ICYMI news for women - Oct. 5

No TL;DR. Just the facts, ma'am. Dozens of new articles in the last week alone that matter to women. Click your picks, ignore the bricks: we watch the news so you don't have to.

Sunday Snippets is a round-up of headlines about women’s health and lives from the past week that we haven’t covered in our regular posts. Snippets is a perk for our terrific paid subscribers, released two days later for all subscribers. It takes time — 10+ hours every week — to search for relevant news, add context and deeper dive links and get these news stories to you without ads or promotions. If you find this valuable, give us a shout-out with a❤️ or a share, or consider buying us a much needed espresso (or a snippet of wine?) or—definitely better yet—a paid subscription to support our work: we do it for you.

In the news this week for women: We lost Jane Goodall at a time we needed her wonderful heart more than ever. Shutdown update and why healthcare might just win this one (no, it’s not about immigrants); the latest reason women need to never get sick in Alabama; can wearables bridge a 50-year gap in women’s health research? Does breast surgery reflect what men want more than what women need? Olive oil and breast cancer; is magnesium a potent secret add for women? The woman you never heard of who discovered GLP-1. <sigh> Is the GOP’s message to Gen Z to pay double for health insurance or go without? Major retailer to offer discounted Ozempic, Wegovy as pharm price wars heat up. Trump Rx: all sizzle, no steak says WSJ. Unforced errors: telehealth abruptly ends and more uninformed misadventures from Congress and administration. Women and autism; was questionable Tylenol pronouncement entangled in ableism, eugenics, pronatalism and yet another Catch 22 mentality blaming women? How Trump’s tariffs will affect med costs. The myth of women having it all; chest pounding from Hegseth; femtech news and much more.

And last week’s Other News Quiz? That was my girl Grazer, the only working mom to twice win the only contest I know of that cheerily promotes chunkiness and winter preppers. She lost this year to 1100-pound Chunk, the dastardly bastard who killed her baby last year. More on this annual saga of fatness, love, triumph and loss in Alaska.

• Tip: If you hit a paywall here or anywhere, copy the URL of the article into archive.ph.¹

• See our footnotes and italicized comments for context from our 30+ years in healthcare.

• Articles marked with an asterisk (*) are from professional journals.

• Disclaimer: Listing these headlines does not indicate a recommendation. With so many news items each week, we don’t take the time to review each. Use common sense and dig deeper into any issue that interests you. More on sources and bias.²

Shutdown update

• See our original post here with an overview of the issue and Dan Rather has an excellent post on it (thanks, K.T.!) Democrats are positioning the fight as over both Medicaid cuts from the budget bill and ACA (“Obamacare”) consumer cost escalation if pandemic-era subsidies due to expire this year. While 12 million people will be cut from Medicaid, that cleverly won’t hit many until after the midterms. But the huge premium escalation³ to the 24 million ACA members is becoming very clear right now as ACA reenrollment comes around, including to more Republicans, although the official line is that the ACA increase is irrelevant. ACA has been such a burr in Republican’s fur for so long they may not have realized the impact; Congressional age and economics are far different than that of younger Americans. However, 24 million enrollees getting premium increase news all at once is creating significant mass media coverage, and polls indicate growing public concern: almost 80% of Americans want the ACA subsidies extended. News reports indicate Trump himself may have been unaware of the impact. Naturally, there are attempts to reduce it to an immigration issue; here’s more on that. Click here for a good overview from BBC of the immigrant issue, and there’s a NYT opinion piece⁴ on all this, GOP to Gen Z: Pay double for health insurance or go without. We will update as events unfold.

  • Related: Medicare, Medicaid and other core health programs will keep running during the shutdown, but a popular Medicare benefit has already ended and local health centers may be at risk unless Congress acts soon.

  • Related: Why this particular shutdown may have far-reaching effects on healthcare.

  • Related: States are cutting Medicaid provider payments long before Trump cuts hit.

  • Related: Over 6 million children have already been removed from Medicaid/CHIP.

  • Related: Nutrition program for mothers, infants may run out of funds during Shutdown.

Our bodies

- News of interest to all on women’s health

• Alabama continues to lead in women’s health categories no state should ever lead in: Not only is Alabama one of the most dangerous states for birth, the state prosecutes more women about pregnancy and birth than any other nation. Free advice: If you’re a woman, don’t get sick in Alabama.

• How New Mexico became a sanctuary state for healthcare.⁵

• The rise of women with autism diagnosis: ‘We mask it until it blows up.’

- Trending

• Azelastine nasal spray—designed for allergies—shows COVID prevention potential, as does another nasal spray in development. (Gift article) If you travel or are always with people, consider getting azelastine spray.⁶

• * Study: New tracking tech and wearables may balance gaps in women’s research.

  • Example: A wearable ultrasound patch from MIT that fits into a bra, allowing for safe, comfortable, and real-time breast cancer screening at home.

  • Related: Flo app is driving long-term advances in women’s health.

