Trials for chemical castration for sex offenders in 20 UK prison has raised the question of whether it really makes a difference?

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Shabana Mahmood said she would expand a small pilot in south-west England to two region. As of now, the voluntary chemical castration of sex offenders has been extended to 20 prisons in England.

Mahmood though is also exploring whether it could be made mandatory.

This approach has also been used in other European countries, including Germany and Denmark, where the use of chemical suppression has only be administered through voluntary basis. In Poland, it is mandatory. Italy too has jumped on the bandwagon and moved towards legalizing chemical castration.

For the trials in UK, Mahmood said, "For some, offending relates to power, but for another subset of offenders, the combination of chemical suppressants and psychological interventions, can, we believe, have a big and positive impact."

The BBC reports that the suggestion to continue the pilot in England and Wales was one of 48 recommendations set out by former Lord Chancellor David Gauke's Independent Sentencing Review. The report noted that sexual offences accounted for 21% of adults serving "immediate custodial sentences at the end of March 2025."

The review also asked to "build a comprehensive evidence base around the use of chemical suppression for sex offenders and explore options for continued funding of services in this area".

How Does Chemical Castration Work?

Sky News, which has exclusively had the access to a clinical trial in Stockholm, Sweden, noted that the drug degarelix was in use.

The expectations from this is that offender once put on the drug will have fewer sexual fantasies and lower sex drive. Sky News also reports that many of these drugs are used to treat prostate cancer, where they reduce the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors.

Sky News, as per its observation on the clinical trials, note that in "just two weeks after the first injection, men - who were living in the community - had a significantly reduced risk of committing child sexual abuse".

However, it is important to note that the trial was relatively small, and had been done only on 52 men. Among other effects of the drugs, include, growth of breast tissue in men, depression and hot flushes, as the result of low testosterone.

Which Chemical Makes It Possible?

It was in 2011, when for the first time in Asia, Korea used it on sex offenders. Under its current law, perpetrators of sexual crimes against minors aged less than 16 years are also subjected to chemical castration.

The first attempt was done in 1944, when diethylstilbestrol was prescribed to lower testosterone levels.

In US, Canada, and some European countries medroxyprogesterone acetate and cyproterone acetate have been in use. A 2013 study published in Journal of Korean Medical Science, notes, "In 1996, California became the first state in the United States to authorize the use of either chemical or surgical castration for certain sexual offenders who were being released from prison into the community."

As per a 2012 study published in the Asian Journal of Andrology, the main androgens are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). According to the research review, about 90 to 95% of androgens are made in your testicles. The rest come from your adrenal glands. The process of chemical castration thus lowers the levels of male hormones or the androgens.

Does your body respond as if you had just swallowed poison every time you eat a slice of pizza or a comforting bowl of pasta? For around 2 million Americans, this is the harsh reality of living with coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition that’s often overlooked, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.

Coeliac disease is a lifelong immune response triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. When someone with coeliac disease consumes gluten, their immune system does not just attack the food; it turns against the small intestine itself. Over time, this repeated immune response damages the lining of the gut, particularly the villi, which are tiny structures that absorb nutrients. Flatten them, and your body starts struggling to take in essentials like iron, calcium, and vitamins.

You cannot see this damage, but your body certainly feels it. Symptoms can range from diarrhoea, bloating, and abdominal pain to fatigue, unexplained weight loss, skin rashes, joint pain, and even infertility. In children, it can show up as stunted growth, irritability or delayed puberty.

One of the more frustrating facts about coeliac disease is how unpredictable it can be. Some people show severe symptoms after eating a tiny crumb of bread, while others feel fine even though the internal damage is mounting. That is part of what makes diagnosis tricky. What adds to the confusion is the rising popularity of gluten-free diets. People might cut out gluten without medical guidance, feel better, and assume they have coeliac. But without testing first, any real diagnosis is impossible, because test results are only accurate if you are still eating gluten regularly.

Unlike a typical allergy or intolerance, coeliac disease is autoimmune in nature. That means the body is not reacting to gluten as an outsider but rather misfiring completely. The only known treatment is to totally avoid gluten for life.

That means reading every label, dodging cross-contamination, and realising gluten lurks in unexpected places like soy sauce, soup mixes, or even some lip balms. Even a small amount can trigger inflammation, symptoms, and long-term complications if left unchecked.

Untreated coeliac disease can lead to iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis, neurological disorders, infertility, and in rare cases, a type of small intestine cancer. And it does not always announce itself loudly; many cases are silent, discovered only when a family member gets tested or a doctor digs deeper into another issue.

Still, despite the seriousness of the disease, it is very manageable once diagnosed. The key lies in awareness, early detection, and strict adherence to a gluten-free lifestyle.

