Health & Wellness News Round-Up: Fertility Science, AI in Healthcare & Viral Wellness Trends

takeaways

1. A UK survey of over 12,000 women pointed to links between long COVID and menstrual health, including heavier periods and iron deficiency worsening fatigue and brain fog.

2. Researchers in the Netherlands are developing 'robotic sperm' coated with magnetic nanoparticles that could be steered with magnets, though it is only being tested in lab models.

3. A Sheffield University study discussed how online misinformation may fuel a 'nocebo effect' around the contraceptive pill, with UK pill use dropping from 39% in 2020 to 28% in 2024.

4. A PLOS ONE study suggested the traditional U-shaped 'midlife crisis' curve may be shifting, with under-35s reporting lower happiness than people in their 40s and 50s.

5. AI and wearable tech featured heavily, from wearables detecting pregnancy complications to a digital stethoscope from Imperial College London and EkoHealth, and a monitoring app said to save the NHS around £1.5 million a day.

6. Simple lifestyle findings were shared, including brisk walking linked to lower lung cancer risk and research suggesting longer apologies come across as more sincere.

chapters