• How many women are shepherded toward the male ideal of women’s breast size rather than our health?

- Nutrition, exercise, sleep, and looking great

• Olive oil may reduce breast cancer risk, particularly aggressive types.

• How to use a walking pad at work or at home.

• Eating more fruit may protect lungs against pollution.

  • * The study: Does diet modify the effects of pollution on lung function?

• Why magnesium is the secret weapon for women’s health—particularly in menopause.⁷

• Three easy ways to tell if a snack is ultraprocessed.

• Recalls: Kroger recalls pastas; shrimp and seafood meal recalls for listeria continue; Tyson recalls millions of Hillshire Brands snacks, not just corn dogs.

- GLP-1 news

• Svetlana Mojsov, the female biochemist at Massachusetts General who discovered GLP-1, to receive award.

  • Surprise? Never heard of her? Sadly, it’s a familiar story for many: The Ozempic revolution is rooted in the work of Svetlana Mojsov, yet she’s been edged out of the story.

• Costco to sell discounted Ozempic and Wegovy for people without insurance.

• For better or worse, Novo Nordisk is flooding the market with discounted Ozempic, Wegovy. Forbes ranks the best options.

Note we often group some articles in generational/lifestyle categories for easier reading, but generations don’t have a ‘hard stop’—they overlap, so check topics. Also check the Femtech section, below, for more news that can apply to your generation and interests.

- Gen Z and Millennials

• GOP to Gen Z: Pay double for health insurance or go without. (Opinion)

• If your parents didn’t vaccinate you, you face a choice. This article is for you.

• Breadcrumbing, love bombing and other dating red flags.

- Pregnancy, birth and parenting

• Parents are bringing back the landline to connect kids without a smartphone. (Gift article)

• Here’s what I learned about parenting with major depression. (Gift article)

• Long overdue: Global health agencies issue new recommendations to help end [way too many preventable] deaths from postpartum hemorrhage.

• * Too many unaware of COVID vaccine safety in pregnancy.

• * Preconception BMI drives fertility struggles and miscarriage risk.

• OB-Gyn doctor: How misleading statements on Tylenol leave expectant parents confused, fearful and lacking in options.

• These women are among the top five most banned authors in schools, with three southern states leading the pack.

- Midlife and perimenopause

• Professor leads groundbreaking study on the menopause-mental health connection.

• Changes to ‘black box’ warning on hormone therapy (HRT) for menopause symptoms expected soon.

  • Related: * Experts reach consensus on HRT after breast cancer.

• * Long-term safety and efficacy of elinzanetant for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) associated with menopause.

• “I thought I was going crazy”: Menopause, mental health and a little Neko Case.

• (In case you want to), here’s how to live to 117.

- The untethered-to-my-uterus years

• Pulmonary embolism survivors share recovery advice. (Gift article)

• Ageless aging: increasing women’s healthspan, brainspan and lifespan.

• Emotional well-being: just as important as physical health for longevity.

  • * The study: Research pathways to living long and living well.

• WHO: Aging and health.

News impacting our health and lives, and those we love and guide

- RFK Jr’s HHS and related Trump administration health news

• Related: WH announces ‘TrumpRx’ website — except the WH later said the site will not sell or distribute meds.⁸

  • Trump Rx sounded good for a few minutes, then … WSJ: America’s Pharmacist in Chief becomes a drug marketer while Pfizer gets a tariff break.

• How Trump’s latest tariffs may affect your medicines. (Gift article)

  • Trump may try to force drugmakers to match European prices. (Gift article)

  • Related: Novartis, AstraZeneca announce price discounts ahead of tariff threat.

  • Pharma tariffs spare rich drugmakers, punish some small ones. (Gift article)

• Telehealth is about to end abruptly for seniors.⁹

  • Coverage for telemedicine has ended abruptly. For my patients and me, it’s a disaster.

• HHS political split? Anti-abortion leaders blast FDA’s quiet approval of new abortion pill.

• FDA director says he got FDA ‘exempted’ from possible shutdown RIFs.

• MAHA’s fight against food dyes, corn syrup and seed oils. (Podcast)

• Sen. Cassidy—reluctant tie breaking vote on Kennedy—pushes back on WH linking of Tylenol to autism.

• The Trump administration’s approach to autism is tangled up with ableism, eugenics, and pronatalism. (Opinion) If your reaction to the Tylenol pronouncement was that it didn’t feel right, this piece nails why.

• Trump cancelled 94 million pounds of food aid. Here’s what never arrived.

- More news

• HSAs will be available to 10 million more people in 2026.

• Economist Corinne Low on women, work, and the myth of “having it all.” (Video)

• The states: Whooping cough in NC, NJ offers $20K pregnancy cash help and makes IVF more available; measles outbreaks spread in MN, OH and SC,

- Trending

• Americans are socializing less; here’s why that’s worrying. (Video)

  • Related: Doing almost anything is better with friends, research finds.

• The health benefits of owning a dog.

