Pregnancy is a magical moment in a parent’s life, bringing new life into this world and preparing for years of raising and loving a child. However, many people are not physically equipped to carry a child, while others do not want to. As we make great progress in the medical field, more avenues to bless families with children have been made. Surrogacy is one of them. Surrogacy is a medical arrangement where a woman carries and gives birth for another person or couple. The surrogate helps give birth to the baby in cases like the mother is not physically able to carry a child to term. However, is this arrangement healthy for the carrier?

New research suggests that gestational carriers or surrogate mothers, may face a higher risk of developing mental illness during and after their pregnancy. The study published in the JAMA Network Open, which looked at over 767,400 births in Canada, found that these women are significantly more likely to experience a new mental illness compared to other mothers. The findings highlight the importance of proper screening and counseling for potential surrogates to prepare them for these risks.

Key Findings on Mental Health and Surrogacy

The study followed new mothers for an average of 4.5 years and found a clear difference in mental health outcomes. When compared to women who carried their own babies, gestational carriers were:

• 43% more likely to develop a mental illness for the first time.
• 29% more likely to develop a mental illness than women who conceived using IVF.

The mental illnesses included in the study were things like anxiety disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, and self-harm. The research also noted that gestational carriers were often mothers who had given birth before and were more likely to live in low-income areas and have health issues like obesity or high blood pressure.

Why Gestational Carriers May Be at Risk

The researchers believe several factors could contribute to the mental health challenges faced by gestational carriers. These include:

• The emotional impact of separating from the newborn after birth.
• The complexities of maintaining a relationship with the baby's intended parents and the child itself.
• Societal judgment and scrutiny about their decision to become a gestational carrier.

The study emphasizes that while many women are screened for existing mental illness beforehand, they may not be prepared for the new mental health issues that can arise. Additionally, many postpartum mental health problems are not treated properly, leaving these women especially vulnerable during a sensitive time.

Other Risks Involved With Surrogacy

There are also many other risks that are involved with surrogacy. Another Canada based 2024 study presented in the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) 40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam found that surrogates face a higher risk of serious health problems during pregnancy.

The rate of severe maternal complications was 7.1% for surrogates, which is much higher than the 2.4% for women who conceived naturally and 4.6% for those who used IVF. Surrogates also had a 13.9% rate of postpartum hemorrhage, compared to 5.7% for natural conceptions and 10.5% for IVF. While rates for high blood pressure disorders was also 13.9% for surrogates, compared to 6.6% for natural conceptions and 11.6% for IVF.

The research suggests these higher risks may be due to differences in a surrogate's health before pregnancy, the type of prenatal care they receive, or the emotional and physical stress of carrying a baby for another person.

Does Surrogacy Affect The Baby As Well?

While the study found increased risks for the mothers, it did not show a significant difference in the health of the babies. Serious health problems in newborns up to 28 days old were similar across all three groups: 6.5% for surrogates, 6% for natural conceptions, and 9.1% for IVF.

The main takeaway from the research is that while the babies appear to be safe, gestational carriers need better support and care throughout their pregnancies. This study also points to the idea that a person's financial situation can play a role in their reproductive health, suggesting that these factors should be considered when caring for surrogates.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is often dismissed as a reproductive or cosmetic issue—a condition marked by irregular periods, acne, and weight fluctuations. But the hormonal and metabolic underpinnings of PCOS go much deeper. New findings presented at ENDO 2025, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, now highlight a troubling link: PCOS may significantly increase the risk of vascular events in women with thrombotic disease, and these events are occurring at increasingly younger ages.

The research, presented by a team from Riverside University Health System Medical Center and supported by national health data, suggests that the combination of PCOS and thrombotic disease creates a more dangerous cardiovascular profile, one that might be going under-recognized in clinical settings.

The analysis drew on records from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), evaluating over 205,000 women hospitalized between 2016 and 2022 for thrombotic, atherosclerotic, or cerebrovascular diseases. The goal was to see how outcomes differed based on the presence or absence of comorbid PCOS. The findings were both significant and sobering:

Women with both PCOS and thrombotic disease had higher stroke rates (14.81%) compared to those without PCOS (11.91%).

