episode of Decoding Women’s Health, Dr. Elizabeth Poynor and sleep psychologist Dr. Jade Wu tackle the complex, frustrating reality of sleep disruptions, especially during midlife . This conversation is essential listening for women who are struggling with insomnia, sleep deprivation, shifting hormones, and the exhausting cycle of sleep anxiety. Dr. Wu breaks down what sleep architecture should look like, the differences between sleep deprivation, insomnia and sleep apnea, how sleep changes for women over the life-course, and how sleep apnea can present quite differently in women than in men. Modern wellness culture often turns sleep into a rigid, trackable metric, but Dr. Wu fundamentally reframes sleep not as a problem to be forcibly controlled, but as a biological process that responds best to patience. She argues that the true measure of a good night's rest comes from how alert you feel during the day, rather than relying on data from wearable fitness trackers to tell you about your sleep.

LINK

Why failing first no longer works for fertility

In this solo episode of the As a Woman podcast, board-certified reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Natalie Crawford challenges the standard that requires women to "fail" at getting pregnant for a full year before receiving fertility assistance. She argues that fertility is an important indicator of inflammation and overall health, and that rising fertility rates both make proactive screening important for assessing women’s health and for giving them agency in their reproductive lives, where fertility is inherently finite. While this argument raises important implicit questions around feasibility and cost-effectiveness in different healthcare systems, it nonetheless fits into broader discussions about the need for greater preventative care in healthcare systems more generally. A major takeaway is Dr. Crawford’s breakdown of the critical 90-day biological window prior to conception, during which specific, actionable metabolic choices can drastically reduce chronic inflammation and measurably improve both egg and sperm quality. This episode will be important listening for anyone planning for a future family, actively trying to conceive, or simply seeking to better understand their own biological timelines.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

New maternity hospital opens in the world’s largest refugee camp

A newly opened maternal hospital in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, is bringing life-saving obstetric care directly to the world's largest refugee camp. This facility will serve the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya women living there, who have historically faced highly dangerous conditions during childbirth. Previously, women experiencing obstructed labor or complications had to endure gruelling journeys on bamboo stretchers to reach specialist care outside the camp, often resulting in tragic, preventable deaths. Now, equipped to perform C-sections and ultrasounds, this hospital provides round-the-clock emergency services right where these women live. Amidst severe foreign aid cuts that have left the refugee population increasingly vulnerable, this facility offers a critical beacon of safety, ensuring these mothers finally have a fighting chance at a secure delivery.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

The state of Missouri recently revoked a law banning judges from delaying divorce proceedings because a spouse is pregnant, a crucial step towards protecting women from domestic abuse. Shockingly, this is not the only US state where this continues to be common practice. LINK

May 8th was World Ovarian Cancer Day. Do you know the risk factors and symptoms? LINK

In honour of (North American) Mother’s Day, some words of wisdom from moms LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

Following our discussion several weeks ago of how women’s brains change during pregnancy, this week, we explore how the male brain also adapts in response to parenthood. We also look at whether endometriosis should be re-classified as a whole-body inflammatory condition, and the fascinating connection between jaw and pelvic floor tension, along with much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey.

And if you want to learn more about what Common Corpus is, and why we do what we do, please visit our About page.

Subscribe now

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

How fatherhood rewires the male brain

Becoming a father triggers profound biological and structural changes in a man’s brain, permanently rewiring his mind and hormones to optimize for caregiving.

• Just like in women, the transition to fatherhood induces measurable structural changes in the male brain, including a decrease in grey matter volume that “prunes” neural pathways to make parenting behaviours and social cognition more efficient.

• Research shows men experience a significant, natural drop in testosterone levels around the time their baby is born. This biological shift is designed to reduce risk-taking and re-focus a man’s priorities onto his new family.

• The more time a father spends directly caring for his infant, the larger the drop in his testosterone and the stronger the neurological adaptations.

• These hormonal and structural shifts correlate directly with greater empathy, patience, and capacity to bond deeply with his newborn.

• While these changes are highly adaptive for childcare, this intense neurological re-modeling can also leave new fathers more vulnerable to sleep disturbances and their own postpartum mental health challenges.

The takeaway: This research dismantles the myth that the biological “parenting instinct” is exclusively female, proving that involved fathers undergo their own dramatic physiological re-modeling to prepare for childcare. Understanding this is important for modern families, as it validates the biological power of active, hands-on fatherhood, while highlighting the often-overlooked need to support men’s mental health during the postpartum transition.

LINK

Should endometriosis be classified as a whole-body inflammatory disorder?

Experts argue it is time to redefine endometriosis, shifting its medical classification from a localized reproductive issue to a systemic, whole-body inflammatory disorder.

