By Katie Pickles, Health Editor

Published: 19:21 EDT, 26 September 2023 | Updated: 03:06 EDT, 27 September 2023

The Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines are being linked to unexpected vaginal bleeding in older women and women on birth control. 

While changes in bleeding and periods in menstruating women post-shot have been known for years, few studies have looked at the impact on women who don’t normally menstruate, such as the elderly and those on birth control.

However, a recent study using data from thousands of women in Norway looked at the association between these vaccines and unexpected vaginal bleeding and found that in postmenopausal women, the risk of vaginal bleeding increased two to three times in the four weeks after Covid vaccination compared to before vaccination. 

In women entering menopause and premenopausal women, the risk was increased three to five times. 

Researchers looked at data from August and September 2021. Ninety-eight percent of the women included reported receiving their Covid vaccines in January 2021, meaning they had received the original Covid-19 vaccine as opposed to any updated booster shots. 

Additionally, in Norway, where the data was collected from, Covid vaccines used included those manufactured by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca. 

When Covid vaccines were first rolled out, tens of thousands of women complained about late or unusually heavy periods. Before formal research was conducted, anti-vaxxers latched onto the reports and used them to infuse fear in Americans that the vaccines caused infertility. 

However, research later released showed while menstrual changes do occur following Covid vaccination, they are minor, temporary and do not impact fertility. 

Experts are not entirely sure why changes in menstruation occur, but some believe the vaccine causes some of the body’s tissue to become inflamed, causing changes to the lining of the uterus and hormone levels throughout the body.  

While the recent study did not investigate why these women experienced unexplained vaginal bleeding, sometimes referred to as breakthrough bleeding, scientists did suggest it could be linked to the spike protein used in the shots. 

Study author Kristine Blix from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, said: ‘We had already, from the early pandemic, biweekly questionnaires going out to cohort participants to monitor effects of the pandemic. 

‘In the first questionnaire that covered COVID-19 vaccinations, sent in 2021, some women reported in free-text fields that they had experienced heavy menstrual bleeding. 

‘This urged us to ask for bleeding patterns in a structured manner.’

Researchers looked at data from nearly 22,000 women who had already experienced menopause, women in perimenopause, the time just before entering menopause, and non-menstruating premenopausal women, including some who were on long-term hormonal birth control. 

They found 252 postmenopausal women (3.3 percent), 1,008 perimenopausal women (14.1 percent) and 924 premenopausal women (13.1 percent) reported unexplained or breakthrough vaginal bleeding throughout the entire year of 2021. 

Of the women who reported this, about half in every group reported their bleeding occurred within the four weeks following their first and/or second vaccine dose. 

The data showed: 45 percent of postmenopausal women, 51 percent of perimenopausal women and 55 percent of premenopausal women reported the unexplained bleeding.

Among these women, 28 percent of those in perimenopause characterized the bleeding as heavy, compared to 18 percent of both women who had finished menopause and who had not yet experienced menopause. 

Women in the senior cohort of the study were aged 61 to 88 years old and were considered non menstruating. Other non menstruating females were aged 32 to 64 years. Respondents were then grouped into the three menopausal categories. 

Vaginal bleeding in postmenopausal women can be a sign of a serious condition, such as cancer, and more women in this group than the others sought medical care after experiencing unexplained bleeding – 30.6 percent compared to 13.8 percent of perimenopausal women and 9.3 percent of premenopausal women. 

The risk of breakthrough bleeding in the first four weeks after a dose of Moderna’s vaccine was associated with a 32 percent increase compared to Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine. 

Heavy menstrual bleeding has since been added as a vaccine side effect. 

The study, published this week in the journal Science Advances, analyzed data from an ongoing health survey called the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study.

Ethnicity Awards is returning and scheduled to take place in London on November 2.

And MailOnline can exclusively reveal that TV presenter and comedian Judi Love will return again this year to host the awards.

The Loose Women star successfully hosted the 2022 awards after following in the footsteps of former celebrity hosts such as Alex Scott, Marvin Humes and Charlene White to lead prize-giving duties at the red-carpet extravaganza.

The Ethnicity Awards is the biggest Black, Asian and minority red carpet ceremony in Britain and is held in partnership with HSBC, celebrating the leading activists, allies and celebrities in the UK and globally. 