A greater percentage of women with PCOS were under the age of 50 at the time of their vascular event compared to those without PCOS across all categories—thrombotic, atherosclerotic, and cerebrovascular.

Also Read: Your Home May Look Clean, But These 8 Spots Are Dirtier Than You Think

Despite the younger age of presentation, in-hospital mortality rates were similar between women with and without PCOS, suggesting the seriousness of these events in younger populations is not being offset by age-related resilience.

Dr. Alexander Lim, DO, who presented the findings, noted, “We found that cardiovascular events in women with PCOS were more likely to occur at an earlier age. The risk tends to decrease with age, possibly due to underdiagnosis of PCOS in older women or survivorship bias.”

Why Metabolic Difficulties Due To PCOS Lead Vascular Complications?

To understand why PCOS might elevate vascular risk, it's crucial to look at its underlying pathology. PCOS is not just a hormonal disorder—it’s also deeply metabolic.

Women with PCOS frequently exhibit insulin resistance, even if they are not overweight. This insulin resistance is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and dyslipidemia—all conditions that significantly increase the risk of both arterial and venous thrombotic events.

Despite this, clinical management of PCOS often remains centered on cosmetic symptoms (like acne and hirsutism) or fertility concerns, rather than addressing the long-term metabolic and cardiovascular consequences. This treatment gap may explain why vascular events in women with PCOS catch both patients and providers off guard.

Why Current Testing May Be Failing Women?

Another striking aspect of the new research is that women with PCOS who experienced recurrent thrombotic events (strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms) often showed normal results in standard coagulation tests. This was identified in a diagnostic review by a coagulation management team and later verified through a national data set analysis using TriNetX, a large health research network.

Between 2013 and 2018, researchers used the TriNetX platform to analyze PCOS patients aged 15–75, excluding those with known thrombotic disorders, smoking history, or HIV. They found that thrombotic events occurred at significantly higher rates in women with PCOS compared to matched controls, even though clinical tests failed to detect abnormalities in coagulation.

What this suggests is that standard coagulation assays may not be sensitive enough to detect the unique thrombotic risk profile in PCOS, raising concerns about diagnostic error or delayed interventions.

This is the first large-scale study to systematically evaluate the rate and clinical presentation of thrombotic events in women with PCOS using national data and validated diagnostic algorithms like SPADE (Symptom-Disease Pair Analysis of Diagnostic Error).

By comparing outcomes 90 days prior to major thrombotic events, the researchers identified consistent symptom patterns—including subtle indicators—that could serve as early warning signs for intervention. However, the precise biological mechanisms behind thrombosis in PCOS remain poorly understood.

The message is clear: PCOS isn’t just a reproductive disorder—it’s a systemic, vascular-risk condition that can dramatically impact a woman’s health long before menopause. Clinicians need to think beyond fertility and skin health and recognize that young women with PCOS may be walking around with unrecognized cardiovascular vulnerabilities.

For women living with PCOS, this means that a heart-healthy lifestyle—including regular cardiovascular screening, metabolic management, and awareness of symptoms like chest pain, migraines, and swelling—needs to be part of long-term care, not just pregnancy planning.

Last August, Erica Kahn was enjoying a peaceful evening stargazing in Arizona’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The 33-year-old Massachusetts resident was on vacation, photographing the night sky. Bats flitted through the air, but she didn’t give them much thought, until one of them flew straight at her face.

In the chaos, the bat became lodged between her camera and her face. She screamed instinctively, and part of the bat ended up in her mouth. She still doesn't know exactly what part of the bat it was, but she estimates the contact lasted a few seconds. “It seemed longer,” she said.

The bat eventually flew away. Though she wasn’t sure if she’d been bitten, her father, a physician who was traveling with her, advised her to get treated for potential rabies exposure.

