Femora

Blog

Tips on menstrual health, cycle tracking, and guides on how to use Femora.

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A calm woman with one hand resting near her lower abdomen beside a soft cycle ring and gentle floral accents, on a warm rose background, suggesting vaginal health and self-care

Vaginal Health in 2026: Infections, Care, and What's Normal

A complete guide to vaginal health: what's normal, the main infections (BV, yeast, trichomoniasis), everyday care and hygiene, and the 2026 shift toward treating recurrent BV as sexually transmitted.

A calm woman in her early thirties sitting by a sunny window holding a phone showing a soft glowing cycle ring with a highlighted fertile window, a softly marked wall calendar nearby, on a warm rose background

The 2026 NICE Fertility Guidelines: When to Seek Help Conceiving

NICE published its first major fertility update since 2013 on March 31, 2026. Here's what changed - when to seek help, the new age thresholds, and how to use the months before that to give yourself the best shot.

A calm young woman resting one hand on her lower abdomen, a soft four-segment cycle ring beside her with the ovulation segment glowing, and floating cues of a water droplet and a warmth glow suggesting cervical fluid and a temperature rise

Ovulation Symptoms: How to Tell When You're Ovulating

Ovulation has clear, trackable signs - changes in cervical fluid, a basal body temperature shift, a mid-cycle ache, and a hormone surge you can test for. Here's how to read each one and pin down your fertile window.

A calm young woman holding a smartphone showing a soft four-segment cycle ring, with gentle pastel icons of a pill blister pack, a T-shaped IUD, and an implant rod floating around her

Tracking Your Cycle on Birth Control: What 2026's Changes Mean

Birth control changes your bleeding - and what's worth tracking changes with it. Here's how the pill, implant, IUD, and copper coil each affect your cycle, plus the 2026 updates (5-year Nexplanon, OTC Opill) worth knowing.

A serene young woman beside a soft four-segment cycle ring presented like a health metric, surrounded by gentle pastel pulse-wave and droplet motifs suggesting the cycle sits alongside other vital signs

Your Menstrual Cycle Is a Vital Sign: What 2026 Research Says

Clinicians track four vital signs. A growing body of research - and ACOG itself - makes the case for a fifth: your menstrual cycle. Here's what a healthy cycle looks like, what changes can reveal, and why 2026 is a turning point.

A woman in lavender activewear holding two pink dumbbells in front of a soft pink wall with a yoga mat and exercise ball nearby, captioned 'Strong today, healthy every day'

Why Strength and Mobility Are the Ultimate Health Goals for Women

Strength training and mobility work do more for women's long-term health than cardio alone - protecting bone density, metabolism, hormones, and independence. Here's why, and how to start.

A woman in soft layered clothing with one hand resting on her lower abdomen, soft pastel dots arranged at the lower belly, lower back, hip, and pelvic ring suggesting the distributed pain pattern of endometriosis versus localized period cramps

Period Pain vs Endometriosis Pain: How to Tell the Difference

Five specific differences between normal period cramps and endometriosis pain - plus the 2026 ACOG criteria you can quote to a doctor and a free symptom checker to bring with you.

A calm, abstract scene of a woman seated in soft meditation surrounded by gentle pastel circles on a powder-blue background - a visual cue for cyclical mood wellness

PMS vs PMDD: When Premenstrual Mood Changes Need More Than Self-Care

How to tell typical PMS from PMDD - the 3-8% of menstruators with a treatable, DSM-5 mood disorder. Includes a two-cycle tracking plan and a free symptom checker.

A flat-vector diagram of five overlapping pastel circles representing the multi-system nature of PMOS and related conditions, on a soft lavender background

PCOS, PMOS, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis: A Plain-English Comparison

Four conditions, often confused, all renamed or redefined in 2026. A side-by-side breakdown of symptoms, cycle patterns, and which free symptom checker to start with.

A woman mid-stride in workout clothes with a soft four-segment cycle ring orbiting her, gentle pastel arrows suggesting cycle phases, evoking the calm evidence-vs-hype tension at the heart of the article

Cycle Syncing: What the 2026 Evidence Actually Says

A 78-study meta-analysis essentially busts the 'match your workouts to your cycle' trend. Here's what survived peer review, what to actually track, and where cycle data IS the right tool.

An abstract pastel cluster of small soft circles forming a balanced community around a larger glowing centerpiece, a visual metaphor for a healthy Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiome

Vaginal Microbiome: What 2026 Research Means for Everyday Health

Live biotherapeutics are moving toward clinical use, Harvard Chan is rewriting the 'healthy microbiome' picture for non-European populations, and the practical guidance is simpler than the science. A plain-English breakdown.

A pregnant woman seated calmly beside a small mixed-food bowl with a soft pastel line chart in the background, conveying nutrition-led screening and steady monitoring

Gestational Diabetes Screening: When It Happens and What the New ACOG & ADA Guidelines Change

When the glucose test happens in pregnancy, who now gets screened early, and how postpartum follow-up changed under ACOG's 2024 update and the ADA's 2026 Standards of Care.