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She joined the MJH Life Sciences team in December 2019. She graduated from Youngstown State University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in political science. Prior to graduating, Morgan worked as the editor-in-chief of her college newspaper. She went on to work as an assignment editor at a broadcast news station in Youngstown, Ohio, before joining 

 You can reach her at mebert@mjhlifesciences.com.

A new study finds extreme pregnancy nausea often leads to emotional distress and highlights a need for better care.

Severe burden and treatment gaps reported for hyperemesis gravidarum

The 2025 amendment updates diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies for recurrent urinary tract infections in women.

New guidance released for managing recurrent urinary tract infections in women

The USPSTF cites a lack of strong data to support routine screening or supplementation for iron deficiency in asymptomatic pregnant individuals.

USPSTF reports gaps in evidence for iron deficiency screening in pregnancy

A new study reveals that hormonal contraceptives not only regulate reproductive health but also influence emotional reactivity.

Hormonal contraception linked to emotional regulation

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Substance use need not be an absolute barrier to breastfeeding, but drug- and patient-specific guidance with counseling free of bias are the keys.

Substance use in the breastfeeding woman 

Researchers from King’s College London have found that genetic testing of embryos created from in vitro fertilization (IVF) may decrease the duration needed for women aged over 35 years to have a baby, publishing their data in the 

The data focused on women aged 35 to 42 years, as this age group more often produces embryos with chromosomal abnormalities. While preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) is not currently recommended for routine use, the results indicated it may lead to pregnancy in fewer transfers, reducing the time to conception.

“Our findings suggest that targeted use of PGT-A in this age group could help more women have a baby sooner, while also reducing the emotional toll of repeated unsuccessful cycles,” said Yusuf Beebeejaun, PhD, first author of the paper at King’s College London.

Randomization and embryo transfer procedures

There were 100 patients included in the pilot study, 50 of whom received PGT-A and 50 were in the control group. All study procedures were performed at King’s Fertility, with ovarian stimulation accomplished through either a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist downregulation or antagonist protocol.

Investigators triggered final oocyte maturation when 2 or more follicles reached more than 18 mm, retrieving oocytes 34 to 36 hours later. Patients were randomly assigned to the PGT-A or control group on day 3 after egg collection.

In the control group, patients continued luteal support and received a fresh blastocyst transfer. Those in the PGT-A group discontinued luteal support and received trophectoderm biopsy for all blastocysts. The clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), live birth rate (LBR), and clinical miscarriage rate (CMR) were reported as primary outcomes.

Similar baseline characteristics were reported between groups. The results indicated an increased cumulative LBR following up to 3 embryo transfers in the PGT-A group vs the control group, with rates of 72% vs 52%, respectively.

A CPR of 50% was reported in the PGT-A group vs 40% in the control group, indicating an adjusted OR of 1.31.

For CMR, the adjusted OR was 1.20, with rates of 12% and 8%, respectively. Initial LBRs were 50% and 38%, respectively.

Investigators noted that patients ineligible to meet the trial’s randomization criteria were aged a mean of 39 years and had a mean anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) value of 8.2 pmol/L. In comparison, the study population was aged a mean of 37 years and had a mean AMH value of 17.2.

Common reasons for being ineligible included no available embryos in 15.7%, only one transferable good quality embryo in 7.89%, and only 2 in 42.1%. These individuals had a significantly reduced CPR of 15.7% and LBR of 7.89%.

PGT-A’s role in addressing age-related chromosomal issues

Historically, older women more often produce embryos with the wrong number of chromosomes, increasing miscarriage risk and making it more difficult to conceive.

 However, PGT-A allows embryos to be assessed for chromosomal abnormalities before transfer.

The trial also included mosaic embryos, which contain both normal and abnormal cells. These embryos are not often included in research despite frequently presenting in IVF. While the small sample size prevented the difference in cumulative live birth from reaching statistical significance, investigators recommended further research in a larger, multicenter trial.

“Specific focus needs to be placed on including patients over the age of 39, and lowering the threshold for high-quality embryos from 3 to 2 will increase eligibility and participation rates among this population,” wrote investigators.

King’s College London. Genetic testing of IVF embryos helps women over 35 conceive faster. News release. EurkAlert. August 25, 2025. Accessed August 27, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1095509

Beebeejaun Y, Bakalova D, Mania A, et al. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy versus morphological selection in women aged 35-42: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial. 

