Half of British women ‘have poor sexual health’

Research highlights need to reverse cuts to sexual health services, experts say

‘I was angry I couldn’t even say the word’: UK teens refuse to be silent about periods

Girls have always been more likely to miss lessons than explain why. But that is changing

Greggs, guilt and glucose: what I’ve learned from a life of dieting

I’ve spent decades trying every fad and detox, looking for the magic formula for weight loss

Hate baby showers and dinner parties? Sarah Knight wants you to say no

The sweary self-help guru behind a string of bestsellers explains her evangelical faith in turning down everything from lunch to love

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

America has an infant mortality crisis. Meet the black doulas trying to change that

In the US, black babies die at twice the rate of white babies. In Cleveland, the mortality rate is nearly three times as high. Can birth advocates make a difference in one of America’s most segregated cities?

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