Women's Health News

January 21, 2026

Top Headlines

A Common Painkiller May Be Quietly Changing Cancer Risk

Jan. 20, 2026 Ibuprofen may be doing more than easing aches and pains—it could also help reduce the risk of some cancers. Studies have linked regular use to lower rates of endometrial and bowel cancer, likely because the drug dampens inflammation that fuels ...

How Cancer Disrupts the Brain and Triggers Anxiety and Insomnia

Jan. 18, 2026 Scientists have discovered that breast cancer can quietly throw the brain’s internal clock off balance—almost immediately after cancer begins. In mice, tumors flattened the natural daily rhythm of stress hormones, disrupting the brain-body ...

Vitamin a May Be Helping Cancer Hide from the Immune System

Jan. 16, 2026 A vitamin A byproduct has been found to quietly disarm the immune system, allowing tumors to evade attack and weakening cancer vaccines. Scientists have now developed a drug that shuts down this pathway, dramatically boosting immune responses and ...

Northwestern Medicine’s New Antibody Wakes the Immune System Against Pancreatic Cancer

Jan. 15, 2026 Pancreatic cancer uses a sugar-coated disguise to evade the immune system, helping explain why it’s so hard to treat. Northwestern scientists discovered this hidden mechanism and created an ...

Scientists Discover How the Uterus Knows When to Push During Childbirth

Jan. 13, 2026 Childbirth depends not just on hormones, but on the uterus’s ability to sense physical force. Scientists found that pressure and stretch sensors in uterine muscles and surrounding nerves work together to trigger coordinated contractions. When ...

Long COVID May Be Fueled by Inflammation and Tiny Clots

Jan. 8, 2026 Long COVID affects an estimated 65 million people worldwide and can damage the brain, heart, blood vessels, and immune system long after infection. Researchers now link symptoms to lingering virus, inflammation, micro-clots, and disrupted energy ...

A Global Cancer Surge Is Underway and the World Is Not Ready

Jan. 7, 2026 Global cancer cases have surged dramatically, doubling since 1990 and reaching 18.5 million new diagnoses in 2023. Deaths have also climbed to over 10 million a year, with the steepest increases hitting low- and middle-income countries. Without ...

Stanford Scientists Uncover Why MRNA COVID Vaccines Can Trigger Heart Inflammation

Dec. 27, 2025 Stanford scientists have uncovered how mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can very rarely trigger heart inflammation in young men — and how that risk might be reduced. They found that the vaccines can spark a ...

Cancer Cells Depend on a Dangerous DNA Repair Trick

Dec. 27, 2025 Researchers have discovered how cells activate a last-resort DNA repair system when severe damage strikes. When genetic tangles overwhelm normal repair pathways, cells flip on a fast but error-prone emergency fix that helps them survive. Some cancer ...

MIT Scientists Strip Cancer of Its Sugar Shield

Dec. 23, 2025 Scientists at MIT and Stanford have unveiled a promising new way to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Their strategy targets a hidden “off switch” that tumors use to stay invisible to immune ...

Tea May Strengthen Bones in Older Women While Heavy Coffee Weakens Them

Dec. 13, 2025 A decade-long study of older women found that tea drinkers had slightly stronger bones, while moderate coffee drinking caused no harm. Heavy coffee intake—over five cups a day—was linked to lower bone density, especially in women who consumed ...

Simple Supplement Mix Shows Remarkable Results in Brain Cancer

Dec. 10, 2025 New research is challenging one of medicine’s oldest assumptions: that cancer must be attacked to be cured. By treating glioblastoma patients with a simple combination of resveratrol and copper, the researchers found dramatic reductions in tumor ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:26am EST

Menopause Symptoms Are Common Even in Elite Endurance Athletes

Jan. 2, 2026 Menopause symptoms are common among female endurance athletes and often interfere with training and performance. A survey of women aged 40–60 who train regularly found high rates of sleep problems, ...

Cannabis Compounds Show Unexpected Power Against Ovarian Cancer

Dec. 15, 2025 Scientists have discovered that key compounds from cannabis—CBD and THC—show surprisingly strong effects against ovarian cancer cells. Used together, they slow cell growth, reduce colony ...

AI Finds a Hidden Stress Signal Inside Routine CT Scans

Dec. 14, 2025 Researchers used a deep learning AI model to uncover the first imaging-based biomarker of chronic stress by measuring adrenal gland volume on routine CT scans. This new metric, the Adrenal Volume ...

A Routine Shingles Shot May Offer Powerful Defense Against Dementia

Dec. 3, 2025 A unique vaccine rollout in Wales gave researchers an accidental natural experiment that revealed a striking reduction in dementia among seniors who received the shingles vaccine. The protective ...

Scientists Discover Hidden Switch That Helps Cancer Cells Survive

Dec. 1, 2025 Researchers have found a small but powerful switch inside breast cancer cells that helps them survive stressful conditions. When this switch flips, the cells activate protective programs that make ...

New Nasal Nanodrops Wipe out Brain Tumors in Mice

Nov. 22, 2025 A new nasal-delivered nanotherapy shows promise against aggressive glioblastoma tumors. By activating the STING immune pathway using gold-core spherical nucleic acids, researchers were able to reach ...

Scientists Reveal a Hidden Hormone Switch for Learning

Nov. 21, 2025 Researchers uncovered how estrogen subtly reshapes learning by strengthening dopamine reward signals in the brain. Rats learned faster when estrogen levels were high and struggled when the ...

Scientists Reawaken Exhausted T Cells to Supercharge Cancer Immunity

Nov. 20, 2025 Researchers discovered a way to keep T cells from wearing out during the fight against cancer, and the approach could make immune-based treatments far more powerful. They found that tumors use a ...