High cholesterol often develops silently, without symptoms, and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke over time. That is why it is often called the “silent” threat. It can quietly clog your arteries for years without so much as a headache. But in some cases, the body shows early warning signs, not through chest pain or breathlessness, but in places you might not expect: your eyes and ankles.

In your eyes, specifically, your iris. According to the British Heart Foundation, one early red flag is a pale grey or white ring forming around the coloured part of your eye, a sign known as corneal arcus. In people over 60, it is usually nothing to worry about. But in younger adults, it could point to dangerously high cholesterol levels.

It is caused by fat deposits building up in the outer edges of your cornea. The ring would not hurt and would not affect your vision, which makes it all the more tough. But it is visible, and that makes it one of the few outward signs of a hidden problem.

Now, down to your ankles. Another unexpected place cholesterol might show up is under the skin in the form of xanthomas, soft, yellowish lumps that often appear around tendons or joints, especially near the ankles. These are not just cosmetic oddities. They are fatty growths, and they usually mean your body's cholesterol levels are sky-high, often dangerously so.

These lumps are caused by cholesterol leaking out of your blood and getting trapped in the skin. According to the British Heart Foundation, their presence is a major red flag, particularly if they appear in people with a family history of heart disease or a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia, where cholesterol levels are high from birth.

The trouble is, most people ignore these signs. A ring in your eye? Probably ageing. Lumps near your ankle? Maybe a strain or skin issue. But shrugging them off could delay diagnosis and treatment.

That is why awareness matters. If you are under 45 and notice a ring around your iris or strange, painless bumps around your joints, you might want to book a cholesterol test. It is a simple blood draw that could tell you a lot about what is going on inside.

If left unchecked, high cholesterol raises your risk of heart attacks and strokes. But caught early, it is manageable. Diet tweaks, regular exercise, and, if needed, medication can help bring your levels back to where they should be.

Pregnancy is a delicate time for the mothers as they must take many precautions that will ensure their and their babies' health. What many people do not realize is that diabetic mothers can have complications during pregnancy. As many people lack awareness about this, researchers from the Endocrine Society have come up with important rules and guidelines that will ensure the safety and wellbeing of new mothers and their babies.

New guidelines suggest that doctors should talk to diabetic women at every visit about whether they plan to have children. This is to make sure they receive the right medical care before getting pregnant.

The goal is to help prevent problems like miscarriages and birth defects in women who have diabetes before they become pregnant. Experts created these guidelines because more women of childbearing age are developing diabetes, and very few currently get the necessary care before conception.

How Does Diabetes Affect Pregnancy?

Pregnancy causes hormonal and body changes that affect your blood sugar levels. Even if you've had diabetes for years, you might need to change your meal plan, exercise routine, or medications. If you weren't on insulin before pregnancy, you might need to start it. It's common to need more insulin as your due date gets closer, sometimes even double or triple the amount. Your blood sugar levels can also change quickly during and after delivery, so your healthcare team will monitor them closely.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains that if you have diabetes and are thinking about having a baby, it's really important to get your blood sugar levels as close to your target range as possible before you get pregnant. High blood sugar levels can be harmful to your baby, especially in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy when their organs (like the brain, heart, and kidneys) are forming. This can increase the chance of birth defects. High blood sugar during pregnancy can also increase the risk of your baby being:

• Born too early
• Larger than average size
• Having breathing problems right after birth
• Having low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) right after birth

Sometimes, babies might need special care in the hospital after delivery if there's a risk of low blood sugar or other health issues. High blood sugar can also increase your risk of miscarriage or stillbirth (when the baby dies in the womb in the second half of pregnancy). Furthermore, if your blood sugar levels are high during pregnancy, your baby has a higher chance of developing obesity or type 2 diabetes later in life.

Key Recommendations for Care

These new guidelines cover several important areas, including:

Regular Discussions about Pregnancy

Doctors should ask all diabetic women of childbearing age about their desire to conceive at every appointment, regardless of why they're seeing the doctor.

Timing of Delivery

For pregnant women with diabetes, delivering the baby before 39 weeks might be safer. This is because the potential risks of continuing the pregnancy could be greater than those of an earlier delivery.

Medication Adjustments

• Women should stop using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs before pregnancy.
• Metformin should be avoided in pregnant women who are already taking insulin.

Advanced Insulin Management

For pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, using hybrid closed-loop insulin pumps with continuous glucose monitoring is recommended. These devices help manage blood sugar more effectively.

Family Planning

Women with diabetes should engage in family planning and use contraception until they are truly ready to become pregnant.

These recommendations are based on strong scientific evidence from research studies. They also address important topics like proper nutrition and treatment approaches for women with type 2 diabetes, especially since obesity and related diabetes are increasing globally. These new guidelines are supported by many major health organizations, including the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.