Nominees this year include Lewis Hamilton, Rochelle Humes, Gok Wan and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Speaking about her return to host to the event Judi said: ‘I am so excited to return to host the 2023 Ethnicity Awards. 

‘The event last year was amazing, and it is so inspiring to see the talent in the room and the real change people are making.

‘The Ethnicity Awards celebrates the role models and those advancing opportunities for underrepresented people across the world.

‘I am honoured to be part of the occasion again and can’t wait to see all the winners!’

Judi is loved by the nation for her honest opinions and hilarious anecdotes and the founder of the awards Sarah Garrett, MBE, expressed their happiness that Judi was back for another year.

She said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to confirm Judi Love will return to host the Ethnicity Awards 2023.

‘Judi contributed to a memorable evening 12 months ago and everyone associated with the awards is delighted she is back.

‘As ever, the Ethnicity Awards shine a light on those standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

‘Judi brings an incredible level of poise, entertainment and humour to one of the most important dates in the calendar.’

It is set to be an incredible evening with Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton nominated for his unparalleled career in the sport and his unwavering support to charity. 

The star, who spoke out earlier this year about the ‘traumatising’ racism he suffered in school from the age of six, donated an estimated more than £20 million to charitable causes in 2022.

Pop star turned TV presenter Rochelle Humes is also tipped to win big as is legendary broadcaster and fashion guru Gok, who away from the media spotlight has championed causes to promote equality, partially for LGBT+ people from minority communities.

Meanwhile 2023 British Eurovision star Mae Muller has been shortlisted in the Music Artist category. 

The singer has previously responded to anti-semitism in the music industry, posting to Instagram: ‘To all my Jewish friends and followers, I love you. There is no place for antisemitism in this world. I’m very proud of my Jewish roots and so should you [be].’

Ethnicity Awards partner HSBC added: ‘HSBC UK is incredibly proud to be a long-time partner of the Investing in Ethnicity Awards, recognising people and organisations making a positive impact on diversity, equity and inclusion across the UK.

‘Within our own organisation, we continue to take action to increase representation, remove barriers and help open up opportunities for all our colleagues, our customers and the communities we serve.

‘Congratulations and good luck to all the incredible role models and change makers nominated this year.’

Previous Ethnicity Award winners include Marcus Rashford, Naomi Campbell, Sadiq Khan and Jade Thirlwall.

Men really can laugh women into bed – with a good sense of humor making men seem more intelligent and more likely to be big-earners.

A study recruited 162 women for a speed-dating style experiment where they were shown photographs of six men.

Each man was said to have provided a statement as an ‘icebreaker’, which was a funny joke, an unfunny joke or a bland statement about their favorite color or pizza.

The men were all similar-looking, having been chosen because women rated them as averagely attractive.

But when women thought the man in the photograph had made a funny joke, they were significantly more likely to say they would give him their phone number.

Sadly, for men not blessed with killer wit, unfunny men were no more likely to get a woman’s phone number than those who made no attempt at humor, the study found.

A follow-up experiment showed why funny men may get the girl.

When 81 women were asked to judge photographs of eight men, half of whom had made a funny joke, while half had made an unfunny joke, they typically rated the funny men as more intelligent.

They also rated them as having higher earning potential than unfunny men.

Dr Mitch Brown, who led the study from the University of Arkansas, said: ‘Funny men may appear more competent to women, as shown by them perceiving them to be more intelligent in their study.

‘If women believe that to be the case, they might believe men will do better in their careers, know more people, know how to play the game, and earn more money.’

The study, published in the journal Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, says men use humor as a way to signal to women that they are interested and to connect with them by laughing together.

Women also seem to appreciate an attempt at humor from men, even if it falls flat – with the study finding they rated funny and unfunny men similarly highly for friendliness.

However, the experiment with 162 women found females expected men to be more successful in attracting a partner if they were funny.

Women were asked to rate men’s friendliness, likely dating success, and how likely they would be to give them their phone number after seeing the photographs and the statements the men had apparently made.

There is a risk with men making jokes, that this could make them seem warm, kind and like good boyfriend material, or it could backfire and make them look like untrustworthy show-offs who are interested in playing the field.

