An Australian discovery has added weight to a long-held theory about the painful condition – but relief for most patients is still elusive

After enduring years of experimental and unhelpful treatments in Australia to treat her chronic urinary tract infections, Grace* took the drastic measure of flying to the UK to seek help for symptoms so painful she “could barely walk down the street”.

While common and uncomplicated cases of the infections, known as UTIs, are usually easily treated with a short course of antibiotics, this often does not work for chronic, recurring cases like Grace’s. Left untreated, UTIs can cause permanent kidney damage and life-threatening infections.

Justices to address abortion, guns, social media – and whether Donald Trump can be prosecuted for role in January 6 insurrection

The US supreme court is poised to deliver a raft of politically sensitive decisions as it ends its judicial term, addressing tumultuous issues including whether Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his role in the January 6 insurrection in 2021, abortion access for millions of women and the basic functioning of the federal government.

With the court entering its traditional June climax, observers are bracing themselves for yet another potentially seismic four weeks that could radically reshape American public life. Matters before the court include a possible loosening of gun laws in a country with already exceptionally lax controls, and new guardrails on how social media platforms deal with misinformation.

It wasn’t even my decision. But being forced to ditch them after surgery was a revelation. Who cares what people think?

Society has unwritten rules that we’re all expected to follow and that can dictate some of the most intimate choices in our lives – from family structure and career and lifestyle decisions to the underwear we wear. That last one may seem out of left field, but it’s true that society tells girls of all ages that as soon as their breasts start forming wearing a bra is the appropriate and decent thing to do.

When I was a little girl, I could hardly wait to start wearing a bra. To me, it was a symbol of growing up, becoming a woman, and I began wearing one long before it was “necessary”. As a teenager, I found it fun to buy every different colour and style available until I had dozens to choose from. Back then, I accepted the discomfort of strapping down my breasts as one of the many unfair consequences of being female. I thought there was no other choice.

Becki Jacobson is an American writer and entrepreneur

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Exclusive: £3.6bn has been paid out in 1,307 cases, according to information obtained under freedom of information laws

The NHS has spent £4.1bn over the last 11 years settling lawsuits involving babies who suffered brain damage when being born, amid claims that maternity units are not learning from mistakes.

It paid out just under £3.6bn in damages in 1,307 cases in which parents were left to care for a baby with cerebral palsy or other forms of brain injury, NHS figures reveal.

Wendy Savage on the Albany Midwifery Practice and missed chances to improve care for mothers and babies

Re your letters on how maternity services are failing mothers and babies (17 May), your readers are correct – there is a fundamental problem with our maternity services, which need radical change. As the World Health Organization stated in 1985, “birth is not an illness”; but NHS services treat childbirth as if it is.

In 1992, after years of campaigning, birth activists were delighted when the select committee chaired by Nicholas Winterton made far-reaching recommendations about reorganisation. The government responded by setting up a working party chaired by Julia Cumberlege. They reported in 1993 that women should be at the centre of care, midwives should have a greater and more autonomous role, and that there should be continuity of care.

Finally, a report has listed the long-term health complications for women worldwide – and the NHS should take note

Birth is usually a time of celebration, when we recognise the miracle of life as a child is brought into the world. In Britain, childbirth used to be a much more fraught experience, with a high risk of death for mother and baby. But scientific progress and modern medicine have reduced infant deaths for every 1,000 live births from 31.7 in 1950 to just four by 2020. Deaths are relatively higher than Finland’s and Japan’s infant mortality rates, of about two for every 1,000, but much lower than Afghanistan at 103.1.

Once a woman and her baby survive childbirth, several weeks of follow-up is routine in many countries to ensure that any urgent health issues are resolved. This six- to eight-week period is called postnatal care, as women recover from their labour and delivery, especially if they’ve had a C-section or episiotomy. But what happens to new mothers after that handful of weeks? They usually disappear from the health system and are left on their own to cope with recovery.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh

Official figures show 251,377 abortions were carried out in 2022, a 17% increase on previous year

The number of abortions in England and Wales has reached record levels, with financial pressures believed to be a factor in why women are choosing not to have a baby.

There were 251,377 abortions for women resident in the two nations in 2022, official figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) show, which is the highest since the Abortion Act was introduced almost 60 years ago and a rise of 17% on the 2021 figure.

First-of-its-kind bill on mifepristone and misoprostol passed state legislature and is expected to be signed into law by governor

Two abortion-inducing drugs could soon be reclassified as controlled and dangerous substances in Louisiana under a first-of-its-kind bill that received final legislative passage on Thursday and is expected to be signed into law by the governor.

Supporters of the reclassification of mifepristone and misoprostol, commonly known as “abortion pills”, say it would protect expectant mothers from coerced abortions. Numerous doctors, meanwhile, have said it will make it harder for them to prescribe the medicines they use for other important reproductive healthcare needs, and could delay treatment.

Researchers say expanding access to treatment may reduce risk of serious health outcomes and ensure safer childbirths

Having an epidural during labour can reduce the risk of serious childbirth complications by 35%, according to research that suggests expanding access to the treatment may improve maternal health.

An epidural is an injection in the back to stop someone feeling pain in part of their body. Making them more widely available and providing more information to those who would benefit from one was even more important than previously thought, researchers said.

Four days after my child was born, I began experiencing postpartum psychosis. What I learned changed my life

The first time I start hallucinating I am home, alone, with my baby. Drunk from lack of sleep I watch as his features morph in and out of shape. I take photo after photo, trying to capture what I see.

A few days later, while I am pushing the pram outside, it happens again. I pull the hood down to hide my baby from prying eyes. I no longer know who I can trust.

I am dead, I am dead. And because I am dead it won’t matter if I take my own life. No one can miss what was never real.

Medical professionals and women who had bad experiences themselves respond to the findings of the birth trauma report

The maternity trauma report is deja vu all over again (Women having ‘harrowing’ births as hospitals hide failures, says MPs’ report, 13 May). I cannot read about it because it makes me want to scream.

I was around for the Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust report a couple of years ago. All those dead babies, all those mothers and parents talking about not being listened to or respected. All that handwringing from service providers, all those promises from politicians. The recommendations were set up to prevent the experiences we heard about this week (‘I was left lying on the ground in pain’: shocking stories from UK birth trauma inquiry, 13 May). For instance, continuity of midwifery care through the maternal pathway prevents so much of the stuff we read about now.