blank bottles from california

• Melinda Gates is adding another $100 million donation to women's health research, in partnership with a nonprofit called Wellcome Leap. They will focus on menopause and conditions that effect women differently than men as they age.
   
• California is a national hub for sending out abortion bills. They just passed a bill allowing the pills to be sent in bottles without a prescriber or patient name, as abortion ban states can use that as evidence. 
   
• New Scientist has a deep dive on the perimenopause treatments that actually work, and how it can be hard to find that in the midst of social media influencer hype. 

Melinda French Gates Pledges $100M for Women’s Health Research

What: Melinda French Gates announced a $100 million partnership between her group and a nonprofit to expand research in women’s health. The funding will support new programs targeting areas with high death rates like heart disease, autoimmune disorders, menopause, and chronic illness. She framed the effort as a push to close long-standing research gaps where, as one expert noted, “99% of the studies on the biology of aging do not include a model for menopause.”

Key Line: "'For so long, the research community has treated women as if they're small men. Women are not small men,' said Regina Dugan of Wellcome Leap during the Forbes event. 'And to give you a sense of the gap that that creates, 99% of the studies on the biology of aging do not include a model for menopause,' Dugan said. 'Now how can that be? We're 50% of the population.'"

Source: UPI

Alcohol and Cancer Risk: Surgeon General Calls for Stronger Warnings

What: The US Surgeon General’s 2025 advisory recommends adding cancer risk to alcohol warning labels, providing patient counseling, and integrating alcohol interventions into healthcare. Evidence shows heavy drinking clearly raises the risk of several cancers, while even light or moderate use—especially for breast cancer—can increase risk, though findings vary by study.

Key Line: "Clinicians should discuss with patients the cancer risks associated with alcohol use. For individuals who choose to drink, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend not exceeding 2 drinks daily for men and 1 drink daily for women. However, even at these alcohol consumption levels, cancer risk may be increased for patients who smoke cigarettes, carry the ALDH2*2 genetic variation (evident by a flushing response to alcohol), have a family history of alcohol-related cancer or alcohol use disorder (AUD), or have other alcohol-related diseases associated with cancer, such as liver disease."

Source: JAMA

California Bill Shields Abortion Pill Patients and Providers

What: California lawmakers passed a bill that lets pharmacies ship abortion pills without including patient, prescriber, or pharmacist names on labels or paperwork. The measure, expected to be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, aims to protect providers in California who mail pills to states with abortion bans and to reassure patients worried about being identified. Because most mail-order abortion pills nationwide are dispensed from California, the law could shape access far beyond the state’s borders.

Key Line: "Removing the abortion patient’s name from anything in the package the patient receives is especially significant, said Natalie Birnbaum, the state legal and policy director for the Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity and Solutions, who helped craft the California bill. “It’s clear that having a patient’s name on their label for abortion medication is preventing people from getting the care that they need,” she said". 

Source: New York Times

Which Perimenopause Treatments Actually Work?

What: New Scientist has a deep dive into perimenopause, explaining it can last up to 10 years with symptoms like night sweats, mood swings, migraines, and vaginal dryness—and it remains under-recognized. And while social media is filled with supposed fixes, evidence-based treatments grounded in hormone science are beginning to show real relief. The piece stresses that noise and hype around supplements and lifestyle fads can make it harder for people to find what actually works.

Key Line: "Despite the hype, evidence is patchy for supplements as a treatment for perimenopause. ...'Some vitamins and supplements may improve some symptoms, but they will not replace the missing hormones and will not have the long-term health benefits that HRT does,' says Newson. Some studies suggest, for instance, that HRT reduces long-term risk of heart disease and diabetes."

Source: New Scientist

More Evidence that Cervical Cancer Screenings Dropped After COVID

What: A survey of nearly 2,000 US women found the number who skipped a Pap smear for cervical cancer screening rose from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2022, with even higher rates among Black women. The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, highlights the pandemic’s ongoing impact on routine cancer checks, and adds more evidence to this phenomenon.

Key Line: "Several barriers may lead to decreased or delayed adherence to cervical cancer screening [17]. Personal barriers include the fear of discovering cancer, shame, screening by a male doctor, ignorance of risk factors, recent immigration status, and the existence of chronic conditions [17–19]. Structural constraints involve needing time off work, lack of transportation and childcare, inadequate."

Source: PLOS Global Public Health