To test which view women had, researchers asked 108 women to rate the men with funny and unfunny statements on whether they would choose them for a long-term relationship.

Funny men were preferred for long-term relationships, suggesting they are seen as good, committed partners.

They were also preferred by women for short-term relationships – although with less of an advantage over unfunny men.

The ‘funny’ men in the study were given statements which women were previously found to judge amusing, such as ‘The past, present and future were having an argument. It was tense.’

Another example included: ‘Cremation – my only hope for a smoking hot body.’

The unfunny men were given jokes like: ‘What do you call a tiger with glasses? A scientist tiger.’

Women do seem to like a good sense of humor, but good looks appear to still be important, as a group of 141 women typically ranked funny men as even more desirable when their photograph was attractive rather than unattractive.

Spanish prosecutors have requested that Luis Rubiales is banned from going within 500 metres of footballer Jenni Hermoso as he made his first court appearance for allegedly forcibly kissing her. 

Rubiales, 46, was summoned to Madrid’s Audencia Nacional court, where he denied allegations of sexual assault and coercion filed by Hermosa, the prosecutor leading the case said.

State prosecutors asked Judge Francisco de Jorge to consider issuing a restraining order to prohibit Rubiales from coming within 500 meters or Hermoso or trying to communicate with her, as well as a requirement for him to check in with a court every 15 days to ensure he does not flee the country. 

The judge will have to decide whether to apply those measures. 

Rubiales, wearing a navy suit and white shirt, did not speak when arriving or leaving the courthouse with his lawyer. He testified before Judge Francisco de Jorge – who is leading the investigation into the kiss. Hermoso will also be called to testify at a later date. 

Spanish state prosecutors formally accused Rubiales last week of alleged sexual assault and an act of coercion when, according to Hermoso, he pressured her to speak out in his defence immediately after the scandal erupted. 

The state prosecutors’ office said Rubiales denied both accusations when answering questions by the judge in an hour-long hearing that was closed to the public.

Rubiales sparked outrage when he grabbed the midfielder and kissed her on the lips in front of horrified spectators after Spain defeated England 1-0 in the World Cup final on August 20. 

Rubiales, who was head of Spain’s RFEF football federation at the time, has repeatedly insisted the kiss was consensual. 

But Hermoso has said it was not and left her feeling like the ‘victim of an assault’.

Neither Rubiales or his defence lawyer, Olga Tubau, spoke to the media outside the court.

Hermoso’s lawyer, Carla Vall i Duran, said they were satisfied with the hearing.

‘We can continue to affirm that the kiss was not consented to, which is what we have said from the very beginning,’ Vall i Duran said. 

‘Thanks to the (images of the kiss), the entire world, the entire country, has been able to observe there was no type of consent. And we are going to prove that in the courtroom.’

Jude De Jorge on Monday admitted a complaint against Rubiales filed the previous week by the public prosecutors’ office, citing alleged ‘offences of sexual assault’ and ‘coercion’.

Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category which groups all types of sexual violence.

Judge De Jorge is carrying out the preliminary investigation into the accusations against Rubiales, and will then decide whether the case should go to trial. 

If found guilty of sexual assault, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.

In their complaint, prosecutors said they had included the offence of coercion because of Hermoso’s statement in which she said ‘she and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone’ his actions.

The global furore over the incident all but eclipsed the victory celebrations for Spain’s World Cup champions.

After three weeks of refusing to resign over the kiss, Rubiales, who was suspended by FIFA on August 26, stood down late on Sunday but continued to insist the kiss was consensual in a TV interview with Britain’s Piers Morgan.

‘What we had is a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was driven by the emotion of the moment,’ he said, describing the kiss as ‘100 percent non-sexual’.

He claimed the fury over the kiss is due to a misunderstanding of Latin culture and insisted he would have done the same to a male player. 

Rubiales said: ‘We were both emotional. We congratulated each other, I asked her ‘can I give you a quick peck?’ – which is normal in our country – I give her a quick peck, I think she gave me one or two slaps in my side and that was it.

‘No intention of course, no sexual connotation or anything, just a moment of happiness, just great joy in that moment.’

The hearing comes with new coach Montse Tome, the first woman to lead the team, set to announce her squad on Friday for UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland on September 22 and 26.

