Top Health News

Here’s what’s been trending in the health world:

🩸 First-of-its-kind pill for Endometriosis approved
The NHS has officially approved the first-ever daily pill for managing endometriosis symptoms. This game-changing treatment can be taken at home—but for now, it’s only available to those who have exhausted all other options.

🦠 Your immune system’s hidden superpower
Scientists have discovered a new part of the immune system—a hidden mechanism that unleashes bacteria-killing chemicals. This breakthrough could lead to revolutionary treatments for infections and redefine how we fight disease.

🥑 A natural alternative to Ozempic?
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have identified a molecule called BRP that works similarly to Ozempic in curbing hunger—without some of the side effects. Could this be the future of weight management?

🦠 Is Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) actually an STI?
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests BV—affecting 1 in 3 women worldwide—may actually be sexually transmitted. The research highlights that treating partners, not just individuals, is key to eliminating the infection.

🏃‍♀️ Exercise is your ultimate health hack
A fresh study found that regular exercise may lower your risk of dementia, stroke, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders by up to 40%. Time to lace up those trainers!

🚭 Pregnancy smoking linked to lifelong risks for sons
A study from the University of Aberdeen has found that men born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are at greater long-term health risks than daughters. The research, which analyzed data from 500,000 people, underscores the importance of quitting early for the health of future generations.

🌸 Endometriosis Awareness Month 🌸

Guest Article: When You Can’t Find the Community You Need, Build It. The Story of EmpowerPeriods

Victoria Causley, Founder of EmpowerPeriods

It was never my intention to build a community—I was just trying to find one. 

But sometimes, the things we need the most don’t exist yet, so we create them ourselves. 

And that’s exactly how EmpowerPeriods was born.

My name’s Victoria, and in 2021, I founded EmpowerPeriods, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness about women’s health and breaking the stigma around periods. But this journey didn’t start with a grand plan—it started with my own pain, frustration, and a deep need to be heard.

For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with bad periods. Between the ages of 15 to now 25 years old, I have felt like I have been on an endless carousel of doctor’s appointments, each one leaving me feeling more invalidated, rejected, and alone than the other. My pain was dismissed, my concerns downplayed. I started to wonder: If periods are so “normal,” why did mine feel unbearable? And why did no one seem to have an answer? One doctor even told me that he simply has “no more tools left in the toolbox” – and that might have been my lowest point yet.

And I now know I’m not the only one. A 2025 study found that half of the women surveyed have had their period symptoms dismissed by someone.

I was bleeding through my clothes every month, not wanting to leave the house on my ‘heavy’ days, trying too many different contraceptive pills to count that would supposedly ‘help’ with the symptoms – all to be told by the doctors that they didn’t know what the problem was. I’d had enough and I couldn’t take it anymore.

In 2021, I was studying History at university, deep into writing my dissertation on ‘The attitudes toward menstruation in the Early Modern Era’ (a niche topic, I know—and much harder than I expected since people in the 1500s weren’t exactly journaling about their periods!). As I sifted through historical records, something became very clear: while medical advancements have come a long way, the stigma around menstruation hasn’t changed nearly enough. It was here that my interest for women's health ignited and I was determined to do something about it.

At the same time as this, I was still struggling with my periods, with chronic IBS symptoms and the mental toll of it all, only made worse by the isolation of the pandemic. I kept telling myself it wouldn’t last forever, but deep down, I wasn’t so sure. I felt stuck, mentally and physically exhausted, and completely alone.

So out of sheer desperation, I created an Instagram account: @EmpowerPeriods. No business plan. No strategy. Just a hope that maybe—just maybe—someone else out there felt the same way.

I was nervous. 

Talking openly about periods online wasn’t exactly what most 20-year-olds were doing, and I knew I was opening myself up to opinions—some supportive, some not. But I was aware of both of these things, and looking back, that’s how I know just how bad things were for me—because I didn’t care. I was totally oblivious to all the outside noise. 

All I wanted was to find someone who would say, "I feel the same way," and they did.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just speaking into the void—I was part of something bigger. And I realised that for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t alone anymore.

Fast forward to today, and EmpowerPeriods has grown into a community of over 7,500 people across our social media, and we’re not just talking about periods online. We’re taking the conversation into schools, universities, workplaces, and communities, spreading awareness and challenging the outdated narratives about menstruation. Speaking about everything schools skipped for most of us and opening up the conversation as ‘Your Online Big Sister’, so if you haven’t had that person in your life to talk to about your period, you now do.

Because periods ARE normal. But period pain that disrupts your life? That isn’t. And I’m on a mission to make sure we stop treating it like it is.

As for my diagnosis, I recently underwent a laparoscopy to determine the cause of my period pain. After years of being told I didn’t need one—I was finally referred, ten years later. The procedure revealed a patch of endometriosis, providing a potential explanation for my pain. Long story short, you know your own body better than anyone else and the answers you're looking for to your pain do exist – you’ve got this!

So, if you’re reading this feeling exhausted, unheard, or like you’ve run out of options—just know, you’ve found a community now. 

And that changes everything.

By Victoria Causley.

References:

Wellbeing Of Women, “Just a Period” Survey, https://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/what-we-do/campaigns/just-a-period/just-a-period-survey-results/

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Have You Checked Out The Health Review Podcast?

In the latest episode, Rob Staunton, founder of The London Centre for Functional Medicine, breaks down everything you need to know about gut health and the power of a root-cause approach to healing.

We dive into:
-SIBO, parasites & dysbiosis—what they are and how they impact the gut

-The connection between diet, lifestyle & digestion

-Why traditional testing often misses key issues and how advanced lab tests can help

-How functional medicine can create a personalised path to healing

Having dealt with my own gut health struggles, I bring a personal lens to the conversation, discussing with Rob the challenges so many people face in getting to the bottom of chronic symptoms.

If you love the episode, please do subscribe and give it a rating! 😊