16 May, 2026

IRL surrogacy stories – a whole world of experiences to mine, bank and discuss

From Reddit to fame On forums like Reddit BabyBumps (there are quite a few that focus on surrogacy stories – rants, nuanced results and all) and r/ivfwomen share honest, everyday accounts of the surrogacy process – both stimulating and beautiful. A message says: “I didn’t expect to cry when the parents held their baby for […]

2 mins read

Pfizer wins over Novo to acquire obesity start-up Metsera

Pfizer won the bidding war against Novo Nordisk to acquire Metsera, a biotech specializing in obesity drugs. The pharmaceutical giant increased its offer, valuing the startup at around $10 billion, Metsera announced Friday. In a statement, the biotech also said it received a call from the Federal Trade Commission regarding the potential risks of Novo’s […]

4 mins read

Is it easier to get pregnant a second time? Expert recovery with Maigaard Fertility Clinic

When you’re trying for a second baby, and the first time went smoothly, we often assume that things will just fall into place. You have already been pregnant, your body “knows what to do” and your fertility is confirmed. You’re good to go, by everyone’s standards. For me and my husband, conceiving baby number one […]

8 mins read

Billions at stake as appeals court hears NIH arguments on indirect costs

Questions and comments from federal appeals court judges during a hearing Wednesday suggested they may be skeptical of some of the Trump administration’s central arguments in a lawsuit challenging its proposed changes to research overhead payments. The case centers on a multibillion-dollar question: Did the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s largest funder of biomedical […]

8 mins read

UnitedHealth pays Optum doctors 17% more than outside providers

Tara Bannow covers hospitals, providers and insurers. You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70. UnitedHealth Group pays its own medical practices far more than competing practices, a new study finds, bolstering STAT’s own analysis on the subject and presenting new evidence that the conglomerate could circumvent a rule designed to curb health insurers’ profits. […]

1 min read

Can frozen embryos be transported safely? Expert 101

Whether in a new clinic in the same city or across borders to another state or country, it is completely understandable to be concerned about the safety of the embryo transport process. Really maybe. After all, it’s your personal biomaterial, and small questions about safety can seem huge when what’s at stake is so important. […]

6 mins read

Medicare Officially Cuts Payments for Outpatient Surgeries and Procedures

Tara Bannow covers hospitals, providers and insurers. You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70. Medicare on Friday followed through on its earlier proposal to reduce payment for surgeries, outpatient procedures and other services that it says can be made more efficient starting in 2026. This controversial decision represents a significant change in the pricing […]

1 min read

Is Elsie Hewitt Pregnant (It’s Complicated)

For the British actress, the path to motherhood is deeply intertwined with her diagnosis of endometriosis, a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, often causing multiple symptoms, including severe pain, inflammation and often fertility problems. Hewitt says she knew since she was a teenager that something […]

1 min read

Medicare Coverage of Major Pain Procedures May End

One in five Americans with chronic pain could soon lose access to evidence-based interventions that have been around for decades. Impending changes in Medicare coverage threaten access to local anesthetic blockade or “peripheral nerve block” procedures. Medicare administrative providers across the country have recently proposed eliminating coverage of these minimally invasive, non-opioid treatment options for […]

6 mins read