Kristen V. Brown
@kristenvbrown.bsky.social
Health + science journalist. Writing a book about the science and history of fertility | fan of sparkles | say hi: kristen@kristenvbrown.com
My aunt was going through some old boxes of things and found this clipping she saved about endometriosis from my hometown paper, The OC Register, in 1982. It refers to endometriosis as “the career women’s disease.” And the cure? Pregnancy!
Women were once told to suffer through menopause in silence. Now they’re navigating a cacophony of supplements, hormone subscriptions, influencers and dubious promises. My new story on the menopause boom—and why women still aren’t getting enough trustworthy care: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
The Menopause Gold Rush Is Failing Women
While startups and supplements are making billions, the healthcare mainstream hasn’t kept pace with women’s midlife needs.
bloomberg.com
It's never made sense to me that donor eggs could fix every issue of aging and fertility — the uterus, after all, ages, too. Now a new study shows age-related changes in the womb impact pregnancy success even with donor eggs after 49. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Women hit fertility tipping point at 49 even with young donor eggs
Age-related changes in the womb lining may be the cause and could be treatable in the future, say experts.
bbc.com
If you ever wondered how space travel might impact your fertility, well, here you go: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Female reproductive dysfunction and transgenerational consequences following prolonged spaceflight exposure | PNAS
Spaceflight presents unique gravitational, radiation, and isolation hazards for human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond, yet its impact on ...
pnas.org
This is the smartest thing I’ve read on the genome in a long time. The metaphor of DNA as ”code” I sometimes think has been more hurtful than helpful www.quantamagazine.org/why-the-huma...
Why the Human Genome’s Tangled Physicality May Confound AI | Quanta Magazine
Our genetic heritage is not a blueprint or an algorithm, as many biologists have imagined, but something else entirely.
quantamagazine.org
Study finds hormonal birth control could have a protective effect on the brain later in life. One thing this highlights that is definitely understudied is the long-term effects of taking BC news.ku.edu/news/article...
Study finds estrogen-based hormone therapies could protect brain health in older women
Click for more on research in NeuroImage
news.ku.edu
I have never once gotten a perfect sleep score. My cat on the other hand:
Sometimes I wish I had been a reporter in this era of science
Remember when you could call a post-menopausal woman a "castrate" in a medical journal? History is fun agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
THE FATE OF THE NONTREATED POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMAN: A PLEA FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF ADEQUATE ESTROGEN FROM PUBERTY TO THE GRAVE
Click on the article title to read more.
agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
My hack for work-life balance while writing a book:
Kayla Barnes-Lentz owns a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. But her advice for the every woman looking to maximize her healthspan is much more basic: eat well, sleep well and move. New from me for Bloomberg Businessweek
The Woman Selling Longevity to Women Left Out of the Boys Club
Influencer Kayla Barnes-Lentz has built a loyal following arguing that wellness protocols based on male-dominated science don’t cut it for half the population.
bloomberg.com
"He drove fast cars, drank red wine, and pissed people off." @matthewherper.bsky.social on Craig Venter www.statnews.com/2026/04/30/c...
Remembering J. Craig Venter: a relentless scientist who changed biotech — and was all too easily misunderstood
J. Craig Venter, the scientist whose relentless ambition helped turn genetics from an artisanal trade into an industrialized information machine, died at 79.
statnews.com
really fascinated by emerging work on the gut microbiome and fertility www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The gut–ovary axis - Lab Animal
Lab Animal - The gut–ovary axis
nature.com
PSA: ChatGPT does not have to comply with HIPAA! www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/t...
A.I. Chatbots Want Your Health Records. Tread Carefully.
nytimes.com
New study finds IVF doesn't increase overall risk of cancer, but uterine, ovarian and breast cancer rates were slightly higher. The study I would really like to see is health outcomes among IVF superusers who have done 4+ cycles www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
IVF not linked to higher overall cancer rates, but study shows differences in some cancers
A UNSW-led study found overall invasive cancer rates in Australian women were no higher after fertility treatments including IVF. Some specific cancers were slightly more common, while others were les...
eurekalert.org
Today in whoa dude: researchers found part of a cat’s spine can twist 360 degrees, part of why they always land on their feet www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/s...
nytimes.com
Very glad we’ve moved past inserting electrodes into women’s vaginas
I keep seeing all this stuff about vibration plates but riding the subway hands free at rush hour basically does the same thing.
Would you like to go on a $7,000 retreat to "empower" your menopause journey? www.canyonranch.com/mpower
New England Menopause Retreat - Lenox, MA
Join us in the Berkshire Mountains and fully empower your menopause or perimenopause journey.
canyonranch.com
When people talk about our lack of IVF access here in the US, the UK is often held up as an example of something to aspire to. A reality check on how accessible IVF really is for UK residents: www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Almost 70% of NHS areas in England offer only one cycle of IVF, data shows
Charity says situation breaks Nice guidelines and is having devastating impact on couples struggling with infertility
theguardian.com
Not only did I cry from laughing so hard reading this, it’s exactly how I felt when I had my first colonoscopy. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/m...
Want to Reach Nirvana? Try a Colonoscopy.
nytimes.com
Bought a smart plant monitor and now it feels like my plants are constantly texting me the equivalent of “you up?”
this insect is so beautiful it took me a long time to accept that it really wasn’t AI m.youtube.com/watch?v=FdfX...
Picasso Bug - Animal of the Week
YouTube video by Ben G Thomas
m.youtube.com
A new survey out yesterday highlights just how popular these sorts of tests are: 17% of people said they have ordered a test they found on social media. www.siemens-healthineers.com/en-us/patien...
Kristen V. Brown@kristenvbrown.bsky.social · 7mo agoYou've probably gotten ads in your feed for companies like Function that offer extensive lab tests to keep you healthy (or find out what's wrong). More data isn't always a good thing, though. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/w...
A little personal story to illustrate how more data can mean more problems: Recently, I tried out one of these test-everything tests. One marker came back slightly elevated. Just in case, my doc ordered a colonoscopy which led to a CT scan which led to the conclusion everything was normal.
Kristen V. Brown@kristenvbrown.bsky.social · 7mo agoYou've probably gotten ads in your feed for companies like Function that offer extensive lab tests to keep you healthy (or find out what's wrong). More data isn't always a good thing, though. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/w...
You've probably gotten ads in your feed for companies like Function that offer extensive lab tests to keep you healthy (or find out what's wrong). More data isn't always a good thing, though. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/w...
The Rise of the Self-Serve Blood Test
nytimes.com
