September 24, 2026
Tonight: the FDA nominee who wouldn't say whether an IUD is birth control, the dismal numbers on menopause treatment knowledge, and more.
— Meghan McCarthy
TRUMP'S FDA PICK WOULDN'T SAY WHETHER AN IUD IS BIRTH CONTROL
Heidi Overton, President Trump's nominee to run the FDA, twice declined to tell Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) whether an intrauterine device is birth control rather than an abortion, saying she would be "fully briefed" on the agency's prior decisions if confirmed. (IUDs cannot lead to abortions.) Pressed on whether she believes mifepristone is safe and effective, Overton again would not say directly, offering instead that "it has met the safety and efficacy standard according to the FDA review." Murray pointed to an article Overton published three years ago describing medication abortion as dangerous to women; Overton dodged by saying she was driven by data. If confirmed, she inherits the FDA's review of mifepristone, and the agency owes a federal court an update on its progress by October 7.
HALF OF WOMEN HAVE HEARD THAT BIRTH CONTROL HORMONES WILL HURT THEM
About 53% of reproductive-age women say they have encountered the claim that the hormones in contraceptives are harmful to their health, and 43% have heard that those hormones limit their ability to get pregnant later, according to the 2026 KFF Women's Health survey of around 3,500 women ages 18 to 49. About a third have heard that natural family planning works as well as hormonal contraception, and that Plan B causes an abortion. Neither is accurate. Among women who saw something about contraception on social media, 12% of those 18 to 25 stopped using their hormonal birth control, compared with 5% of women 36 to 49. Health care providers remain the most trusted source at 86%, while AI chatbots sit at 25%.
OVARIES: MORE THAN EGG HOLDERS?
Wired has a deep dive on the evidence that ovaries don’t retire at menopause. Instead, they continue producing hormones, and emerging research suggests their biology keeps changing for decades. Scientists found changing protein patterns in human ovaries after menopause and increased immune activity in aging mouse ovaries, raising questions about how these organs shape women’s health beyond fertility. What researchers still don’t know is whether those changes help, harm, or do both at different ages.
MANY WOMEN LEARN WHAT MENOPAUSE IS BY HAVING IT
Only 37% of U.S. women say they have a good understanding of menopause symptoms, and just 25% say the same about treatment options, according to a Gallup-Pivotal survey that included roughly 3,800 women. Among women who have experienced menopause, 37% first learned about it when they developed symptoms themselves, and 40% say it negatively affected their life or work.
IV IRON IN PREGNANCY CUT DELIVERY TRANSFUSIONS BY MORE THAN A THIRD
Pregnant women with anemia caused by low iron were 37% less likely to need a blood transfusion during their hospital stay for childbirth when treated with iron through an IV instead of pills, according to a review of 29 clinical trials involving roughly 11,800 people. IV treatment also improved their blood’s ability to carry oxygen and increased iron stores in both mothers and babies. Iron pills remain the usual first treatment in the U.S., but the authors say the findings support considering a larger role for IV iron.