. 2025;14(14):5166. doi:10.3390/jcm14145166

A new study suggests preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy can increase live birth rates in women aged 35 to 42 years.

Clinical

PGT-A may shorten time to pregnancy in women aged over 35 years

Northwestern University has developed a tool for the standardized assessment of language, cognitive, motor, and social-emotional skill development in infants aged 16 days to 42 months, publishing the development and validation of this tool in 

This new National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox provides a significant update to the prior standardized tool. While the prior tool was often used in clinical and research settings, it was only designed for patients aged at least 3 years through adulthood, leaving a significant gap in validated evaluation among infants and toddlers.

“This was troubling because infants’ earliest years have a broad and significant impact on later developmental outcomes,” wrote investigators. “Early delays or deficits often cascade into persisting developmental challenges, making timely intervention critical."

Early identification and intervention made possible

According to investigators, the tool can identify developmental delays early in life, a period when interventions are often the most effective. Infant learning and responses are tracked through videos and eye-tracking on an iPad app, and the efficacy of these factors has been validated across a diverse population of 2500 infants and toddlers.

Results of the study indicated high test-retest correlations, highlighting the app as a reliable, scalable tool to evaluate developmental milestones. This tool will be available to researchers, clinicians, and school personnel to allow longitudinal assessments in children and adults.

The app was developed based on the results of a survey from more than 400 domain experts and a systematic literature review of measures that met project criteria. These criteria included having established validity evidence, being sustainable for tablet-based implementation, able to be used in patients aged 16 days to 42 months, and having easy and swift scoring and administration.

According to Aaron Kaat, PhD, professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the team found many widely used measures were either too expensive for regular research or required extensive training. To create measures that would meet these requirements, investigators worked with top research teams across the country.

Challenges when designing the NIH Baby Toolbox included a need for comprehensive measures without separate licenses and platforms, costly equipment, or specialized training, and requiring measures effective at engaging and measuring the skills of this young population. The inclusion of videos allowed experts to clear these hurdles.

The use of video content also allows for infants engaged in assessment tasks to be documented. It uses gaze-based learning paradigms that have been unavailable for broad assessments but have shown efficacy for measuring infants’ capacities.

In the trial validating the toolbox, higher executive function and memory (EF-Mem) was observed in older children, indicating a correlation between older age and faster processing of stimuli.

 Moderately high certainty was reported for test-retest of EF-Mem measures.

Investigators also highlighted moderately strong empirical reliability of the measure-level change sensitive scores, with a range of 0.65 to 0.79. This indicated 65% to 79% of the latent trait’s observed variance is the true variance. Overall, the tool was observed to be reliable for measuring development in young infants.

“Now, armed with the first-ever standardized, validated, and widely available assessment tool, clinicians will be able to identify infant development and detect when development is going awry,” said Sandra Waxman, PhD, professor of psychology at Northwestern.

 “This early assessment… will support positive developmental outcomes in a way that was not possible before.”

Northwestern University. A new tool to track infant development, starting at just 16 days old. News release. EurekAlert. August 25, 2025. Accessed August 27, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1095880

Flynn RM, Han YC, Kaat AJ, et al. Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox executive function and memory measures. 

Researchers have created the first standardized tool to identify developmental delays in infants aged as young as 16 days.

New tool accurately assesses infant development from 16 days of birth

Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often feel dismissed, misunderstood, and underserved by the health care system, according to a study published in 

Feelings of being dismissed or ignored were reported by patients in all focus groups when discussing their symptoms. These experiences often occurred during adolescence, with many patients not receiving a diagnosis for years. During this period, they would often feel frustrated, isolated, and blamed for their condition.

“Patients told us their concerns, such as missed periods, acne, or hair loss, were frequently minimized. They often felt that their voices were not heard, and that led to a delay in both diagnosis and effective treatment,” said Noy Phimphasone-Brady, PhD, senior study author and assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The focus group analysis evaluated perceived clinical gaps and experiences with PCOS care.

 Participants were aged at least 18 years, premenopausal, diagnosed with PCOS or suspected PCOS, and receiving care through a specific Colorado hospital system.

A literature review and investigators’ clinical experience were used to develop a guide for assessing patient experiences with PCOS care. Categories of questions included obtaining a diagnosis and living with PCOS, PCOS care experience, access to and satisfaction with PCOS care, and suggestions for improving PCOS care.

