Living with polycystic ovary syndrome can be difficult and lonely | Letters

The NHS needs to provide better understanding and support for people with the condition, says one reader

Thank you for publishing the article about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff (I was diagnosed with PCOS – and was soon drowning in misinformation, 22 June). It resonated with my experience of diagnosis and frustration at the complete lack of support. I was first tested in my teens and told my blood test was normal. I was retested at 34 when I went to my GP about weight gain and struggling with exhaustion. When I was confirmed to have PCOS I was warned about the health issues, and told the best thing I could do was lose weight, even though this would be very difficult, and to come back when I was struggling to conceive.

Charlie is right: the amount of time and energy I had to put in to try to understand how to be healthy has been a huge drain. Especially sifting through the masses of misinformation. It took me two years and a lot of hard work to understand a diet and exercise plan that worked for me. It’s been difficult and lonely trying to navigate this on my own.

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Equivalent of one child in every British classroom now born via IVF, data shows

Proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment up by more than a third in a decade, figures reveal

The proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment in the UK has increased by more than a third in a decade, with the equivalent of one child in every classroom now born as a result of IVF, figures show.

One in 32 births in 2023 were the result of in vitro fertilisation, up 34% from one in 43 in 2013, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

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All parents need someone in their corner like we had. But for First Nations parents, having an Aboriginal midwife is essential | Narelda Jacobs and Karina Natt

Being in an Aboriginal midwifery program meant we had a culturally safe experience from both a First Nations and an LGBTIQA+ perspective

When we first shared our pregnancy news with friends, the advice from those who had been through birth was to get into a midwifery program. But the midwifery programs at our local hospital were full – or so we thought.

When we were offered a place in an Aboriginal midwifery program, we declined. Narelda, a Whadjuk Noongar woman, was not the birth parent – Karina was – and we didn’t want to take the place of someone who might need it more than us. We knew the healthcare system is notoriously culturally unsafe and this racism and discrimination is contributing to the shocking statistic of Indigenous women being three times more likely to die during childbirth.

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Wes Streeting announces investigation into NHS maternity services

Health secretary announces ‘rapid’ national inquiry into failings in NHS care of mothers and babies in England

• UK politics live – latest updates

The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has announced the launch of a national investigation into NHS maternity services.

The new rapid investigation is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety.

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‘Wrapped in culture’: NSW birthing centre next step in long road to better maternity services for Aboriginal mothers

To be built among the trees in South Nowra, the maternity centre will aim to improve clinical outcomes for women and babies by fusing traditional and non-traditional practices

• Read more from our investigation into the maternal health and infant removal crisis facing First Nations women in Australia

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Melanie Briggs is gazing out at a grassy field, swatting away mosquitoes as we walk through the brush and scrub on a sunny autumn afternoon on the New South Wales south coast. We come to a stop amid the knee-length grasses where the tall eucalyptus trees reach up to the blue sky. Here she unfurls her vision for women giving birth on country.

“I can see the first birth here,” she says. “It will happen at night.”

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Birth alerts are meant to help children at risk of abuse. They are routinely used against Aboriginal mothers

Medical professionals are required to report at-risk children to child protective services – but to some agencies ‘just being Black’s a risk’

• Read more from our investigation into the maternal health and infant removal crisis facing First Nations women in Australia

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At the end of 2024, Rachel* was days away from giving birth. Her feet were dangerously swollen and she was sleeping rough outside an Aboriginal support service in the city.

Her reluctance to seek antenatal care meant the usual routine of scurrying between midwives and doctors appointments for ultrasounds, blood tests and screenings was absent.

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Bobbi was denied access to an Aboriginal midwifery program in her last pregnancy – and nearly lost her life

Indigenous women report experiencing racism, inadequate care and lack of consent in maternity wards – and are three times more likely to die during childbirth

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After a life-threatening three-day labour, Bobbi Lockyer woke up alone in a single room in the intensive care unit of a Perth hospital with an IV drip in her arm. She had lost five litres of blood and had been rushed to intensive care for an emergency hysterectomy. Her new baby had been discharged while she was unconscious into the care of her now ex-partner.

“I woke up alone and thought something had happened to my baby,” she says. “I was distraught.”

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The best pregnancy pillows for support and comfort, tested

Our tired mum-to-be put 11 maternity pillows, from wedges to U-shapes, to the test in search of a better night’s sleep

• Parents on the baby gear they wouldn’t go without

It’s a cruel twist that, just when you’re trying to bank some rest before the arrival of a baby, your body and brain conspire to make falling – and staying – asleep more difficult. Hormonal changes, pelvic or back pain, stress and extra bathroom trips are among the delights that can make sleep elusive for pregnant women. As your baby bump grows, general discomfort is a given.

Pregnancy pillows aim to help relieve some of this discomfort by supporting key parts of the body, such as your growing baby bump, back and hips. Many are designed to encourage an optimal pregnancy sleeping position: the NHS recommends sleeping on your side after 28 weeks. That’s due to research suggesting a link between falling asleep on your back and an increased risk of stillbirth – although note that the overall risk is still very low, and there’s no need to worry if you wake up on your back. Just roll over and go back to sleep.

Best pregnancy pillow overall:
Bbhugme pregnancy pillow
_{£159 at Bbhugme}

Best budget pregnancy pillow:
Dreamgenii pregnancy, support and feeding pillow
_{£48.99 at Ebebek}

Best pregnancy pillow for leg support:
Snüz SnuzCurve pregnancy support pillow
_{£84.95 at Snüz}

Best for temperature control:
Simba extra support body pillow
_{£109 at Simba Sleep}

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Monash IVF admits second bungled embryo implant, this time at Victorian clinic

Patient’s own embryo instead of partner’s was ‘incorrectly transferred’, fertility company tells ASX, months after revealing separate Queensland clinic error

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A second bungled embryo implant at Monash IVF has sparked a new investigation and the expansion of a review into the first incident, which led to a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger’s baby.

Monash IVF said in a statement on Tuesday that on 5 June “a patient’s own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient’s partner”.

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Contraception warning over weight-loss drugs after dozens of pregnancies

UK watchdog has had 40 reports relating to pregnancies in people using drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro

Women using weight-loss drugs have been urged to use effective contraception after dozens have reported becoming pregnant while taking the medication.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued its first alert to the UK public regarding contraception and weight-loss medications after it received 40 reports relating to pregnancies while using drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

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‘The high commissioner found us a bassinet!’ Jacinda Ardern on bringing her baby to the UN

New Zealand’s former PM made history as the first world leader to attend the general assembly meeting with a newborn. In the second extract from her book, she writes about her worry that the image would become a banner for ‘women doing it all’

• Read our exclusive interview with Jacinda Ardern here
• ‘I was pregnant and unwed. I was also new to the job’: read the first instalment of her memoir here

Seventy-two hours after our daughter, Neve, was born, Clarke and I held a press conference to introduce her to the world. We planned the whole thing before I gave birth, and I’d been sure it would be fine. Kate Middleton did it, I’d thought. I can make it work.

Now that I’d just given birth, it did not feel fine.

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