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Intimate HealthWhat to expect
A common fear before hysterectomy is that sex will never feel the same. In a study of more than 1,100 women, sexual activity rose and painful sex dropped sharply in the two years after surgery. And a Cochrane review found that keeping the cervix didn't improve sexual function compared with removing it.
PeriodsExplainer
Period sex is common: in a US national sample of 1,586 women, more than a quarter said they usually had sex during their periods. It isn't birth control, since sperm can live up to five days, and it doesn't protect against infections. Here is what the research found, and why the choice is yours either way, including in perimenopause.
Bladder & Pelvic FloorExplainer
A ring can sometimes stay in during vaginal intercourse. Shelf, Gellhorn, cube and doughnut pessaries need a different plan. Ask about your fitted device before trying removal.
SkinEvidence check
A 2025 study in Wales used a birth-date cutoff to compare similar older adults and found the older live shingles vaccine was linked to about 20% fewer new dementia diagnoses, with a stronger effect in women. A 2026 analysis argued similar studies imply impossibly large effects. Either way, the reason to get vaccinated is to prevent shingles and its lasting nerve pain.
Sleep & NighttimeEvidence check
A British study that followed nearly 8,000 adults for 25 years found that sleeping six hours or less at age 50 or 60 was linked to a higher chance of dementia later, and persistent short sleep across midlife carried about 30% higher risk. It shows a link, not proof that short sleep causes dementia, but it's one more reason to take midlife insomnia seriously.
Odor & SweatExplainer
Most of us put antiperspirant on after a morning shower. Sweat specialists advise the opposite: apply it at bedtime to completely dry skin, when sweating is at its lowest, so it has hours to plug the sweat ducts. It keeps working after a morning shower, and results can take one to two weeks. Here is the reasoning, the limits of the evidence, and how to avoid stinging.
PeriodsEvidence check
Cycle-syncing plans tell you to lift heavy in one phase and rest on your period. A 2020 review of 78 studies found performance dipped only trivially in the days around a period, too little to justify general rules. Symptoms are another story: in a survey of 6,812 women who exercise, frequent cramps, fatigue and mood changes went with more missed workouts. Here is how to find your own pattern.
Bladder & Pelvic FloorEvidence check
Shy bladder, or paruresis, is trouble starting or keeping up a stream when other people might hear or notice. A review found estimates of how many people have it range from about 3% to 16%. It's often linked with social anxiety and can shape jobs, travel and social plans. Step-by-step exposure practice helped in workshops, with gains lasting a year. Here is what the research shows.
SkinChecklist
For a product already advised by your therapist, confirm when and how to use it on healed skin.
SkinChecklist
Skin cancer in Black, Latina, Asian, Native American and other women with darker skin is often found late, when it's harder to treat. It can show up where the sun rarely reaches, like the soles, palms, nails, mouth and genitals. Here is the American Academy of Dermatology's checklist of warning signs.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
Snoring, morning headaches and daytime sleepiness after menopause often get blamed on hormones alone. But in a Wisconsin sleep-lab study of 589 women, postmenopausal women had 2.6 to 3.5 times the odds of sleep-disordered breathing, even after accounting for age and weight. A follow-up found breathing pauses rose with each year past the transition. Here is what the studies show and when to ask for a sleep test.
Sleep & NighttimeEvidence check
A 2023 US survey found 1 in 5 adults sometimes sleep in another room to cope with a bed partner, and 15% do it every night. A sleep-lab study found couples who shared a bed got more dream sleep. When the snorer's sleep apnea was treated, partners gained about an hour of sleep a night. Here is what the research shows, and why moving rooms shouldn't replace a check for snoring.
