Childbirth needs more than the 1950s epidural
Plus: 🎥 Florence Pugh 😷 period flu 🥚 Mood-boosting foods
Imagine being told that the most recent major innovation in childbirth care was the epidural… and it was popularised in the US in the 1950s.
Professor Marina Gerner writes that she was told this when she was researching her book - which thankfully is about the femtech boom poised to revolutionise our understanding of the female body, without waiting around for decades before it does.
Welcome back to Take The Lead, the fortnightly newsletter from The Female Lead.
Here’s your roundup of our most-read and most-subscribed-to articles of the last month.
We saw how the Golden Globes belonged to women over 50; heard the real story behind a woman who went viral for her unusual PhD thesis; and explored how workplaces can better support women dealing with miscarriage.
And if you’ve ever felt like your period is giving you the flu… you're not alone.
Enjoy, share it if you like it, and please reply directly to this email to let us know what you think.
You can also catch up on our most recent full newsletter, 6 tips negotiation pros swear by, if you missed it.
The Female Lead team
Femtech's revolution won't be stopped by investors giggling about vaginas
By Marina Gerner, financial journalist, author and adjunct professor at the NYU Stern School of Business
Florence Pugh: "exhausting" acting industry tears women apart - but I've always used my voice
Hollywood actress Florence Pugh has hit out at the acting industry, which she says makes it “exhausting for a young woman”.
What is period flu and how can you treat it?
Do you experience nausea, dizziness or feel weighed down by headaches that resemble flu symptoms around the time of your period? You’re not alone.
6 foods to boost your mood in January
January can seem like a tough and endless cold stretch, as we’re thrown back into work and ‘normal’ routines after a fun few weeks of festive celebrations. However, the foods we eat can play an impor…
Miscarriages are overlooked in workplaces – here’s how that could change
By Jo Brewis, Professor of People and Organisations, The Open University; Ilaria Boncori, Professor in Management and Market…
My post about my research on smell went viral – here’s what it’s actually about
By Amelia Louks, Research Supervisor in English Literature, University of Cambridge
5 myths about caesareans everyone needs to stop believing
Caesarean rates are on the rise in the UK, with one in four babies born in NHS hospitals in England last year delivered via eith…
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