Andrew Solomon: ‘Figuring out how to love someone who seems unlovable is very familiar to me’

The books interview: Andrew Solomon, winner of the Wellcome prize, talks to Hadley Freeman about the people who helped him write Far From the Tree, and how their struggles inspired him to start a family of his own

Are we ready for a prenatal screening test for autism?

David Cox: A blood test for diagnosing autism is becoming a realistic possibility, but the ethical implications are profound

At last, a doctor who respects older mothers

Lynsey Hanley: David Richmond recognises why women are having babies later – they want to take control of their lives

Top maternity doctor: increasing age of first motherhood is irreversible

No point in warning women to have children by age of 35 as they are making conscious decision, says David Richmond

Top doctor slams schools policy for fuelling epidemic of child obesity

Academies and free schools could damage children's health by opting out of healthy nutrition rules for school meals

Sales reps in NHS maternity wards are a marketing push too far for mothers

We have come to associate parenthood with buying stuff – but that's no reason to subject bed-bound new mums to the hard sell, says Mumsnet editor Sarah Crown

Confessions of a slacker dad: why being a 50/50 parent is overrated

Prince William changes nappies, Simon Cowell gushes about his newborn – men are keener than ever to prove they are doing at least half the parenting. When did being a father get so complicated, asks Alex Bilmes

Forget Ging Gang Goolie. Today’s Guides are taking on body fascism

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett: Feminism and body confidence badges have pushed out the leaky tent horrors of my youth. I just pray that they work

Life without sugar: one family’s 30-day challenge

Sugar is now at the centre of the battleground between food and health. How easy would it be to cut it out of your diet? Louise Carpenter finds out

What is the cost to boys of our traditional view of masculinity?

Lola Okolosie: Men are hemmed in by narratives telling them that stoicism is manly. This isn't what I want for my son