Amazon Scorpion Venom Shows Stunning Power Against Breast Cancer

Nov. 18, 2025 Scientists are turning venom, radioisotopes, engineered proteins, and AI into powerful new tools against cancer. From Amazonian scorpions yielding molecules that kill breast cancer cells as ...

Tiny Implant Wipes out Bladder Cancer in 82% of Patients

Nov. 11, 2025 TAR-200, a small drug-releasing implant, wiped out tumors in most patients with high-risk bladder cancer. Its slow, consistent release of chemotherapy proved far more effective than traditional ...

Scientists Turn Body Fat Into Bone to Heal Spinal Fractures

Nov. 11, 2025 Researchers in Osaka have found that stem cells from fat tissue can repair spinal fractures similar to those caused by osteoporosis. By turning these cells into bone-forming clusters and pairing them ...

Your Bedroom Glow Might Be Quietly Damaging Your Heart

Nov. 3, 2025 Boston researchers linked nighttime light exposure to greater stress-related brain activity and inflamed arteries, signaling a higher risk of heart disease. The study suggests that artificial light ...

Scientists Discover COVID mRNA Vaccines Boost Cancer Survival

Oct. 28, 2025 Researchers found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines significantly increased survival in lung and skin cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy. The vaccine appears to prime the immune system in a powerful, ...

Brain Fog During Menopause? Here’s What’s Really Going on

Oct. 21, 2025 Menopause brings profound shifts not just in hormones but in the very structure of the brain. Scientists have found that gray matter in regions tied to memory and thinking can shrink, while white ...

Cancer Patients Who Got a COVID Vaccine Lived Much Longer

Oct. 19, 2025 A groundbreaking study reveals that cancer patients who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived dramatically longer than those who didn’t. Researchers from ...

How Cutting Lipids Could Starve Breast Cancer

Oct. 19, 2025 Researchers found that triple-negative breast cancer cells are “addicted” to lipids, a feature tied to obesity. By studying mice, they discovered that high lipid levels alone accelerate tumor ...

This Experimental “super Vaccine” Stopped Cancer Cold in the Lab

Oct. 13, 2025 UMass Amherst researchers have developed a groundbreaking nanoparticle-based cancer vaccine that prevented melanoma, pancreatic, and triple-negative breast cancers in mice—with up to 88% remaining ...

Scientists Just Debunked the Calcium and Dementia Myth

Oct. 18, 2025 A long-term Australian study found that calcium supplements do not raise dementia risk in older women, countering previous fears. The research followed more than 1,400 participants for nearly 15 ...

Brain Cancer That Eats the Skull Stuns Scientists

Oct. 5, 2025 A new study shows glioblastoma isn’t confined to the brain—it erodes the skull and hijacks the immune system within skull marrow. The cancer opens channels that let inflammatory cells enter the ...

They Found the Switch That Makes the Body Attack Cancer

Oct. 15, 2025 Scientists have found a way to transform hard-to-treat tumors into targets for the immune system. Using two protein stimulators, they activated strong T-cell and B-cell responses and built immune ...

Miscarriages, Down Syndrome, and Infertility All Linked to This Hidden DNA Process

Sep. 28, 2025 Human fertility hinges on a delicate molecular ballet that begins even before birth. UC Davis researchers have uncovered how special protein networks safeguard chromosomes as eggs and sperm form, ...

The Vitamin D Mistake Weakening Your Immunity

Oct. 4, 2025 Scientists discovered that vitamin D2 supplements can lower levels of vitamin D3, the form the body uses most effectively. Unlike D2, vitamin D3 enhances the immune system’s first line of defense ...

Scientists Discover Microplastics Deep Inside Human Bones

Sep. 19, 2025 Microplastics have been detected in human blood, brain tissue, and even bones, where they may weaken skeletal structure and accelerate cell aging. Recent studies suggest that these particles could ...

This New Blood Test Can Catch Cancer 10 Years Early

Oct. 13, 2025 Scientists at Mass General Brigham have created HPV-DeepSeek, a blood test that can detect HPV-linked head and neck cancers nearly a decade before diagnosis. By finding viral DNA in the bloodstream, ...

Blood Test Spots Hidden Mesothelioma That Scans Can’t See

Sep. 11, 2025 New research suggests that immunotherapy given before and after surgery could help patients with diffuse pleural mesothelioma, one of the most challenging cancers to treat. A phase II clinical trial ...

The Sleep Switch That Builds Muscle, Burns Fat, and Boosts Brainpower

Sep. 8, 2025 UC Berkeley researchers mapped the brain circuits that control growth hormone during sleep, uncovering a feedback system where sleep fuels hormone release, and the hormone regulates wakefulness. The ...

New Pill Could Finally Control Stubborn High Blood Pressure

Oct. 8, 2025 A new pill called baxdrostat may offer hope for people whose blood pressure stays high even after taking standard medications. In a recent study, the drug lowered blood pressure and also seemed to ...

Scientists Discover How to Wipe out Breast Cancer’s Hidden Cells

Sep. 2, 2025 Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have shown for the first time that it’s possible to detect dormant cancer cells in breast cancer survivors and eliminate them with repurposed drugs, ...

Common Heart Drug Taken by Millions Found Useless, Possibly Risky

Aug. 31, 2025 Beta blockers, used for decades after heart attacks, provide no benefit for patients with preserved heart function, according to the REBOOT trial. The massive study also found women faced higher ...

How Dehydration Secretly Fuels Anxiety and Health Problems

Sep. 23, 2025 Not drinking enough water could intensify stress responses. Researchers found that under-hydrated individuals had cortisol levels more than 50% higher during stressful situations. Poor hydration ...