Welcome to our first fortnightly digest
Here we mention attention-worthy news, developments and research , that happened within a fortnight in the broad sphere of neurodivergence, women's health, FemTech businesses and sometimes more.
Parliament refuses to make menstrual leave a statutory right but there’s a caveat.
UK MPs debated a 100,000-signature petition calling for paid menstrual leave for people with endometriosis and adenomyosis. The government said no (are we surprised?) but pointed to two changes that did land on 6 April 2026: Statutory Sick Pay now kicks in from day one of illness with no earnings threshold, and ministers reiterated that endometriosis and adenomyosis can already be covered as disabilities under the Equality Act 2010, obliging employers to make reasonable adjustments.
Read more here: House of Commons debate
Mood crashes on the pill predict later reproductive depression and align with polygenic depression risk.
Australian Genetics of Depression Study analysed 3,547 oral contraceptive users with a lifetime depression diagnosis. 38% reported adverse mood effects on the pill. Those women had significantly higher odds of subsequently experiencing peripartum (the period spanning the last months of pregnancy through the first months after birth) depression and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and carried a higher polygenic score for major depression. The association held even for women with no prior depression history. The study makes an implication that an adverse mood reaction to the pill may be an early biomarker of hormonal mood vulnerability.
Methylphenidate adjunct for treatment-resistant depression looks psychiatrically safe, including in women.
Cohort of 6,422 adults (58% female, median age 55.8) with major depressive disorder (MDD) trialed ADHD drug methylphenidate (in the UK sold as Ritalin, Concerta among others) for their symptoms. Over a year, methylphenidate was associated with fewer hospitalisations and ER visits than matched controls, with no increased risk of suicidality, mania or MDD recurrence. Effects consistent across sex, age and antidepressant class.
Daye takes UK Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest 2026
UK FemTech startup Daye won Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest 2026 this month. Among everything else Daye develops home testing kits for HPV screening - the virus behind most cervical cancers, 2nd most common cancer in women aged 15-44 in the UK, making earlier detection a real possibility.
UNICEF and Sweden open a five-year FemTech vehicle for African and Asian founders
UNICEF FemTech Ventures launched its first cohort this week, backed by the Government of Sweden and Temasek Foundation. It’s a five-year catalytic investment platform aimed at frontier-market founders working on women’s health and safety gaps - the kind of capital that doesn’t usually flow to FemTech outside the US/UK/EU axis.
Until next fortnight!
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