We will end female genital mutilation only by backing frontline activists
From the Gambia to Kenya, FGM has been fought most successfully at grassroots level. The world must pay heed
Beyond borders: the best books about pandemics
As the coronavirus has spread to four continents, Laura Spnney chooses scientific studies, memoirs and novels about Aids, TB, polio and Spanish flu
FGM doctor arrested in Egypt after girl, 12, bleeds to death
Child had been taken by her family to have the procedure, still prevalent in the country despite new laws to combat it
We need to move on from self-care to something that cannot be captured by capitalism
Rather than just seeing ourselves, we need to recognise that our health and fates are inextricably linked to our fellow human beings and find collective care
‘I feel liberated’: the women celebrating their body hair
For the past month, women around the world have been celebrating the joys of ditching hair-removal products as part of a campaign called Januhairy. Here, they share their stories
I worry for my teenage boys – the beauty standards for young men are out of control
From men’s magazines to the chiselled gods of Love Island, boys are inundated with messages to both bulk up and moisturise. It all reminds me of my own youth, much of it wasted on bulimia
‘She can’t say no’: the Ugandan men demanding to be breastfed
A study is looking into the coercive practice in Uganda, amid calls for government to address the issue
Health secretary to investigate allegations of women denied epidurals
Matt Hancock ‘concerned’ by reports of pain relief refused during childbirth by NHS trusts
Dr Rachel Clarke: ‘Wrinkles, middle age, grey hairs… these are reasons to celebrate’
The palliative care doctor on her moving new memoir, Boris Johnson’s broken promises, and why the way we treat dying people should be the number one metric of a civilised society
The poo panacea: inside the strange, surprising world of faecal transplants
When treating antibiotic-resistant infections, injecting patients with other people’s excrement can be highly effective. Could it be the answer to dementia, anorexia and obesity too?