Tonight: what the largest-ever genetic study of severe pregnancy nausea found, why women's immune systems age differently than men's, what happens when doulas stop getting paid, and more below.
— Meghan McCarthy
MORNING SICKNESS HAS GENES — AND NOW WE KNOW MORE OF THEM // A large genetic study of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) — the severe, sometimes dangerous form of pregnancy nausea — analyzed DNA from roughly 11,000 patients and 450,000 controls and identified 10 associated genes, including several not previously linked to the condition. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, reinforce that HG has a biological basis, not a psychological one — a shift that’s been building for years but still matters for how patients are treated. One gene flagged, TCF7L2, is also tied to type 2 diabetes and GLP-1 pathways; researchers are now exploring whether drugs like metformin could play a role in prevention or treatment, though that work is early.
WOMEN’S IMMUNE SYSTEMS AGE DIFFERENTLY// A Nature Aging study using data from nearly 1,000 people found that immune aging differs in men and women. Women showed stronger inflammatory changes over time — a potential clue to why autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect them — while men were more likely to develop precursor changes linked to blood cancers. The takeaway isn’t that one ages “faster,” but that the biology diverges in ways medicine doesn’t consistently account for yet.
BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK TURNS TEN. THE GAP IS STILL THERE. // Black Maternal Health Week marks its 10th year, with a theme centered on justice and joy. The data hasn’t moved much: Black women in the U.S. remain about two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, a disparity that persists across income levels. Thanks to the advocates behind Black Maternal Health Week, awareness has grown. Outcomes haven’t kept pace.
THE DOULA WAS ABOUT TO GET PAID. THEN THE FUNDING DISAPPEARED. // Montana approved Medicaid reimbursement for doulas — up to about $1,600 per pregnancy — but reversed course this spring amid budget concerns tied to potential federal cuts. The rollback hits a state where large areas lack maternity care altogether. On the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, where the nearest hospital delivering babies is roughly 100 miles away, doulas are continuing to work, often unpaid, filling gaps the system still doesn’t cover.
ALZHEIMER’S TESTING MAY MISS WOMEN, EVEN WHEN THE DISEASE IS THERE // Women make up about two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases, and a study in Brain Communications suggests part of the gap may be diagnostic. Standard cognitive tests can appear normal in early stages because women’s brains may compensate by recruiting additional regions — masking decline. The implication: current screening tools may under-detect disease in women, not that women are less affected.