• While traditionally viewed purely as a pelvic disease, where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, emerging research highlights that endometriosis is fundamentally driven by systemic immune dysfunction.

• Patients routinely experience widespread, non-pelvic symptoms, such as debilitating fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and gastrointestinal issues. These are directly caused by chronic, low-grade inflammation circulating throughout the entire body.

• The condition shares striking similarities with autoimmune diseases and is frequently accompanied by other systemic inflammatory co-morbidities, suggesting the pelvic lesions are a symptom of a broader immune issue rather than the sole cause.

• Because the current standard of care primarily relies on localized surgeries and hormone suppression, it often fails to provide long-term relief because it treats the anatomical lesions rather than the systemic inflammatory environment driving the disease.

The takeaway: Reclassifying endometriosis as a whole-body inflammatory disorder would represent a massive shift in how we understand the condition, but one that validates the debilitating symptoms experienced by women. It also lays the foundation better treatment that can address the root cause of the disease rather than just (often temporarily) managing pelvic pain.

LINK (news article), LINK (original research)

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

The link between jaw tension and pelvic floor tension

A fascinating randomized controlled trial reveals that treating jaw tension can directly and positively impact pelvic floor function in women. Researchers discovered that just a single 15-minute session of soft tissue therapy on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) significantly enhanced the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to relax, measurably decreasing their resting tension. This research matters immensely for women dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic stress, or TMJ pain, as it shows these seemingly distant areas are deeply connected through the body's continuous fascial network, known as the "deep front line." The key takeaway is that persistent pelvic floor hyperactivity or pain may actually be linked to tension in the jaw, meaning that treating the jaw could indirectly help to resolve pelvic floor issues. This ‘jaw-pelvis connection’ is also a reminder of the need to look beyond localized symptoms and adopt holistic, full-body assessments when helping women with their pelvic health.

LINK

The impact of loneliness and social isolation on cognitive function

A newly published study of over 900 perimenopausal women reveals a striking link between psychosocial well-being and cognitive function, demonstrating that loneliness (defined as a subjective social experience) and social isolation (defined as an objective state of limited social interactions) severely exacerbate subjective cognitive decline (SCD). This research matters for women in midlife and their healthcare providers, as it validates the frequently reported, distressing symptom of perimenopausal “brain fog” while highlighting that its root causes extend beyond mere hormonal shifts. The main findings show that while both subjective loneliness and objective social isolation independently increase the risk of cognitive decline, women experiencing a combination of the two face a compounded, higher risk for severe SCD. The research suggests that maintaining robust social connections and emotional support networks is not just a “nice-to-have” during the menopause transition, but a vital, protective medical strategy for preserving long-term brain health. Ultimately, this reminds women (and their health care providers) to actively prioritize social well-being and community ties as a legitimate, necessary intervention to maintaining cognitive health.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Brick House Bones - How to strengthen bones with PT with Dr. Lisa Moore

In an empowering episode of You Are Not Broken, Dr. Kelly Casperson sits down with physical therapist and bone health expert Dr. Lisa Moore to completely reframe how we approach osteoporosis. This episode is a must-listen for any woman who has been handed an osteoporosis or osteopenia diagnosis and was told simply to “be careful” to avoid injury. This advice often leaves women paralyzed by the fear of fractures, but Dr. Moore effectively dismantles this anxiety by explaining how bone health is highly dynamic, not a fixed, one-way decline, and explains that it is never too late to address bone health and that osteopenia and osteoporosis can be reversed. A crucial takeaway is that weak bones alone don’t cause most fractures, falls do. This means targeted power training (strength combined with speed) and real-world dynamic balance exercises should be considered non-negotiable for longevity. Ultimately, this conversation is practical and optimistic, reminding us of the body’s incredible adaptability, and that it is never too late to start lifting, moving, and actively rebuilding a resilient skeleton.

LINK

Hormone & Fertility Expert Roundtable

A powerhouse panel of experts, including menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver, longevity orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright, fertility expert Dr. Natalie Crawford, and female physiology researcher Dr. Stacy Sims, exposes how the gender health gap has systematically left women misdiagnosed and under-treated. They connect the dots between diverse issues like PCOS, endometriosis, and menopause, illustrating how women’s symptoms are frequently dismissed as “normal” or ignored entirely. The panel addresses head on the historical bias in medical research that has normalized female suffering and left women’s unique physiology deeply misunderstood by modern healthcare systems. This episode is an important listen for women at any stage of life, whether they are navigating the side effects of birth control in their 20s, struggling with fertility and family planning in their 30s, or entering the often-misunderstood phase of perimenopause, and beyond.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Nurses for new parents sets a new global standard of postpartum care

The Netherlands sets the global gold standard for postpartum care with its unique, state-funded “kraamzorg” system that sends maternity nurses directly into new parents’ homes.