Her first job will be to try and convince the 23 world champions to don the red jersey again after they and dozens of others said they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

The players have not yet said what they will do following Rubiales’ resignation although the situation has changed since the RFEF sacked their controversial coach Jorge Vilda, named Tome in his stead and pledged further internal reforms.

‘We have had discussions.. I don’t think there will be any problem,’ Rafael del Amo, head of the RFEF’s women’s football committee told Cope radio on Tuesday.

‘I think things will move forward.’

More than half of women who suffered trauma while giving birth have been put off having more children.

A snapshot poll of 1,000 members of the Mumsnet website found 79 per cent of those surveyed had experienced birth trauma.

Women can develop birth trauma after experiences such as an unplanned Caesarean section, emergency treatment, or a difficult labour with a long and painful delivery.

Almost two-thirds of mothers who experienced birth trauma said they felt a ‘lack of compassion’ from healthcare professionals during labour, while 44 per cent said language had been used which implied they were ‘a failure or to blame’ for their experience.

Some 53 per cent said the experience had put them off having more babies.

Almost two-thirds of those polled by Mumsnet did not believe healthcare workers did everything they could to prevent birth trauma.

Theo Clarke, MP for Stafford, who has spoken out about her own traumatic birth, in which she thought she was ‘going to die’ after suffering a third-degree tear and needing emergency surgery, has called for action.

The Conservative MP said: ‘These survey results are deeply upsetting.

‘They speak to my own experience of birth trauma and quite clearly to many, many other women’s horrendous experiences too.

‘The survey is clear that more compassion, education and better after-care for mothers who suffer birth trauma are desperately needed if we are to see an improvement in mums’ physical wellbeing and mental health.’

Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts said: ‘We hear daily on Mumsnet from women who have had deeply upsetting experiences of maternity care, and this latest research underlines that the majority of mothers experience birth trauma – whether physical or psychological.

‘This trauma has long-lasting effects and it’s clear that women are being failed at every stage of the maternity care process – with too little information provided beforehand, a lack of compassion from staff during birth, and substandard postnatal care for mothers’ physical and mental health.’

Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, added: ‘A maternity system that puts women at the heart of care is not some kind of unfeasibly high goal – it is the bare minimum that women have the right to expect.’

It comes as a ‘heartbreaking’ report shows the rate of baby deaths in the UK has risen for the first time in seven years.

The rate of deaths had previously fallen year on year from 2013 to 2020.

But there were 2,473 stillbirths in 2021, compared to 2,292 the previous year, and 1,151 deaths of newborn babies in the first 28 days of life, up from 1,051.

Researchers who published the report, from the universities of Leicester and Oxford, said the rise occurred principally in babies dying in the womb before women went into labour.

That suggests the pandemic may have left women more reluctant to contact medical professionals, or unsure who to contact, if there was a reduction in their babies’ movements.

But researchers are unsure of the cause (SUBS – pls keep), and will be monitoring the figures for 2022 closely to see if this is a wider trend rather than a consequence of healthcare disruptions during Covid.

The Government is currently not on track to meet its ambitions to reduce rates of stillbirth and neonatal deaths by 2025, according to baby charity Tommy’s.

It comes amid ongoing issues with care in some hospital trusts, creating a postcode lottery for pregnant women.

Recurring problems seen in investigations have included failures to regularly monitor or chart the growth of babies in the womb, and inadequate responses when women report a change in the movements of their babies.

The new ‘State of the Nation’ report, from the MMBRACE-UK Collaboration of researchers, also highlights a higher risk of baby deaths for mothers from black and Asian backgrounds and those from economically deprived areas.

The cause of death remains unknown for one third of stillborn babies with a further third being due to problems with the placenta.

For babies who die soon after birth, the most common cause is inherited birth defects.

Elizabeth Draper, lead perinatal expert at MBRRACE-UK, said: ‘In 2021 the perinatal mortality rate increased in the UK for the first time in seven years.

‘It is important that the UK government, Royal Colleges, and Health Commissioners support rigorous reviews of all stillbirths and neonatal deaths to identify common themes that can improve clinical care and service provision, delivery, and organisation, reducing the need for future independent enquiries.’

