Pakistan's government is removing the 18% sales tax on women's menstrual products and birth control, dropping it to zero in the next fiscal year's budget. This follows a successful lobbying and legal effort by activists.
Oura Ring introduces new features for women's hormonal health, including enhanced Cycle Insights for birth control users and a Menopause Insights feature. The company partnered with Twentyeight Health for a birth control consultation portal.
Leah Spasova, a psychologist from Oxfordshire, has won her case against the NHS after being denied female sterilisation while men were allowed vasectomies. The parliamentary and health service ombudsman ruled against Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, finding it applied different criteria to men and women seeking permanent contraception. The ICB had refused funding based on 'regret' - a criterion not applied to men. After the ruling, the ICB agreed to review its policy and apologise. Spasova had been fighting for the procedure for 10 years, first being told she was too young to make the decision.
Oura announced a new Hormonal Birth Control feature within its Cycle Insights, rolling out globally on May 6th. The feature tracks how over 20 combinations of hormonal contraception—including pills, patches, IUDs, and implants—affect temperature patterns, sleep, and recovery. Users can track bleeding and symptoms, distinguishing biometrics across hormone and hormone-free days to establish baseline cycles. The article notes the wellness tech trend of hormone optimization while cautioning about privacy concerns in a post-Roe v. Wade United States.
President Trump announces Dr. Nicole Saphier as his nominee for U.S. surgeon general, replacing Dr. Casey Means whose confirmation stalled in the Senate for months over concerns about her controversial stances on vaccines and other issues. Saphier is a breast radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Fox News contributor since 2018.