• In the Dutch healthcare system, every family is legally entitled to a maternity nurse (a kraamverzorgster) who provides comprehensive in-home care for the first eight to ten days following childbirth.

• These specialized nurses offer around 49 hours of dedicated support, including daily medical monitoring of both the mother’s recovery and the newborn’s health, as well as vital assistance with breastfeeding.

• Beyond medical and infant care, the nurses actively take on practical household chores such as cleaning, laundry, and making meals, allowing the parents to fully rest and bond with their baby in a stress-free environment.

• Because this service is a universal entitlement covered by basic national health insurance, this critical early-days support is accessible to all families, regardless of income.

The takeaway: The Dutch model provides an inspiring blueprint for what equitable, comprehensive postpartum support actually looks like. This system treats the physically and emotionally vulnerable “fourth trimester” not as an afterthought, but as a critical medical period requiring structured, compassionate care to protect the long-term well-being of both parents and children.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

A landmark change to FIFA regulations recognizes the Afghan women’s soccer team, allowing them to compete internationally as the country’s official women’s team (and providing funding to rebuild the team) for the first time since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and subsequent ban on women’s sports. LINK

Alice Braham sets an impressive new record as the fastest woman over 50 at the 2026 London Marathon, smashing the previous record by nearly 9 minutes. LINK

Ever wonder what exactly is happening with your hormones and cycle during perimenopause and menopause? In this short video, Dr. Jen Gunter explains what is happening to your cycle during perimenopause and what it means for hormones. LINK

May 6th is World Maternal Mental Health Day. Another reason to take stock of the types of policies like the Dutch kraamzorg (see above) to support new parents. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week we explore the potential of menstrual blood as a diagnostic tool, how the X chromosome shapes your health, the link between fibroids and heart disease, what every woman needs to know about breast health, and much more.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey. If you’re enjoying Common Corpus and finding it useful, please share it with anyone else who might be interested.

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News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

What can menstrual blood tell you about your health? Possibly quite a lot.

Long dismissed by medical science as useless waste and socially as stigmatized and shameful, menstrual blood is now being recognized as a powerful, non-invasive diagnostic tool. Pioneering biotech innovations are unlocking its biological potential to screen for a wide range of conditions, from diabetes and thyroid issues to cervical cancer.

• Emerging science proves that menstrual blood contains many of the exact same vital health biomarkers as a traditional venous blood draw, alongside unique, tissue-specific endometrial cells.

• Innovations like the “Q-Pad” allow patients to passively collect their own samples at home, providing a painless alternative for monitoring blood sugar, anemia, and hormones.

• Scientists are actively exploring how the unique proteins found in this fluid could eventually provide a long-awaited, non-invasive diagnostic method for complex reproductive conditions like endometriosis.

The takeaway: This breakthrough matters immensely for anyone who menstruates, as it flips a historically stigmatized biological process into an empowering, accessible health screening tool. By bypassing the pain and clinical anxiety of traditional blood draws or cervical smears, utilizing menstrual blood could dramatically change women’s healthcare and early detection of disease.

LINK

How the X chromosome shapes your health

A recent feature in Nature discusses new research indicating that the X chromosome (rather than just sex hormones) is an important driver of why women and men experience diseases and drug side effects differently. By rewriting our understanding of chromosomal biology, researchers are starting to better understand and explain the profound sex differences seen in autoimmune conditions, metabolic health, and beyond.

• While scientists have historically blamed sex hormones like estrogen or testosterone for differences in disease susceptibility, new research points directly to the underlying genetics of the X and Y chromosomes.

• In female embryos (XX), one X chromosome is mostly silenced by a molecule called Xist RNA to prevent a potentially damaging duplicate expression of some genes, a process known as X-chromosome inactivation.

• However, scientists are discovering that a significant number of genes “escape” this inactivation, leaving women with a higher, sustained dosage of certain cellular proteins compared to men (XY).

• These “escapee” genes help explain why women often process drugs differently; for example, the research notes that women are twice as likely to experience severe muscle pain as a side effect of statins due to X-chromosome gene dosage.

• But there is also variation at play in gene expression: the “escapee” genes can vary both across individuals and across an individual’s lifetime.

• These differences in gene expression in the X chromosome may play a role in sex biases for common diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, as well as cancer and autoimmune diseases, and even autism. This may help explain the higher rates of certain diseases among women vs. men (e.g., higher rates of cancer and autism among males, but higher rates of autoimmune disease amongst women). Similarly, the variation in gene expression on the X chromosome may help explain the development of certain diseases, like Lupus.

