‘It changed who I felt I was.’ Women tell Rhonda Garad and Amanda Vincent of the devastation at an early menopause diagnosis. For Mary*, being told she’d entered menopause much earlier than expected was a shock … It was sort of like I’d gone from 39...
Wellness is mainly marketed to women, write Kate Seers and Rachel Hogg. We’re encouraged to eat clean, take personal responsibility for our well-being, happiness and life. These are the hallmarks of a strong, independent woman in 2022. But on the eve of International Women’s Day (March 8th),...
‘Maeve’s law’ would let IVF parents access technology to prevent mitochondrial disease. Here’s what the Senate is debating, report David Thorburn and Megan Munsie The Senate has been debating “Maeve’s law” – a proposal to legalise access to new assisted reproductive techniques that will reduce the...
Maxine Clark’s son begins to ponder the more obvious markers of his Jamaican heritage. “Your mum’s brown,” a little girl at my son’s childcare centre announced matter-of-factly to him when I arrived to pick him up last week. It wasn’t a criticism; it wasn’t an insult....
Researchers Anthea Lindquist and Stephen Tong report that vaginal birth after caesarean increases the risk of serious perineal tear by 20%, their large-scale review shows Pregnant women who previously birthed by caesarean section are presented with a choice: whether to try for a vaginal birth, or...
5 things research from twins taught us about health, behaviour and what makes us unique, reports Jeffrey Craig Researchers often compare the differences between identical and fraternal twins to better understand health and behaviour. The first major insight is that genes and environments almost always combine to...
When I first became a mother in 2013, Carla Pascoe Leahy reports, I realised my experiences of motherhood did not match the kinds of messages circulating around me. As a society we talk about motherhood either in cheesy sentimentalities – think of gift catalogues for Mother’s...
At age 35, one in four Australian women and one in three men were hoping to have a child or more children in the future, writes Karin Hammarberg. But by age 49, about half report they haven’t yet had the number of children they hoped...
Public bottle-feeding feels like public stoning to Megan Howe. I admit it. I’m embarrassed to feed my baby in public. I try to time outings so I don’t need to feed while I’m out shopping or at the doctors’ surgery or at the park. But it’s...
The latest Australian data indicates that the number of human egg-freezing cycles performed each year has increased more than 1000% from 2010 to 2019, reports Molly Johnston Despite this, egg freezing remains prohibitively expensive, with a single cycle costing up to $10,000. Due to these costs,...
