South Asia | New Zealand | Health

Anti-depressant use during menopause ‘raises risk of broken bones’

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Women who take common anti-depressants to counter the impact of menopause may have a 76 per cent higher risk of broken bones, scientists warn. The risk appears to last for several years after women take the drugs, leading to calls for doctors to reduce the period for which they are prescribed. For many women, the onset of the menopause triggers mood changes and depression, and each year thousands are prescribed a type of anti-depressant called SSRIs - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the best known of which is Prozac. The drugs are also sometimes prescribed to help women cope
Europe | Great Britain | Ethics

‘Consent in childbirth is a joke’: How British women are silenced in the delivery room

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The case of an American woman, who was unwillingly cut by doctors during birth, has shocked many. But this problem isn't confined to the US, says Milli Hill. British women find it just as hard to get their voices heard. Two years ago, in a California hospital, a woman named Kelly was told she needed an episiotomy while giving birth. Kelly questioned the decision to make the cut in her perineum – between her vagina and anus. “I haven’t pushed yet”, she exclaimed. But the doctor approached her with scissors, saying, “I’m the expert here”. Although the 27-year