top of page
Welcome to OvaNews!
OvaCare Equity Project's News and Information Accessibility Initiative
Featured
Character, Not Just Credentials: What Pre-Med Discourse Says About the Future of Medicine
An Interview with Dr. Rekha Srinivasan The Story For this month’s OvaCare article, I sat down with Dr. Rekha Srinivasan, a professor at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sri, as she is known to her students, teaches the notoriously challenging subject of Organic Chemistry to hundreds of pre-med students each semester. Recently, she has noticed a concerning trend: a small but significant number of these students are making negative and personal comments about their profes
Neko Dossett
Why Girls with ADHD Are Still Overlooked: Inside the Gap Between Research and Clinical Practice
An Interview with Dr. R. Elizabeth Capps In a previous article, I looked at why girls and women with ADHD are still underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression even though research has shown that their symptoms often look different from the male-centered picture of the disorder. I argued that part of this problem is in translation: diagnostic criteria, screening tools, and clinician training haven’t kept up with what we know. However, this raises a question
Charithma Peiris
6 days ago3 min read
Don't Miss the Signs: Understanding Heart Attacks in Women
When people imagine a heart attack, they often picture someone clutching their chest in sudden, severe pain. However, heart attacks do not always look this way. A woman experiencing shortness of breath, unusual fatigue, nausea, or discomfort in her back may not immediately recognize these as signs of a heart problem. Understanding how heart attacks can present differently in women is vital to ensure early recognition, prevent dangerous delays in seeking medical care, and save
Akithmi Koththigoda
6 days ago3 min read
A New Standard for Iron Deficiency: What the 2026 Guidelines Changed
Low iron can be easy to miss, especially when a routine blood test does not show anemia. Iron deficiency is often associated with anemia, but the two are not exactly the same. Iron levels can become low before anemia develops, meaning some women can experience the effects of iron deficiency even when the more familiar blood tests appear normal. In 2026, the American Society of Hematology, or ASH, released new guidelines for diagnosing iron deficiency. One of the biggest chan
Sameera Devulapally
6 days ago6 min read
When the World’s Distress Doesn’t Fit Western Psychiatry
What Does Mental Illness Mean Across Cultures? When someone says they are “thinking too much,” Western psychiatry might interpret it as a symptom of anxiety or depression. In other cultural contexts, however, the phrase can express much more: family conflict, financial hardship, social isolation, or the weight of responsibilities. These culturally shaped expressions, known as idioms of distress, reveal how people understand and communicate suffering within their communities
Fadia Naqash
6 days ago4 min read
“Mommy Brain”: A Dismissive Term for Important Cognitive Changes During Pregnancy
The term ‘mommy brain’ (also known as baby brain or pregnancy brain) is frequently tossed around throughout a pregnancy and during the early months of motherhood. People may use it casually as they observe her forgetfulness and brain fog, or the mother herself may sheepishly mention it as an explanation when people have to point something out to her. Though the term itself doesn’t have a negative connotation, it does reinforce a culture of dismissiveness towards pregnant wome
Juhi Madala
Oct 53 min read
Women’s Health Online: What Can You Trust?
A confusing lab result. A question about birth control. A new symptom. For many of us, the first place we turn for an answer isn’t a doctor – it’s a search bar. Why? Endometriosis, menopause care, chronic pelvic pain, and several other women’s health issues remain minimized in the gender pain gap. When healthcare professionals constantly underdiagnose and inadequately address these issues, the next best option seems to be social media or a search engine where you can resonat
Akithmi Koththigoda
Oct 53 min read
Breast Cancer Screening: Who, When, and Why It Matters
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a time when pink ribbons and awareness campaigns are everywhere. Yet, awareness is only one part of protecting our health. Understanding how breast cancer screening works, who it is intended for, and why recommendations differ from person to person can help us make more informed decisions. What is Breast Cancer Screening? Art by Shea Davis Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast malfunction and grow uncontrollably, forming a m
Akithmi Koththigoda
Oct 54 min read
Mental Health Struggles in South Asian Women
Imagine a mother who has just given birth. She immediately gets back to household work, to feeding the baby, and taking care of her husband and his family. She barely leaves the kitchen and almost never the house, but one day she goes to see her mother for help. She feels overwhelmed, trapped, and helpless, but her mother says, “Just endure it. This is normal.” This is the reality for many women in South Asia. While more developed cities may have different conditions, women i
Charithma Peiris
Oct 53 min read
Celiac & Clots: How Blood Tests Can Be Used to Detect Celiac in Women
When individuals claim they “don’t eat gluten”, society has conditioned us to think this is a result of diet culture. In actuality, between 5-10% of the population has a form of gluten sensitivity, whether in the form of celiac disease, allergies, fructan intolerance, IBS, or other gastrointestinal disorders [1]. Celiac disease in particular is a lifelong autoimmune disorder in which the ingestion of gluten triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small inte
Fadia Naqash
Oct 44 min read
Could Your Period Be a Vital Sign?
