August 18, 2026
Tonight: the hormone the FDA has never approved for women, a new plan to choke off abortion pills, and more.
— Meghan McCarthy
TESTOSTERONE FOR WOMEN WORKSHOPPING
The FDA's Office of Women's Health is convening a public workshop next month on testosterone use in menopausal women, with comments open through October 19. There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women in the country, though the agency's notice acknowledges off-label use has climbed for a decade. It's approved for low sexual desire in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Beyond 24 months, the FDA says, safety data is limited, "particularly regarding cardiovascular and breast cancer risks."
INTERPOL ISN’T COMING FOR ABORTION PILLS
The 19th reports that an attorney working for an anti-abortion group is preparing a paper on how Attorney General Todd Blanche could use Interpol, an international law enforcement agency, to disrupt mifepristone distribution inside the United States. Called Operation Pangea, the lawyer said Blanche had already agreed to make restricting the abortion drug a priority. Experts say it’s unlikely this plan would work and instead is a sign of desperation from anti-abortion activists, since the Trump administration has not had any success banning the pill.
IT'S CHEAPER TO TREAT MENOPAUSE THAN NOT TO
If 10,000 fifty-year-old women with hot flashes went on five years of transdermal estrogen, it would save about $135 million and prevent 647 deaths, according to a model published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The biggest benefit was preventing cardiovascular disease. While they projected it could cause 87 additional breast cancer cases, they also found 259 fewer cases of heart disease and 181 fewer hip fractures.
THE DOULA STUDIES POOL
Researchers looking at 12 randomized trials and 18 non-randomized studies found doula support is associated with lower rates of preterm birth and cesarean delivery, better birth experiences, and higher postpartum visit attendance. Four of the five studies conducted entirely among people at risk of disparities, such as race, income, insurance status or incarceration, reported at least some benefit.
TEN YEARS BEFORE THE DIAGNOSIS, THE PRESCRIPTIONS START
Women with endometriosis filled 29% more antidepressant prescriptions and 16% more anxiety prescriptions—a decade before they ever got diagnosed, according to a Danish study of nearly 137,000 women. The gap didn't close after diagnosis, widening to 40% and 46%, respectively. Researchers point to prolonged pain, uncertainty about the cause and fertility problems as plausible explanations, but the study doesn't establish what drives the strain, or whether diagnosing women sooner would ease it.