Consent, participant demographics, eligibility, and scheduling were obtained using Research Electronic Data Capture. Focus groups were comprised of at least 3 participants with the same availability and occurred for 60 to 90 minutes over Zoom.

Investigators consolidated transcript summaries in a spreadsheet, with each tab having a domain name. During virtual meetings, the analysis team thematically evaluated each domain, after which the team met to identify major themes.

There were 24 participants aged a mean of 29 years included in the final analysis, 88% of whom were White, 33% Hispanic, 58% partnered, and 75% with commercial insurance. Among these participants, a theme of clinician dismissal was reported, increasing distress and frustration because of symptoms such as irregular menses and dermatologic symptoms.

Dismissal caused by body size was reported by some participants, such as leaner patients being told PCOS did not fit their body type. There were also cases of clinicians attributing symptom onset to normal pubertal changes or individual body or mental health, leading patients to feel clinicians were hesitant to work up their symptoms.

The duration between symptom onset and PCOS diagnosis ranged from 2 weeks to 15 years, with many patients needing to see more than one provider before being diagnosed. However, imaging was linked to expedited diagnosis.

Poor alignment between clinicians’ management approaches and participants’ needs and goals was reported as the second theme. This included clinician focusing on fertility and weight when patients were more concerned about managing another symptoms.

Clinicians also sometimes provided inaccurate information about future fertility potential, leading to unintended consequences. Additionally, participants reported feeling the recommendation for long-term birth control use was made without proper education or rationale, with some individuals experiencing adverse effects from birth control.

Misalignment issues pertaining to body weight included providers approaching weight as a one-dimensional problem with weight loss as the sole solution. This led participants to feel weight loss was being suggested without individual context or insight about prior weight loss attempts.

The final theme identified was participants seeking answers about PCOS through self-advocacy both during and outside health care encounters. A pressure to self-advocate was caused by provider dismissal and goal misalignment, leading participants to research symptoms and treatment outside of a health care setting.

When bringing this information to their providers, participants often experienced challenging interpersonal dynamics. Despite the varying quality of these resources, participants more frequently sought PCOS education through social media platforms.

According to investigators, these themes highlight a significant need to improve PCOS care at all levels. A patient-centered approach was suggested to obtain concerns from patients and provide comprehensive education.

“Individuals with PCOS deserve comprehensive, personalized care that attends to both their physical and emotional well-being,” said Kathryn McKenney, MD, senior study author and co-director of the PCOS Multi-Disciplinary Program.

 “That care must begin with truly listening to their experiences.”

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Polycystic ovary syndrome patients say they feel dismissed and misunderstood, according to new study. News release. EurkAlert. July 7, 2025. Accessed August 25, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1090222

Zhang AZ, Sehrt M, Ley SA, Ross KV, Phimphasone-Brady P, McKenney KM. Gaps and opportunities in polycystic ovary syndrome care—a qualitative study. 

A new study reveals that many women with polycystic ovary syndrome experience delayed diagnoses and inadequate care.

PCOS patients report feeling dismissed by health care providers

Research from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 provides important new insight into the sex-specific outcomes following a heart attack, including the effect of beta-blockers.

The data, which were an analysis of the REBOOT clinical trial, suggest women experience worse outcomes than their male counterparts following a myocardial infarction (MI) and those treated with beta-blockers post-event had a greater risk of mortality, reinfarction, and hospitalization for heart failure compared to women not receiving the class of medication.

“We have been investigating sex-differences in cardiovascular disease for a long time. We already knew that cardiovascular disease presentation is different in women and men, and this study significantly adds to this knowledge by showing that response to medications is not necessarily equal in women and men,” said study investigator Valentín Fuster, MD, PhD, president of the Mount Sinai Foster Heart Hospital and at the Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC).

 “This study should spark the much-needed sex-specific approach for cardiovascular disease”.

Initiated by investigators at the CNIC as a randomized, open-blinded endpoint trial, the REBOOT trial was launched in 2018 to explore the effect of beta-blocker therapy, a guideline-directed medical therapy in patients with 

 with reduced ejection fraction, in patients with a MI and who had a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of at least 40% or more. Presented at ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in the 

, the overall trial concluded there was no evidence of an effect on all-cause death, reinfarction or heart failure admission, with events occurring among 316 patients in the beta-blocker group and in 307 patients in the no beta-blocker group (hazard ratio (HR), 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 1.22; 

In addition to primary results, investigators presented a post hoc analysis at ESC Congress 2025 examining sex-specific differences in the trial.

