A study published in Nature Aging on Friday reveals a new and revolutionary way to rapidly test out potential antiaging drugs: Give them to women. Or, more specifically, test them out on aging ovaries, whether in well-controlled human studies, in the ovaries of mice, or in donor tissue samples. The finding could speed up the way that so-called geroprotective (aka longevity) drugs are evaluated, and ultimately brought to market, by making it easier for researchers to assess how well potential aging drugs are working. Researchers could measure the health of ovaries dosed with different drugs and supplements over a matter of months, instead of waiting years or decades to see what works. The study is the first of its kind. “This is the first time where you’ve seen a really solid study done by a leading aging researcher that is demonstrating that a very highly conserved pathway that drives aging is happening in the ovary,” Francesca Duncan, PhD, a professor of reproductive science at Northwestern University, explained.”We just don’t consider women in their 30s to 50s in that ‘old’ category,” she said. “But I think that tide has turned because we know this is an aging process and it has significant clinical and societal implications. So more and more people are paying attention to this concept of ovarian aging and considering it as a true aging process.”

The day before a couple was going to start in vitro fertilization, or IVF, the mother-to-be, Ionna Lo Destro got a shocking diagnosis. She had leukemia. Ioanna did not even have time to preserve her eggs. Kara Goldman, MD, fertility preservation director at Northwestern Medicine, helps patients like Ioanna. Dr. Kara Goldman, fertility preservation director at Northwestern Medicine, helps patients like Ioanna. Goldman said doing IVF during cancer treatment can be risky. “They might have very low platelets—making it likely that they would bleed during a procedure,” she said. “They may have very low white blood cell counts—putting them at a high risk of infection.” However, three years later, Ionna’s cancer was in remission so she continued the long-delayed IVF and a year later had a daughter. Goldman said there is a message of hope that goes beyond just one family too. “I think the lesson is that, you know, where there is hope of parenthood, there is often a way,” said Dr. Goldman. Dr. Goldman said time is also a big cost of cancer treatment for couples waiting to have a baby, like the Lo Destros. But they can still have the family they dream about.

A new analysis by the C.D.C., which examined flu-related hospitalizations from 2010 to 2023, unpacks some of the factors that put people most at risk of severe health outcomes. Age, neurological disorders, lung diseases, pregnancy, obesity and chronic metabolic diseases, heart disease, high blood pressure and vaccination status are among the main contributors. About half of adults hospitalized with the flu have heart disease, according to the C.D.C. People with cardiovascular disease tend to be older adults with less robust immune systems, said Sadiya Khan, MD, MSc, a cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine. Studies have shown that flu increases the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with cardiovascular disease, she said. “People who have heart disease are less able to tolerate the stress of the infection itself,” she said.Even if you are vaccinated, it’s important to watch out for symptoms that might warrant medical care, like difficulty breathing and chest pain. Experts also recommend seeking care if you have other flu symptoms, such as a fever or cough, that don’t go away on their own within a week.

Black women voters supported Kamala Harris in overwhelming numbers — upward of 90 percent cast ballots for her, according to some exit polls. However, Trump’s win, despite a long history of allegations of racism and sexism, was a ‘harsh reminder’ of the role racism could play in American politics. Many Black women are opting for a “rest era.” So what does a “rest era” look like? In interviews and online, some Black women said it could mean striving for more sleep, declining extra responsibilities at work or exploring new hobbies. Others said it might mean volunteering in local Black communities, eating more healthfully, spending time with loved ones or simply allowing themselves to grieve the election’s outcome or distance themselves from national politics. These public declarations of stepping back are a shift from the leadership role Black women have historically played in politics, said Inger Burnett-Zeigler, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University and author of the book “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women.” Black women have been at the vanguard of political and social movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, as well as mobilizations to elect Hillary Clinton in 2016 and President Biden in 2020. “It’s an important step in two things: in boundary setting and in recognizing what’s in your control,” Dr. Burnett-Zeigler said.