How to be hopeful: Lisa Taddeo on the thumb injury that cheered her up

After losing eight people she loved deeply in a decade, the author of Three Women was feeling hopeless. But there came a surprising respite from her hypochondria

Record number of over-45s giving birth in England

More than 2,000 women aged 45 and older had babies last year, ONS figures show

Once-a-month contraceptive pill developed by scientists

Gelatine capsule could prevent unplanned pregnancies caused by errors in daily pill use

I’m 41. My boyfriend doesn’t want kids, so I’ll have them alone – without leaving him

I am in the relationship I’ve always wanted. And my new British citizenship makes single parenting easier

The Guardian view on prisons and mothers: an injustice

Editorial: The shameful treatment of pregnant inmates and of the children of jailed women must be addressed. No babies should be born behind bars

Pushed to the limit: six birth stories from around the world

From pop songs to warm pools, Candice Pires hears six very different accounts of women’s experience in labour

Pregnant and waiting for your baby? Forget sex and hot baths – here’s my advice

Bananas, nipple stimulation, castor oil: none of these will hasten labour. Instead, soak up your last chance to be alone

Foetus 18 Weeks: the greatest photograph of the 20th century?

In the 1950s, photojournalist Lennart Nilsson set out to capture the earliest stages of existence. His foetus images seized the public imagination – and sparked a controversy that has raged ever since

How a video game helped me reclaim my body after having a baby

Pregnancy, birth and looking after your child put a huge strain on your body – Nintendo’s Ring Fit can help you reclaim it

Outrage as US rapper TI says he has daughter’s hymen checked annually

Virginity test discussed on Ladies Like Us podcast contravenes guidelines from UN, who describe it as ‘painful, humiliating and traumatic’