Of the 8438 patients included in the intention-to-treat population, 1627 were women. Results suggested women in the trial were older, had more comorbidities, and received fewer guideline-based therapies than men.

During a median follow-up of 3.7 years, women had overall higher rates of the primary composite outcome than men, with an incidence rate in women of 30.4 per 1000 patient-years in the beta-blocker group and 21.0 per 1000 patient-years in the no beta-blocker group (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.03). In contrast, no significant differences were observed among men included in the trial (HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.13; 

Further analysis demonstrated the excess risk observed in women was primarily driven by increased mortality and was most evident among those with preserved LVEF (

 for interaction = .030) and those receiving higher beta-blocker doses (

"Our findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be appropriate and that sex-specific considerations are crucial for cardiovascular interventions prescriptions,” said study investigator Xavier Rosselló, MD, PhD, a scientist at CNIC and a cardiologist at University Hospital Son Espases in Mallorca.

Rosello X, Dominguez-Rodriguez A, Latini R. Beta-blockers after myocardial infarction: effects according to sex in the REBOOT trial. 

Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (F.S.P.). New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers. EurekAlert! Published August 30, 2025. Accessed August 31, 2025. 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096049

Ibanez B, Latini R, Rossello X, et al. Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction without Reduced Ejection Fraction. 

. Published online August 30, 2025. doi: 

New research reveals that women face worse heart attack outcomes than men, particularly when treated with beta-blockers, highlighting the need for sex-specific care.

Beta-blockers linked to worse outcomes in women following a heart attack

on July 17, 2025, has unveiled next-generation technology capable of identifying HMGB1 in period blood, which may be used as a biomarker for endometriosis.

HMGB1 is a protein linked to endometriosis development and progression. The device, operating similar to pregnancy tests, has displayed a sensitivity of 500% more than existing laboratory methods through the use of a technique synthesizing nanosheets made of borophene.

“Despite the significant potential of menstrual effluent as a diagnostic tool for women’s health, it often faces substantial challenges due to social stigma and limited access to affordable diagnostic methods,” said Dipanjan Pan, PhD, professor at Pennsylvania State University.

A new frontier in endometriosis diagnosis

Current methods of diagnosing endometriosis often require invasive blood tests, laboratory analyses, imaging studies, and extensive patient history collections. According to Pan, these procedures have been linked to delays in endometriosis diagnosis of up to 12 years among US patients.

Borophene is an atomically thin 2D material derivative of graphene but with greater strengths. This allows for earlier identification and treatment, which may allow severe symptoms such as extreme pain and potential infertility to be reduced.

Investigators replaced the alcohol solvent with water, which was used to disperse powdered boron and break down the chemical, restoring it to pristine nanosheets. After this procedure, antibodies capable of identifying HMGB1 were fixed to the nanosheets.

“Think of planting a garden,” Pan said. “The ground—the nanosheets—must be even and clear of weeds before you can fertilize the soil—adding the antibodies. Then, you have the best environment to support the desired vegetables—the HMGB1 proteins.”

Similar to a pregnancy test, one line on the test indicated a negative diagnosis, while 2 lines indicated a positive diagnosis. The test strip is darkened when the blood sample flows over it, and any present HMGB1 proteins bind to the antibodies.

The sensitivity of the device was affirmed by spiking menstrual blood with different HMGB1 concentrations. Successful detection was reported even at low concentrations, highlighting a 5-fold improvement in current tests that take longer to prepare.

A conjugation efficiency of 48% was reported for the borophene nanosheets, and with 25.96 μg/mL of free immunoglobulin G (IgG) remaining, the data indicated 24.04 μg/mL IgG was successfully immobilized on the nanosheet surface.

 In control experiments with nonirradiated antibodies, negligible binding under 5% was measured.

Spectral shifts confirm molecular changes

Investigators also evaluated molecular interactions during UV irradiation of antibodies, observed through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Significant alterations were found in the intensity of S–S stretching bands among UV-treated IgG vs controls with no treatment.

A trans Ca–S conformation was identified by a unique spectral shift near 517 cm

. Additional shifts were noted at 504, 514, 522, 527, and 544 cm

 in UV-irradiated samples, indicating changes linked to the cleavage or rearrangement of disulfide bonds.

According to Pan, the test may be incorporated into menstrual pads in the future.

A new device identifies HMGB1 in period blood with 500% greater sensitivity, offering a faster alternative for diagnosing endometriosis.

Men-Jean Lee, MD

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