Robert Wilson, head of the joint policy unit at Tommy’s and the charity Sands, said: ‘We keep hearing these heartbreaking statistics, but saving babies’ lives and tackling inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss are still not the political priorities they deserve to be.’

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘We are committed to making the NHS the safest place in the world to give birth for all women, regardless of ethnicity or economic status.

‘To reduce disparities for women and babies from ethnic minorities and those living in the most deprived areas, NHS England has published guidance for local maternity systems, supported by £6.8 million.’

• Face pareidolia is when people see faces in random objects or light patterns

By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor

Published: 17:37 EDT, 12 September 2023 | Updated: 19:44 EDT, 12 September 2023

By Martin Beckford, Policy Editor

Published: 20:48 EDT, 8 September 2023 | Updated: 20:58 EDT, 8 September 2023

It’s often seen as a taboo subject, but a new study is finally lifting the lid on Britons’ sex lives. 

Researchers from the University of East Anglia surveyed more than 5,000 Brits to decipher what the average men and women’s sex lives looks like. 

And there’s good news if you haven’t been getting much action – you’re not alone. 

The results reveal that most Britons have either had zero or one sexual partner in the preceding three weeks. 

Dr Julii Brainard, who led the study from the University of East Anglia, said: ‘Often people assume everyone else is having lots of sex, but surveys like this show the real story is a lot more complicated.’

In the study, the researchers surveyed more than 5,000 people in Britain last year, asking if they had had sex in the previous three weeks.

Just 31 per cent of heterosexual women aged 45 to 49 said they had zero sexual partners in the past three weeks.

But that jumped to 47 per cent of women aged 50 to 54.

Among women in their early sixties, two-thirds had gone without sex for at least three weeks.

The figures will include women not having regular sex with their husband or partner, and those who are single – perhaps following a midlife divorce.

In contrast, among heterosexual men, the number reporting no sex in the previous three weeks did not rise dramatically with age.

Dr Brainard said: ‘These results could be viewed as good news for older women who are having less sex than when they were younger, as they can know they are normal.’

The findings come from a snapshot study seeking to understand the risk of infection from mpox, previously known as monkeypox, and looking at gay and bisexual men, heterosexual men and heterosexual women.

The authors conclude that everyone is less likely to have regular sex as they get older – but this shift happens at a younger age, and more dramatically, in heterosexual women.

Only about a quarter of women surveyed who were in their late twenties and early thirties had not had sex with any partner in the last three weeks.

This rose to about 37 per cent for those in their late thirties and early forties, and then stood at 31 per cent for those in their late forties.

But then came the jump to 47 per cent of women in their early fifties not having had recent sex, and 52 per cent of those in their late fifties.

By the time women hit their sixties, around two-thirds had not had sex in the previous three weeks, and in their seventies, more than three-quarters said they had not.

For heterosexual men, only about half said they had not had recent sex, with this percentage staying about the same for every age group from late forties to 75-plus.

Men may avoid a middle-aged sex slump by having partners younger than them, who are still more interested in sex.

But it may also be the case that male pride means men are less likely to admit or remember not having had sex in the past three weeks, while women are more likely to under-report the sex they are having.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One, interestingly found very few British heterosexual people have had two or more different partners in the past three weeks.

Having multiple recent sexual partners was most common in 18 to 24-year-olds, and reported by about 14 per cent of this age group.

Daphne Van Domselaar (Twente and Aston Villa)

Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)

Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai)

Millie Bright (Chelsea)

Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona)

Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)

Hayley Raso (Manchester City and Real Madrid)

Amanda Ilestedt (PSG and Arsenal)

Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)

Olga Carmona (Real Madrid)

Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona)

Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)

Alba Redondo (Levante)

Lina Caicedo (Real Madrid)

Kadidiatou Diani (PSG and Olympique Lyonnais)

Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona)

Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg)

Guro Reiten (Chelsea)

Sam Kerr (Chelsea)

Debinha (North Carlina Courage and Kansas City Current)

Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)

Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)

Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City)

Jill Roord (Wolfsburg and Manchester City)

Katie McCabe (Arsenal)

Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais)

Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)

Mary Earps (Manchester United)

Khadija Shaw (Manchester City)

Mapi Leon (Barcelona)