Welcome back to Common Corpus, our regular 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 edition we take a look back at the content we have covered over the last quarter 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.
We hope you find this edition’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
The HPV vaccine effectively eliminates the risk of young women in England dying of cervical cancer
Recent data from England reveals that the rollout of the HPV vaccine to early adolescents has reduced the cervical cancer mortality rate for women aged 20-24 to zero for the period of 2020-2024. 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. LINK
New diagnostic tests for endometriosis
The NHS is launching a three-year trial for two groundbreaking, non-invasive endometriosis tests, a saliva swab and an abdominal sensor, that can detect the disease without the need for invasive surgery. Although this is an early stage trial for evidence-gathering, these rapid tests may hold the potential better triage patients for specialist care and reduce the current nine-year average diagnostic delay for endometriosis. LINK
Current UK breast cancer referral guidelines missing early detection for most women under 50
Recent research reveals that current UK breast cancer referral guidelines miss up to 95% of women under 50 who will go on to develop the disease by relying almost exclusively on family history, a risk factor absent in the vast majority of these diagnoses. While adopting a more comprehensive screening model that includes lifestyle, genetics, and reproductive history would demand more healthcare resources, it could identify eight times as many at-risk patients and vastly improve early intervention rates. LINK
New global cardiac guidelines aim to improve women’s care
A historic overhaul of global cardiac guidelines has fundamentally redefined how heart attacks are classified, formally elevating the non-traditional cardiac triggers and underlying causes that disproportionately affect women. By also introducing lower, sex-specific thresholds for critical cardiac blood tests, these updated protocols make important strides towards dismantling the systemic clinical biases that have historically left female heart-attack patients misdiagnosed and under-treated. LINK
The Latest Research
The latest in academic research in women’s health
The link between breast cancer and periodontal disease
New research shows that a common gum disease bacterium can travel through the bloodstream to breast tissue, where it can trigger precancerous lesions and accelerate tumour growth, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance in existing cancers. This surprising connection underscores the impact of oral health on cancer risk, particularly for patients with inherited BRCA1 mutations whose cells are uniquely vulnerable to the bacterium. LINK
Experiences of medical gaslighting of patients with vulvovaginal disorders
A recent study reveals that patients seeking treatment for vulvovaginal disorders frequently face severe medical gaslighting, leading to critical diagnostic delays that exacerbate chronic pelvic pain and trigger psychological distress. A majority of patients included in the study had considered stopping care altogether because of clinician behaviour that was dismissive and invalidating. This can imply significant physical as well as psychological harm. LINK
The impact of workplace conditions on birth outcomes
A recent study shows that mothers in physically demanding, high-stress jobs, particularly surgeons, face a higher risk of delivering babies with low birth weights, compared to professionals in less physically taxing fields, like law. Researchers emphasize that redesigning intensive work environments is a critical step in protecting both maternal and intergenerational health. LINK
Listen & Learn
The latest in women’s health audio content worth your time
The permanent birth control surgery that can lower ovarian cancer risk
In this episode of CBC’s White Coat, Black Art, the focus is on a major shift in ovarian cancer prevention. There is growing evidence that many of the deadliest ovarian cancers actually begin in the fallopian tubes and so “opportunistic salpingectomy”, removing the tubes during another pelvic surgery, can provide permanent contraception and significantly reduce ovarian cancer risk, while leaving the ovaries intact and avoiding surgical menopause. LINK
Decoding PMS and PMDD with Dr. Ruta Nonacs
In this episode of Decoding Women’s Health, Dr. Elizabeth Poynor speaks with Harvard reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Ruta Nonacs about how hormonal changes can affect mental health across the menstrual cycle. They unpack the difference between PMS and the more severe PMDD, discuss evidence-based treatment options, and explain when symptoms warrant specialist care. LINK
The rise of private menopause care
Dr. Brian Goldman examines why more women are turning to private menopause clinics after struggling to get timely, knowledgeable care through the public system in Canada. The discussion looks at both the gaps in menopause training and specialist access that are driving demand, and the problems that arise when essential care increasingly depends on a patient’s ability to pay. LINK
The Global Perspective
Women’s health around the world
Pakistan eliminates ‘luxury tax’ on menstrual products and contraceptives
Pakistan scrapped its 18% “luxury” sales tax on menstrual products and contraceptives from July 1, 2026, following a legal challenge and sustained public advocacy. The move could help improve affordability and reduce period poverty, though advocates caution that other costs and deep-rooted stigma may still limit access. LINK
The world’s most severe women’s rights emergency
A recent UN report describes an escalating women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan, where Taliban restrictions have pushed many women into extreme isolation and severely limited access to education, healthcare and public life. The consequences are also taking a major toll on mental health, while shrinking international aid threatens the women-led organizations providing some of the few remaining sources of support. LINK
Common Interest
Quick hits that we found interesting, thought-provoking, or useful this week
Meet Ria Xi, the woman running the Silk Road: 20,000km from Vladivostok to Lisbon, breaking barriers in science by generating unprecedented data on how running changes women’s brains. 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
Far from just a bodily function, it turns out that the hormonal fluctuations of women’s menstrual cycles actually physically resize the brain and make us more adept at certain skills, like spatial awareness and communication, at different times throughout our cycles. LINK
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