Women

Heavy lifting, shift work could harm women's fertility, study shows

The research, published Monday in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, also found that working antisocial hours (in the evenings or night) or rotating shifts, may also impact female fertility.

Though the underlying cause is not known and more research is needed to further verify the findings, the team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health believes that women in their reproductive years may need to consider this when trying to conceive.

How women photographers see themselves -- and each other

In the 1800s, Julia Margaret Cameron transformed the female figure from muse to active agent within the image. Whilst her photographic career was short lived, she experimented with its potential as a new science to offer faithful records and accurate portraits, but also experimented with photography's narrative possibilities, creating soft focused allegorical images drawn from myths and stories.

Domestic violence: Shelter releases step-by-step guide for women ready to flee abusive relationships

It is frightening advice, but can be the difference between life and death during violent arguments.

A new booklet full of hard won wisdom on how to safely leave abusive relationships is being released in hardcopy and online by Darwin women's shelter, Dawn House.

For a former client of the refuge, Claire (not her real name) the step-by-step plans are exactly what she needed when fleeing her violent former partner.

"I literally ran out of the relationship I was in ... I drove my car out through fences. I left a lot, I lost a lot," Claire said.

Burlesque a confidence boost for north Queensland women of all shapes and ages

"Coming in to this class I feel great, I feel sexy and I don't think a lot of women feel that anymore," said disability worker Jasmine, who signed up to try and improve her body confidence.

"I was very unsure of myself when I first messaged Vivienne. I said 'I'm a bigger girl, I am afraid of all my curves and my bits and pieces'.

"[Performing on stage] has helped me the most with my confidence and it has come through to my everyday life... I am sexy; it doesn't matter what the rest of you think."

Women in the UK are buying five million fewer tampon packs each year

Research from Kantar Worldwide suggests 23.2 million packs were sold in the year ending October 2016.

In the same timeframe in 2012, more than 29.4 million boxes of tampons were bought in the UK.

A million fewer packets of sanitary towels were also sold last year, compared to 2012, with total pack sales of 84.5 million.

In terms of cash, £236m was spent in 2012 on tampons, liners and sanitary towels.

Tampon sales account for £55.6m of that figure.

That compares to £221m in total and £43m on tampons in 2016.

Having babies really does change women's brains

This week, she asks: could so-called 'baby brain' actually be a helpful affliction? Is it time for women doctors to ask for a pay rise? And, when will Australia give three-parent babies the green light?

The upside of 'baby brain'

I'm definitely not the first woman to think she's lost her mind after having a baby, and thanks to the kind people at Nature Neuroscience, I can now rest assured that not only is this totally normal but, ultimately, helpful.

Fallopian tubes may have big role in ovarian cancer fight

Research increasingly points to the likelihood that some of the most aggressive ovarian cancers originate in the fallopian tubes. Most doctors now believe there is little to lose by removing the tubes of women who are done bearing children -- and potentially much to gain in terms of cancer prevention.

The stakes in this research are high. Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers, killing 14,000 women a year in the United States. It is often diagnosed in the late stages, when it is more difficult to treat.

Why more young women are body building

She says: "I was a size zero. I wanted to actually have that curvy figure and that's why I got into training."

She thinks the trend started in America on social media.

"I think for girls, lifting weights feel good.

"Now they've got empowerment - they don't need a man for money.

"It feels good to walk into that gym, to walk into a weight room and curl more than a guy"

"Some people see it as a bit of self-obsession but I'd say it's the complete opposite.

Women 'nearing equality with men - in alcohol consumption'

The analysis of 4 million people, born between 1891 and 2001, showed that men used to be far more likely to drink and have resulting health problems.

But the current generation have pretty much closed the gap, the BMJ Open report says.

The changing roles of men and women in society partly explain the move towards boozing parity.

The study showed that in people born in the early 1900s, men were:

New car sparks internet outrage

Car manufacturer SEAT and lifestyle publication Cosmopolitan are facing backlash over a brand new car for "women" that was jointly unveiled at Cosmopolitan's FashFest event in London on Friday.

The result of a collaboration between the manufacturer and the magazine, the SEAT Mii comes complete with jewel-effect rims, a handbag hook, and "eyeliner headlights" that are "emphasized in the same way as make-up emphasizes the eye," according to the manufacturer.