The takeaway: This research is a crucial breakthrough for women and the future of personalized medicine, showing that female bodies are genetically distinct down to the cellular level, rather than just acting as “smaller men with different hormones.” Understanding the powerful, systemic role of the X chromosome holds huge potential for better understanding the origins of many disease, along with differential rates of disease across men and women, and the potential for future sex-specific drug dosing and targeted treatments for female-dominated conditions like autoimmune disorders.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

The link between uterine fibroids and heart disease

A massive longitudinal study analyzing over 2.7 million individuals has revealed that a diagnosis of uterine fibroids is independently associated with a significantly increased risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Researchers discovered that women with fibroids faced a nearly 2.5-fold higher risk of experiencing heart disease, stroke, or peripheral artery disease within one year of their diagnosis, with an elevated cardiovascular risk that persisted for at least a decade. This research reframes a highly common, often-dismissed gynecological condition as a critical, female-specific warning sign for systemic vascular health. The key takeaway is that fibroids should no longer be viewed merely as a localized pelvic issue, but rather as an indicator of broader chronic inflammation and heart disease risk.

LINK

Danish study finds no associated risk of autism with acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy

A nationwide study in Denmark of over 1.5 million children concluded that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism in offspring. This research is a crucial update for pregnant women and their healthcare providers, directly challenging recent, fear-inducing warnings about the drug’s neurological safety. The study, including sibling comparisons spanning 25 years, shows no statistical link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism, regardless of the dosage or the trimester it was taken. This matters deeply because pregnant women are often left with very few medically approved, accessible options for managing acute pain and fever. Ultimately, this robust data empowers expectant mothers to safely treat their own medical needs without the heavy burden of unwarranted guilt or anxiety over their child’s long-term neurodevelopment.

LINK (summary), LINK (paywalled article)

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

The ultimate guide to women’s sexual health, HRT, and menopause with Dr. Rachel Rubin

In this important episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, leading urologist and sexual medicine expert Dr. Rachel Rubin breaks down the often-ignored reality of female pelvic health, hormones, and the physical realities of menopause. This conversation is essential listening for women of all ages—from those in their 20s dealing with the side effects of birth control to women navigating the profound hormonal shifts of perimenopause and beyond. Millions of women are silently suffering from debilitating issues like recurrent UTIs, painful sex, urinary urgency, and incontinence. Dr. Rubin explains the root cause of these symptoms as Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM), how GSM is not limited to menopause but can occur for a variety of reasons throughout women’s lives, and how a lack of vital hormones deteriorates the anatomy of the pelvic region. A major takeaway is her evidence-based roadmap for treatment, highlighting the safety of localized hormone therapies to address UTIs, as well as the often-overlooked role of testosterone in restoring libido, energy, and mood.

LINK

Breast health at every age with Dr. Heather Richardson

Breast cancer surgeon Dr. Heather Richardson joins the Broadlines podcast to debunk pervasive breast health myths and break down exactly what women should be doing and screening for in every decade of life. This episode is crucial listening for women of all ages, from their 20s navigating early preventative care to those in their 50s considering menopause hormone therapy. Dr. Richardson demystifies the screening process, explaining the critical importance of understanding breast density and advocating for supplementary imaging like ultrasounds when standard mammograms fall short. The podcast ends with a practical masterclass on performing a proper self-exam that every woman should listen to or (ideally) watch.

LINK (audio podcast), LINK (video podcast)

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Brazil eliminates mother-to-child transmission of HIV

The World Health Organization has officially validated Brazil as the largest country in the world to successfully eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This monumental public health victory is a powerful testament to what can be achieved when a nation commits to universal, free health coverage and equitable access to primary care. By ensuring that over 95% of pregnant women receive routine HIV testing and timely prenatal treatment, Brazil has proven that protecting infants from vertical transmission is possible even in massive, complex populations, showing that such milestones are achievable not only in smaller or wealthier nations but much more broadly.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

Research suggests there’s a biological explanation for the connection with your best friend — close friends’ brains are literally syncing up. LINK

Dr. Jennifer Lincoln has a new book out, demystifying all things labour and delivery, answering all your questions, big and small. LINK

AskPCOS answers all your PCOS questions. LINK

Welcome back to Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we cover a wide range of topics, including cardiovascular disease in women from several angles, the potential protective effect of the shingles vaccine against dementia, and the perhaps unexpectedly disproportionate impact of climate change on women’s health.

We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey.

And if you want to learn more about what Common Corpus is, and why we do what we do, please visit our About page.

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News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Why heart disease needs a pink ribbon moment

Heart disease is the leading—and increasingly deadly—killer of women in many countries, yet awareness is shrinking and medical misdiagnoses remain alarmingly common.

