Hear are the top things to know in women’s health and wellness so far this week:
Declining fertility rates have raised all sorts of alarms, but a study from the University of Michigan found it also helps narrow the wage gap.
The Society for Women’s Health Research has an overview of the wins in 2025 (like the Women’s Health Initiative not getting canceled) but also warned that funding for women’s health research is still at risk. (And that’s putting it diplomatically!)
The American Academy of Pediatrics opposed HHS Sec. Kennedy’s moves to restrict or reverse recommendations for pediatric vaccines, so the secretary took away their federal grant money on topics including infant deaths and prenatal substance exposure.
JUMP TO…
EVERYTHING
What: The Society for Women’s Health Research has a good run-down of the highs and lows of women’s health in 2025. Successes include stopping an HHS plan to end the Women’s Health Initiative, and the FDA’s removal of menopause hormone therapy black box warnings. Congress also advanced bipartisan funding increases for NIH and directed new focus to uterine fibroids and PCOS, despite disruption from a 43-day government shutdown that endangered ongoing studies. But the group says continued advocacy is necessary to secure research funding, build stronger infrastructure, and ensure that women’s health stays central to U.S. science and policy.
Key Line: “This year reminded us of a fundamental truth: progress in women’s health is fragile, and we must remain vigilant in protecting the infrastructure, funding, and scientific integrity that underpins it all.”
What: A study of over 1,000 people after their first ischemic stroke found that women had slightly more difficulty than men performing daily tasks, including eating, dressing, and cooking, in the first year after the stroke. The difference persisted even after accounting for age, education, and insurance, though the effect was small. Researchers recommend early and repeated checks on daily functioning, especially for women, to help close the recovery gap.
Key Line: “‘Our results suggest that early and repeated assessments of a person’s ability to do daily tasks after stroke are needed, and particularly for female individuals, in order to reduce these differences in recovery,’ said Chen. ‘When developing new interventions, these recovery patterns should be considered. Since the differences were mainly in activities such as doing heavy housework, shopping and carrying heavy weights, new interventions could include muscle-strengthening activities.’”
Source: American Academy of Neurology
FERTILITY
What: A study of national data found that lower fertility accounted for about 8% of the progress toward equal pay between men and women. With fewer children, more women stayed in full-time, higher-skill jobs, reducing the wage penalty linked to motherhood. Researchers warn that encouraging births without changing workplace norms or caregiving support could undo some of these gains.
Key Line: “Increasing birth rates will tend to widen the pay gap, unless we find ways to reduce the motherhood wage penalty,” says Alexandra (Sasha) Killewald, research professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
What: HHS Sec. RFK canceled seven grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics, after the group denounced the agency’s vaccine policies as “irresponsible and purposefully misleading.” The revoked grants were worth at least $3 million and funded programs tackling infant deaths, prenatal substance exposure, birth defects, and teen mental health. The academy had also joined a lawsuit challenging Kennedy’s overhaul of federal vaccination oversight.
Key Line: “Mark Del Monte, the academy’s chief executive, said in a statement that the ‘sudden withdrawal of funds’ from its child health initiatives would ‘directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States.’ He added that the American Academy of Pediatrics was considering ‘legal recourse’ to stop the funding cuts.”
Source: The New York Times
ABORTION ACCESS
What: The New York Times looks at the increase of younger women who are choosing permanent birth control surgeries, such as tubal ligation, since abortion bans started after Roe fell. Doctors note that this rise began after Texas’ six‑week abortion ban in 2021 and grew further after Roe v. Wade was overturned. National data show 21,180 women aged 18–30 had the procedure between June 2022 and September 2023, nearly double the number in prior years.
Key Line: “Some women told The Times that sterilization was a way to control their bodies and health at a time when their reproductive rights are in jeopardy and abortion is banned or restricted in 19 states. Others said that economic fears, like the loss of their job or income, drove them to choose sterilization over other forms of birth control.”
Source: The New York Times