Top 5 women's health headlines you missed in October 2025

October 2025 brought a wave of important updates that continue to shape the care of women across all stages of life.

In the ever-evolving field of obstetrics and gynecology, noteworthy advancements emerged in maternal-fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology, oncology, and more.

In this monthly recap, Contemporary OB/GYN highlights the most impactful regulatory news, clinical research findings, and expert perspectives from October 2025.

Click on each title below for in-depth coverage of these key updates.

1. FDA approves elinzanetant (Lynkuet) for vasomotor menopausal symptoms

The FDA has approved elinzanetant 60 mg capsules (Lynkuet; Bayer) for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) due to menopause, making it the first dual neurokinin-1 and neurokinin-3 receptor antagonist to receive approval. The decision was based on robust data from the OASIS phase 3 trial program, which showed a 73.8% reduction in VMS frequency at 12 weeks and sustained symptom relief over 52 weeks. The therapy also improved sleep quality and menopause-specific quality of life scores. With no reported adverse effects on weight or sexual function, elinzanetant offers a nonhormonal treatment alternative for postmenopausal women, including those unable to use estrogen-based therapies.

2. Oral tebipenem HBr matches IV carbapenem in phase 3 cUTI trial

Full results from the phase 3 PIVOT-PO trial presented at IDWeek 2025 showed that tebipenem hydrobromide (HBr), an investigational oral carbapenem antibiotic, was non-inferior to intravenous imipenem-cilastatin for treating complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs), including pyelonephritis. In the study, tebipenem HBr achieved similar clinical cure and microbiological eradication rates with a comparable safety profile, offering a potential at-home alternative to IV antibiotics. With cUTIs causing over 2.9 million cases and $6 billion in costs annually, these findings support tebipenem HBr as a first-in-class oral treatment option ahead of its anticipated FDA submission.

3. POTS common among women with long COVID

A study from the Karolinska Institutet published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology found that postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) affects approximately 31% of patients with severe long COVID—compared to under 1% of the general Swedish population before the pandemic. The condition was most common among younger women and was associated with reduced physical activity and shorter walking distances. Researchers emphasized the utility of simple, low-cost diagnostic tests like the head-up tilt and Active Stand Test. Given its prevalence and impact, the authors recommend routine screening for POTS in highly symptomatic long COVID patients.

4. Breakthrough endometriosis test detects biomarker in menstrual blood

A study published in ACS Central Science introduced a novel borophene-based diagnostic device capable of detecting HMGB1 in menstrual blood—an emerging biomarker for endometriosis—with 500% greater sensitivity than current methods. The at-home test works similarly to a pregnancy test and could dramatically reduce diagnostic delays, which currently average up to 12 years. Researchers demonstrated reliable detection at low HMGB1 concentrations using borophene nanosheets functionalized with antibodies. Spectroscopic analyses confirmed molecular changes in the test mechanism. Developers envision future integration into menstrual pads to support discreet, accessible, and decentralized monitoring for endometriosis.

5. Greater adherence and reduced cost reported for mailed HPV tests

A study published in JAMA Network Open found that mailing HPV self-sampling kits is significantly more cost-effective than other outreach methods for cervical cancer screening, particularly among patients who are adherent or overdue. In a randomized trial of over 31,000 patients, the direct mail approach outperformed opt-in, education-only, and usual care strategies, with up to 64.9% of adherent and 63.4% of overdue participants returning kits. The direct mail strategy yielded the highest screening completion rates and lowest cost per screening, with strong odds of cost-effectiveness across patient subgroups. Researchers concluded that direct mailing could be a scalable strategy for improving screening uptake in the United States.