We are used to thinking about menstruation as a reproductive process; we track when a period starts, how long it lasts, and whether something feels different than usual. But the hormones driving the menstrual cycle do not only act on the reproductive system. They interact with the heart, brain, and nervous system throughout the month. Recent research is beginning to look more closely at these connections, raising an interesting question: Could changes throughout the menstrua
Sameera Devulapally
Oct 45 min read
Disparities in Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Women: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice
When psychiatric conditions are studied in clinical trials, women are often excluded from the study sample. This creates a critical problem: women are constantly over- and underdiagnosed, depending on the psychiatric condition. Up until recently, these trials only included males because female reproductive hormones often influence results. Reproductive hormones constantly fluctuate in the female body, but most scientists consider these fluctuations as variables that cannot be
Charithma Peiris
Sep 75 min read
Why Women Are Less Likely to Receive CPR
With World Heart Day fast approaching on September 29th, it’s important to remember that CPR is an important lifesaving tool during cardiac emergencies. However, an important question remains: When cardiac arrest happens, does everyone have the same chance of receiving it? Art by Shea Davis Research suggests the answer is no. Women are 14% less likely than men to receive bystander CPR during cardiac arrest [1]. There are several possible reasons for this, including fear of ca
Fadia Naqash
Sep 75 min read
Fertility Decline: A Health Concern or a Concern About Women’s Choices?
Every few months, another headline seems to warn that women are having fewer children. Fertility rates are “falling,” populations are “shrinking,” and younger generations are supposedly headed toward a demographic crisis. These trends are real, but how we talk about them raises a more complicated question: Is declining fertility actually a women’s health crisis, or have women’s reproductive choices simply become the focus of a much larger social concern? Image taken from...
Sameera Devulapally
Sep 75 min read
Beyond Burnout: How Chronic Stress Changes the Female Body
Why is it that 93% of women feel dismissed when seeking help for physical and mental health issues? This question becomes even more troubling when considering that women are nearly twice as likely as men to show symptoms of depression and experience higher levels of chronic stress. While short-term stress is a normal biological response to challenges, chronic stress can have lasting effects on the body. Its symptoms are often attributed to “just stress”, anxiety, or hormon
Akithmi Koththigoda
Sep 74 min read
The Hidden Cost of Ovulation: Linking Inflammation to Ovarian Cancer
What if one of the most regular biological processes in the female body also offered clues to understanding one of the deadliest gynecologic cancers? Although ovulation is an essential part of the reproductive cycle, the temporary responses associated with it, provide insight into the development of ovarian cancer. Understanding how inflammation may influence cellular changes over time could help researchers uncover new ways to identify and prevent ovarian cancer. What is Ovu
Akithmi Koththigoda
Sep 73 min read
Let’s Talk Menopause
The first thought many of us have when hearing the word ‘menopause’ is the stage of life when a woman stops menstruating. In reality, menopause is a decades-long event that is characterized by many inconvenient symptoms and side effects — but despite it being an event in every woman’s life, most menopausal women are rarely informed of methods that could preserve and improve their quality of life after this life-changing hormonal crash. What is Menopause? What Is Menopause?
Juhi Madala
Sep 75 min read
Why Your ADHD Medication May Feel Different Throughout the Month
Have you ever felt like your ADHD medication seems to work perfectly one week, only to stop working the next? Many women with ADHD describe experiencing that pattern exactly. They often find themselves suddenly struggling to focus, feeling more forgetful, emotionally overwhelmed, or mentally exhausted despite taking the same medication at the same dose. For years, these challenges were often dismissed as stress, lack of sleep, or simply part of the menstrual cycle. Researche
Sameera Devulapally
Jul 65 min read
Beyond Heartburn: Why Your Acid Reflux Won’t Go Away
Acid reflux is often brushed off as a reaction to spicy food or a heavy meal, but for many people, it can become a chronic condition that affects daily life. This can occur as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), erosive or non-erosive, and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR). Each of these conditions presents itself differently and has distinctively different impacts on women, meaning it is important to consider treatments holistically and to one’s whole body rather th
Charithma Peiris
Jul 65 min read
Hope for Postpartum Depression, Blocked by the System
In August 2023, the FDA approved Zuranolone–the first oral medication developed specifically to treat postpartum depression. It was a milestone that researchers, clinicians, and advocates had pushed toward for years. It was also, for many of the women who needed it the most, immediately out of reach. What to Know About Postpartum Depression Postpartum depression (PPD) is not the baby blues. The baby blues is a very common feeling of sadness or moodiness a few days after gi
Shriya Mehta
Jul 65 min read
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Modernization Act: What It Means for Breast Cancer Survivors
A Fight That Doesn’t End at Treatment For many women, completing their breast cancer treatment does not mark the end of the fight. Instead, it signals the beginning of a new struggle against the insurance system that is supposed to help them recover. Coverage often gets denied for the reconstructive techniques surgeons recommend, with modern micro-surgical or nerve-saving procedures often being classified as cosmetic or investigational [1]. Approximately 20% of patients expe
Shriya Mehta
Jul 66 min read
The Voices Behind OvaNews
OvaNews would not be possible without our Newsletter Chairs. Every few weeks, they translate dense policy shifts and new medical findings into plain language, making sure our community stays informed and empowered. Their words help turn knowledge into action, one issue at a time.
Shea Davis
Lead Artist
University of Texas at Austin
Sameera Devulapally
Newsletter Writer, Medical Research
Case Western Reserve University
Neko Dossett
Newsletter Writer, Medical Research
Case Western Reserve University
Shriya Mehta
Newsletter Writer, Policy
Cornell University
Momoko Monzur
Newsletter Writer, Health Economics
Case Western Reserve University
Charithma Peiris
Newsletter Writer, Medical Research
Case Western Reserve University
Juhi Madala
Newsletter Writer, Medical Research
Case Western Reserve University
bottom of page