• What Hegseth’s military fitness rules may mean for women. Two steps forward, one step back…

  • What female military leaders heard.

• After years of repression, Christian lesbians are coming out.

• Why do so many women have long hair now? (Gift article)

  • Related: MAGA beauty is built to go viral, the Utah curl, and ‘Overt femininity’: From MAGA makeovers to Texas blowouts, big hair is back.

Deeper dives | policy

• Business consultants talking about the opportunity to (metaphorically speaking) take women’s health from a phone on the kitchen wall straight to smartphones, skipping the six decades of time in between when women’s health research was ignored.

  • JonesDay (attorneys): The future is femtech: Innovation andinvestement in women’s health.

  • McKinsey & Co (international business consultants): Closing the women’s health gap: Biopharma’s untapped opportunity.

• National Conference of State Legislatures: Women leaders open doors for next generation and often change policy dialogue by bringing different issues to the table.

• PassBlue report: Women are barely seen or heard in the news.

Femtech and women’s health innovation

We’re way past time for innovation in women’s health, and Femtech is hoping to fill the gap. Don’t miss this free post with tips on investing in women’s health and see more about why investors are excited, but also why femtech can be the new Wild West. And see more about why we have a special section on femtech.¹⁰

• Billions of menstrual hygiene products end up in landfills every year. Now a female biomed engineer has a game changing answer. (video)

• Visana Health, a virtual women’s health clinic, secures $24 million in Series A funding to expand services.

• How a 60 YO female drug developer build a $4.4B biotech treating Butterfly Skin Disease.

• Why promising women’s health companies die so often.

• Midi Health raised $50M on menopause startup bet on longevity and AI.

1. Archive.ph is a web archiving service that captures and preserves snapshots of web pages. If it’s a lesser-known site or if the article is very popular, it could take a few minutes to load, but it generally works very well—including, BTW, forwarding posts to Canada or other countries wisely concerned about some of our US media.

2. Sources: We check both public and professional news sites, with click-throughs for sources. We tend to go straight to the original info more than the interpretation of popular magazines and blogs, as we’ve found the latter do not always correctly interpret medical science information. Medical editors are becoming rare. We give you the news directly, including the primary studies when available, and leave you to your interpretation.

Bias: We’ve been in women’s and children’s health for over three decades as providers, international consultants, and health system execs. If you’re in healthcare, with few exceptions, women’s and children’s services are not where you make money; those services are more often loss leaders. From policy to research to reimbursement for providers, women and children are second rate citizens, absolutely related to the historical perception of monetary value. So, you probably won’t be surprised to understand we do not lean politically right on women’s health. We are center left but fair: we do not misrepresent data, and we do scan information from neutral and both center-left and center-right sites. If you’re wondering about media bias, check it on AllSides. We do. Another cool website and app (thank you, Julie L!) is ground.news, which rates political bias in particular stories.

3. An average increase of 18% for ACA plans is projected, with some increasing as much as 100%. These are not wealthy Americans or they would have the gold star employer-provided health insurance of the past. Individuals on the ACA pay cash for basic coverage. Many are young careerists who get ACA coverage through their small business employers who also can’t afford gold star plans. Those high benefit plans largely went away with the 2008 recession for the 99% of US businesses that are small businesses.

4. In case you’re unaware, the New York Times (NYT) is not known for promotion of Republican viewpoints.

5. New Mexico is becoming an interesting state to watch. Its female governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, is leading with compassion, an excellent sense on immigration issues in this border state, and a forward-looking strategy. Keep an eye on this often-overlooked state.

6. One small issue when I tried Azelastine: it put me to sleep. I don’t know if that side effect wears off after a while (I stopped), and it may not affect you the same way.

7. I put menopause in my rear view mirror a while ago, and I can tell you magnesium cream has made a big difference for me on foot cramping at night.

8. On Trump Rx, consumers will theoretically be able to search for their meds and be redirected to manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer channels. Since <1% of consumers pay directly for prescriptions, someone may have forgotten to check market need or interest. It was announced on day shutdown started; not bad as a diversion, only it didn’t last long before everyone figured that out it’s vaporware for now. Many 😁 are suggesting the site will simply be a shillspace to push Kennedy’s theories and products.

9. This is a huge step back. Out of necessity, seniors and the elderly learned how to use telemedicine during the pandemic. Now telemedicine easily supports chronic illness, particularly helpful to those who have difficulty accessing care due to distance or disability.

10. We have a special section on femtech for three reasons: While not all femtech is created equal, outside investors—now finally often led now by women—are stepping up in a major way to fill the huge hole that traditional medical research is still neglecting and will worsen under Trump and Kennedy’s NIH that classifies women’s health research as DEI. Second, many of us have never invested specifically in women’s health but are in a position now to do so—if not us, then who? Finally, it’s a good eye-opener to those of us who have been dulled to the possibility of better after decades of often insensitive and boringly predictable care. Femtech views that neglect as opportunity.