• Cardiovascular disease rates are steadily climbing, with some of the most concerning increases occurring among younger women (ages 20 to 44) who often lack traditional lifestyle risk factors.

• Despite heart disease being the number one cause of death for women, general awareness of cardiovascular risk has sharply declined over the last decade, as many mistakenly believe breast cancer is their greatest health threat.

• Women frequently experience heart attack symptoms that differ from the “classic” male presentation—such as extreme fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, and jaw or back pain—contributing to a high rate of medical misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.

• Female-specific life events and conditions, including irregular periods, pregnancy complications (like gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia), and the transition through menopause, significantly elevate a woman’s risk of developing heart issues later in life.

The takeaway: Experts argue cardiovascular disease needs to borrow from breast cancer awareness campaigns and create its own pink ribbon moment in public education. Heart disease must be recognized as a women’s health issue, and public education is needed to raise awareness of women’s unique physiological risk factors and often “atypical” symptoms.

LINK

Does the shingles vaccine protect against dementia? Emerging data suggests it might.

The shingles vaccine may not just prevent the agonizing pain of shingles. Emerging data suggests it might also significantly reduce your risk of developing dementia, and the protective effect may be greater for women than men.

• Recent large-scale studies reveal that older adults who received the recombinant shingles vaccine (Shingrix) had a roughly 20% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who were unvaccinated.

• This cognitive protection appears remarkably robust, offering significantly more defence against dementia than other routine adult immunizations (like the flu or Tdap shots) and far outperforming the older, discontinued Zostavax shingles vaccine.

• The data indicate that this neurological benefit is notably stronger in women, which is highly significant given that women face a much greater lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than men.

• The mechanism linking the shingles vaccine and dementia is still unclear, and these findings are currently observational, meaning the dementia-prevention link is more of a “definite maybe” rather than an established causal link. But the size and consistency of the data make the connection incredibly compelling.

The takeaway: For adults 50 and older, and especially for women, this research offers an evidence-based incentive to prioritize the Shingrix vaccine, potentially providing a highly effective, two-for-one shield against both shingles and Alzheimer’s.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

Childbirth and breastfeeding leave a lasting protective shield against breast cancer

A new study reveals that pregnancy and breastfeeding generate specific immune T-cells that remain in breast tissue for years, acting as “local guards” against cancer, particularly an aggressive type that tends to affect younger women. This finding fundamentally shifts our understanding of breast cancer prevention from purely hormonal to immunological. It offers hope that future treatments could mimic this natural immune “memory” to protect all women, regardless of their reproductive choices.

LINK

Inflammation and cardiovascular risk in women

Inflammation, not traditional risk factors, may explain why some otherwise healthy women have heart attacks and strokes. A new study analyzing 30 years of data from more than 12,000 women found that women with elevated levels of the inflammatory marker hsCRP had a significantly increased lifetime risk of heart disease, even without other common risk factors, like smoking, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. A simple blood test can measure hsCRP inflammation, but is not part of routine care in many countries. There is evidence that women who do not have other common risk factors, but do have high inflammation can benefit from treatment with statins, but without testing for inflammation, these women would not currently be prescribed statins. Including screening for inflammation as part of routine heart disease screening could help identify at-risk women who are currently being missed. Another reminder that risk factors for disease in women often look different to those in men and the need for research and standards of care to reflect these differences.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

Female Hormone Health, PCOS, Endometriosis, Fertility & Breast Cancer with Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi

OB/GYN Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi joins the Huberman Lab to unpack the realities of PCOS and endometriosis, two highly common yet frequently undiagnosed drivers of female infertility and chronic pain. This episode is essential listening for women of all ages, especially those who have ever had severe period pain, stubborn acne, or irregular cycles dismissed as "normal" by their healthcare providers. Dr. Aliabadi breaks down exactly why these conditions are routinely missed by the medical system, leaving women to suffer needlessly from systemic inflammation, metabolic issues, and preventable fertility challenges. She provides a comprehensive roadmap for self-advocacy, detailing the hormone tests (like AMH to check egg reserves), early pelvic ultrasounds, and breast cancer risk calculators women should be actively requesting from their healthcare providers. This is an incredibly detailed, comprehensive explanation of female reproductive and hormonal health aimed at empowering women with the information they need to better advocate for themselves.

