Pregnancy weigh-ins were stopped in the 90s – and they’re still a bad idea

Yes, talk about healthy diets and weighing if there’s a problem, but calls to make this mandatory are misguided, says freelance journalist Lucy Jones

Burkina Faso botched FGM leaves 50 girls in hospital

Girls as young as four taken to hospital amid fears that cutters are targeting younger girls and crossing borders to avoid detection

The state has no right to stop me learning the sex of my unborn child

A new test that reveals a baby’s sex at 10 weeks has, predictably, led to panic about an increase in terminations – as if we need even more anxiety about pregnancy

Don’t tell women to shut up about childbirth. Sharing stories saves lives

Giving birth is bloody painful. Why deny it? But it’s also the experience of a lifetime, says Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore

UK and US border officials join forces in bid to tackle female genital mutilation

Information from airport interviews to be shared as part of Anglo-US drive to protect potential victims

‘They just wanted to silence her’: the dark side of gay stan culture

For gay men, ‘stanning’ – being a super fan of – female pop stars can be a valuable part of your identity. But too often this fandom lapses into misogyny and body shaming

Diet advice and tiny seats: how to avoid 10 forms of fatphobia

Reactions to the image of model Tess Holliday on the cover of Cosmopolitan this month show fat discrimination is as nasty as ever. Want to avoid it? Here’s a simple guide

The surprising truth about becoming a mother in your 50s – from the women who know

The number of births to women aged over 50 is soaring. But what’s the real story behind the rise? Three mothers talk about the joy of finally having a baby long after it would once have been possible

‘Make the breast pump not suck’: how women are redesigning breastfeeding

Breastfeeding can be a stressful and painful process. Can a generation of female tech professionals create devices to change that?

I’m small but have big breasts – is it OK not to wear a bra?

Society tells us only women with small boobs should go braless, says Chidera Eggerue, but it’s how you feel about it that matters