LINK

Testicles outrank ovaries - and other reasons women wait so long for gynecologic surgery

In this eye-opening episode of White Coat, Black Art, the systemic biases behind the unacceptable wait times women face for gynecologic surgery in Canada are brought sharply into focus. The conversation reveals a stark medical hierarchy where, as experts explain, "testicles literally outrank ovaries," resulting in severely limited operating room access for gynecologists and dangerous delays for patients experiencing critical issues like post-menopausal bleeding. This episode is crucial listening for any woman navigating the healthcare system, laying bare how institutional bias shapes hospital resource allocation. Ultimately, the discussion provides both a validating look at the realities of modern medical misogyny and a hopeful glimpse into the structural changes needed to finally prioritize female anatomy.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

How rising sea-levels pose a risk to women’s health

Rising sea levels pose a major risk to global health and global health infrastructure. Women and girls stand to be disproportionately impacted.

• A new Lancet Commission is investigating the profound health impacts of sea-level rise, which threatens up to 1 billion people in low-lying areas and small island nations, with displaced populations and ruined health infrastructure.

• Rising seas contaminate freshwater drinking supplies with salt and sewage, dramatically increasing the spread of waterborne illnesses like cholera and leading to hypertension and cardiovascular damage.

• Climate-driven displacement and saltwater intrusion destroy local agriculture, leading to widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, and profound mental health tolls as communities lose their ancestral lands.

• The crisis disproportionately affects women and girls, who often must travel further for clean water or face dangerous, overcrowded emergency shelters, increasing their vulnerability to sexual violence, exploitation, and poor maternal health outcomes.

The takeaway: This isn’t just an environmental issue. Climate change is fundamentally a public and women’s health emergency that is hitting vulnerable populations hardest.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

BBC’s Lyse Doucet follows Hind Kabawat, Syria’s only female cabinet minister, pushing to put women at the centre of the country’s transition from conflict to peace. LINK

‘Nonnamaxxing’ may be the latest wellness trend making the rounds on social media, but these life lessons for longevity from Italian grandmothers are actually pretty sensible. LINK

OBGYN, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Fertility Physician, Dr. Natalie Crawford, has released a new book, The Fertility Formula, aimed not only at women trying to conceive but also those who wants to better understand and take charge of their fertility. She covers everything from inflammation and the impact on hormones, menstrual cycles, what the biological clock really is, how to get pregnant, fertility treatments, and lifestyle. LINK

Welcome back to the second edition of Common Corpus, our weekly curation of the best evidence-based women’s health content designed to help you navigate, optimize, and advocate for your well-being at every stage of life.

This week, we are covering a wide range of transformative research and expert insights, including how pregnancy physically reshapes the brain to prepare for motherhood, a promising new blood test that could drastically shorten the wait for an endometriosis diagnosis, and why the specific timing of estrogen therapy might be the key to maximizing its protective benefits. We also dive deep into actionable strategies to safeguard your bone density and cognitive longevity, look at a sobering update on the global crisis of violence against women, and share a few practical tools—from a new perimenopause wearable to the anatomical secret behind a viral push-up hack.

Thank you for joining us again. We hope you find this week’s resources insightful, useful, and empowering as you navigate your own health journey.

And if you want to learn more about what Common Corpus is, and why we do what we do, please visit our About page.

Subscribe now

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Women’s brains shed grey matter in preparation for motherhood

Pregnancy literally rewires the brain, shedding grey matter to foster a more efficient maternal instinct and attachment.

• A new study tracking women before, during, and after pregnancy reveals that the brain loses an average of nearly 5% of its grey matter volume during pregnancy.

• Rather than a cognitive deficit, researchers liken this process to “pruning a tree”—eliminating unnecessary neural connections, and seem to allow women to bond better with their babies.

• The loss of grey matter during pregnancy and the subsequent recovery of most of it in the postpartum period tracks with fluctuations in estrogen levels.

The takeaway: This research reframes the trope of “baby brain” — rather than being indicative of mental decline, this neurological remodeling is an incredible, adaptive upgrade designed to biologically prime women for motherhood. Better understanding these changes could also lay the groundwork for better tailoring mental health support for new mothers.

LINK

New biomarkers could enable much earlier and easier diagnosis of endometriosis

Researchers have discovered a new microRNA signature that could lead to a non-invasive blood test for detecting endometriosis in its earliest stages.

• Researchers have identified novel molecular biomarkers (microRNAs) circulating in the blood of adolescents and young adults that accurately flag the presence of early-stage endometriosis.

• Because the current gold standard for diagnosis is invasive laparoscopic surgery, patients often endure a delay of eight to ten years (or up to 14 years for adolescents) before receiving an official diagnosis.

• Detecting the disease through a simple blood draw would allow for earlier diagnosis and treatment, decreasing the risk of irreversible damage or severe chronic symptoms.

The takeaway: This breakthrough provides much-needed validation for young women whose pelvic pain is frequently dismissed or normalized. Diagnosing endometriosis in adolescence via a simple blood test will dramatically shift the timeline of care, protecting future fertility and saving patients from years of misdiagnosis and debilitating pain.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

RSV vaccine during pregnancy

A UK-based study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health provides strong real-world evidence that getting an RSV vaccine during pregnancy is a highly effective way to protect newborns from severe respiratory infections. The research found that maternal vaccination was 72% effective in preventing RSV-related hospitalization in infants. This is a crucial finding for expectant parents, as RSV is a leading cause of hospitalization in babies during their most vulnerable first few months of life. LINK

The timing of estrogen therapy may be key to reaping many of its benefits

A large-scale analysis of over 120 million patient records suggests that initiating estrogen therapy during perimenopause is associated with significantly better health outcomes than starting it later in life. Researchers found that perimenopausal women who started estrogen within 10 years prior to menopause showed no significantly higher associated rates of major adverse events, specifically breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke, compared to non-users. In fact, these women had roughly 60% lower odds of developing breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke compared to those who started estrogen therapy after menopause or those who had never taken estrogen therapy at all. While the results do not establish causality, the analysis suggests that earlier initiation of estrogen therapy during this transitional period could be key to minimizing cardiovascular and breast cancer risks and maximizing potential long-term benefits for heart and bone health. LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

The hard reality of bone health with Dr Vonda Wright

Orthopaedic sports surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright delivers a masterclass on why our bones are dynamic, living endocrine organs rather than just structural scaffolding. She explains why bone health should be something all girls and women, at any stage of life should be proactively thinking about as part of their broader health. Bone mineral density is primarily laid down during adolescence, with peak bone strength achieved by age 25-30 years old. For younger girls and women, this is the window to establish peak bone strength that will shape what bone loss means for women later in life. For women navigating hormonal transitions —from pregnancy to menopause—understanding bone health is essential because these stages can dramatically accelerate bone loss. This episode matters to anyone looking to maintain their independence as they age, highlighting the devastating impact of osteoporosis-related fractures. Dr. Wright breaks down actionable strategies to build and preserve bone density. While being proactive about bone health in our 20s, 30s, and beyond, is key to ensuring we stay strong, mobile, and fracture-free as we age, she also argues that it is never too late to benefit from these strategies to take care of your bones.

LINK

What every woman must know to prevent Alzheimer’s with Dr Lisa Mosconi

Neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi argues that Alzheimer’s is a disease of midlife. She breaks down the crucial link between menopause and brain health, explaining how women can proactively protect their cognitive longevity. This conversation is essential listening for women in their 30s, 40s, and beyond who are navigating or approaching the hormonal shifts of midlife. Dr. Mosconi explains how fluctuating estrogen levels during perimenopause precipitate changes to the brain. She discusses the complex role of hormones and menopause hormone therapy as a protective tool for cognitive health, and the science of neuro-nutrition and exercise to support our brains as we age. Fundamentally, she challenges the fear around the inevitability of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s — a disease that disproportionately affects women 2 to 1 — by laying out evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing or delaying the disease.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

Violence against women remains a persistent global health crisis

A sobering WHO report estimates that 840 million women—nearly 1 in 3 globally—have faced physical or sexual violence, a figure that has remained virtually unchanged for the last two decades. The stagnation of this statistic indicates a systemic failure to protect women despite increased awareness. The WHO argues this violence not just as a social issue but a chronic health emergency that requires urgent, sustained funding and structural change, not just rhetoric.

LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

The anatomy of a viral push-up hack for women explained… It’s all about your pelvis, and it has important implications for a lot more than push-ups. LINK

Peri, a new wearable device, aims to help women track changes around perimenopause, make sense of their symptoms and help them advocate for themselves in seeking treatment. LINK

A guide to evaluating online information on menopause, and some solid principles for weighing online health information more generally: LINK

Welcome to this first edition of Common Corpus, a newsletter dedicated to curating and sharing the best in women’s health content online each week, so you can feel better equipped to navigate, optimize and advocate for your health, no matter your health concerns or stage of life.

This week we cover a wide range of topics, including how health issues during adolescence and pregnancy can predict pain and disease later in life, a new non-hormonal treatment for hot flashes, unpacking what a ‘normal’ menstrual cycle is, and tracing the history of medical misogyny and how that shapes women’s healthcare today.

We hope you find this first edition interesting and useful, and we hope you’ll stick around for more in the weeks to come.

Subscribe now

News & Noteworthy

What’s making the news in women’s health

Health issues in middle age linked to pregnancy years earlier

Emerging data highlights that conditions like pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes are strong predictors of cardiovascular disease, often manifesting as heart attacks or hypertension years after childbirth.

• It is still unclear if complications during pregnancy indicate a pre-existing health issue or contribute more directly to health issues later in life.

• It does seem clear, however, that these complications should be viewed as early warning signs rather than events isolated to pregnancy and followed up over the long-term.

The Takeaway: Conditions like pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes should be viewed as a red flag for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life, and should be taken into account along with other risk factors (like family history) that women and their doctors consider when managing their heart and metabolic health.

LINK (non-paywalled), LINK (paywalled)

Clitoral nerves fully mapped for the first time

Researchers in the Netherlands have, for the first time, fully mapped the entire network of nerves running through the clitoris.

• The researchers used high-energy x-rays to create 3-D scans of several female pelvises, revealing the reach of the five branches of the clitoral nerves.

• The findings show the network of nerves is more extensive than previous research had suggested.

• This full mapping of the clitoral nerves may help inform reconstructive surgery after female genital mutilation, surgery for vulvar cancer, gender reassignment surgery, and cosmetic genital surgeries.

The takeaway: Coming nearly 30 years after the penal nerves were fully mapped, this marks and important moment in our understanding of female anatomy that is long overdue. It also lays a foundation for more attention to the importance of female sexual pleasure, particularly in genital surgeries, where it has not been treated with the same importance as male sexual function and pleasure.

LINK

The Latest Research

The latest in academic research in women’s health

New non-hormonal alternative treatment for hot flashes

For women who can’t or choose not to use hormone therapy to treat vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, a clinical trial in The BMJ finds that the non-hormonal drug fezolinetant offers an effective alternative for managing these symptoms. Fezolinetant reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats and also improved sleep quality. This offers a much-needed, evidence-backed alternative for treating the most common and disruptive symptoms of menopause, particularly for those who may not be candidates for menopause hormone therapy.

LINK

Teenage period pain linked to chronic pain later in life

Period pain is often dismissed or minimized as simply a part of life as a woman; however, new research suggests that adolescent dysmenorrhoea (period pain) could be a key predictor of chronic pain later in life. A recent study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health finds that those with severe period pain at age 15 had a 76% higher risk of chronic pain by age 26. Interestingly, dysmenorrhoea in adolescence was not just associated with chronic pain in the abdomen or lower back, but also elsewhere in the body in adulthood. It may be that persistent menstrual pain during adolescence can lead to long-term changes in how the nervous system processes pain. Once established, chronic pain can be both difficult to manage and have huge consequences for the individual and as well as society and the healthcare system. This is a clear argument for taking period pain seriously, and early and effective management of this pain to prevent future chronic pain.

LINK

Listen & Learn

The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time

UnPAUSED: From Hysteria to Medical Gaslighting and the Path Forward with Dr. Elizabeth Comen

Dr. Mary Claire Haver, OBGYN, and oncologist Dr. Elizabeth Comen explore the deep-seated history of medical misogyny, detailing how the medical system was fundamentally constructed using the male body as the default standard and how this has led to systemic gaps in healthcare funding, research, diagnosis and treatment for women. Despite all this, they argue that there is a cultural shift underway in women’s healthcare, with increasing recognition that women’s health extends beyond their reproductive system, and women increasingly recognizing the importance of advocating for themselves for the care they need.

LINK

As a Woman: Getting to the root cause of irregular cycles

Dr. Natalie Crawford, OBGYN, argues that your menstrual cycle is a vital sign of overall health and that understanding the cause of an irregular cycle is crucial because it can be a sign of underlying hormonal issues that not only affect fertility but also long-term health. She explains what makes a menstrual cycle ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’, and what red flags should lead you to seek medical advice. She argues that far too many women with irregular cycles are simply prescribed hormonal contraception to regulate their cycles, without ever getting to the root cause, doing a huge disservice to women and their health.

LINK

The Global Perspective

Women’s health around the world

The Unravelling of Progress on Abortion Access in Latin America

Women’s abortion rights are under threat or increasingly restricted in parts of Latin America — both Argentina and Ecuador have moved to restrict access to abortion pills and Chile’s incoming president may be poised to further tighten access to abortion as well. But El Salvador, which already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the world, seems to be moving towards re-criminalizing and even stricter application of existing laws.
LINK

Common Interest

Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week

The Pink Pill, a new documentary now streaming, follows the fight to get approval for Addyi — “the female viagra” — and lays bare the inequities and gender bias in healthcare and the stigma associated with female sexual health. LINK

New data from a Kings College London and IPSOS Mori survey suggest global views on gender roles and gender equality are moving in a negative direction — Gen Z men hold the most traditional views of gender roles compared to Millennial, Gen X and Boomer men. LINK , FULL REPORT

Some Indian states take an interesting step towards recognizing the value of women’s unpaid domestic and care work. LINK