Scrambling for Health Insurance

The problem? Just weeks earlier, Kahn had been laid off from her job as a biomedical engineer and had decided to forgo COBRA coverage, which would’ve let her stay on her former employer’s health insurance plan. The cost, around $650 a month, felt too steep for someone young and healthy.

She figured she could risk going uninsured for a while and quickly sign up for a plan if something happened. That decision turned out to be costly.

After the bat incident, Kahn purchased a private health policy for $311 a month from a Florida-based company called Innovative Partners LP. She even called them to confirm that emergency services or accident-related care would be covered. Feeling reassured, she went to a hospital in Flagstaff the next day and began her rabies vaccination series.

The Treatment and the Shock

Kahn received four doses of the rabies vaccine over 14 days. Her first visit also included three injections of rabies immunoglobulin, a vital treatment that boosts the body’s ability to fight off the deadly virus. She continued her treatment at different clinics in Arizona, Colorado, and Massachusetts.

Then the bills arrived.

Across all four facilities, Kahn was charged a total of $20,749. The bulk of that, $17,079, came from Flagstaff Medical Center, which billed $15,242 for the vaccines and immunoglobulin alone.

To her shock, her insurance company denied all claims. Their explanation? The treatment occurred during the policy’s 30-day waiting period, and the company ruled that the services did not qualify as accident-related or life-threatening under their terms.

Appeals, Confusion, and Mounting Debt

Kahn tried to appeal the decision. She got a doctor at Flagstaff Medical Center to sign a letter supporting her claim, but she struggled to reach doctors at the other facilities. The insurance company gave her conflicting information about where to send appeal paperwork. In July, she learned that the insurer had not received any formal appeal.

Health policy expert Sabrina Corlette, from Georgetown University, reviewed Kahn’s situation and suggested the policy she purchased was likely a “fixed indemnity” plan, as reported by the Washington Post.

These limited plans pay only a set amount per day for care, regardless of actual costs, and are not required to meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Corlette added that even if Kahn had purchased a more comprehensive plan, treatment that began the day after enrollment might not have been covered.

“This is why it’s so important to be insured before something happens,” Corlette said. “It’s not just about coverage, it’s about timing.”

A Harsh Lesson in Hindsight

Back when Kahn lost her job, she was still within the 60-day window to opt into COBRA. Had she done so and paid the premium, her coverage would have applied retroactively to the day she was laid off. She didn’t realize this until much later.

Now re-employed and covered under her new job’s insurance, Kahn is still chipping away at the debt from her run-in with the bat. She negotiated one $706 bill down to $420 and set up a $10-a-month payment plan for a separate $530 charge. But over $19,000 remains unpaid.

You may be cleaning your house well, however, there may still be spots, corners, and places that you could be missing. But, what makes germs stick in these corners longer than other spots? Well, there could be certain reasons, that determine the duration of a germ, including:

Surface Types: solid surfaces like counters or textured surfaces

Living Habits: How often do you clean or disinfect surfaces

Lifestyle Practices: Washing hands and bathing regularly

Cleaning Procedures: What you use to clean, whether it is using bleach or alcohol based cleaning supplies

What Are The Top 8 Dirtiest Spots In Your House?

Kitchen

As per the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), areas where food is kept, stored or prepared have the most bacteria as well as fecal contamination than any other place in your home.

In fact, more than 75% of dish sponges and rags have Salmonella, E. coli, and fecal matter compared with 9% of bathroom faucet handles.

The elements in kitchen that needs to be cleaned frequently include:

• Cutting boards
• Coffee maker
• Refrigerator, especially where uncooked food is kept
• Kitchen sinks and counter tops

What can you do? Use disinfectant wipes on faucets, refrigerator surfaces and counter tops. You can also damp sponges in microwave for a minute to kill bacteria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after you touch raw meat or unprepared food.

ALSO READ: Dirtiest Things That You Touch In A Restaurant That Could Cause Food Poisoning

Knobs, Door Handles, Switches

These surfaces are touched continuously. While, it may miss out from daily cleaning, however, if you come to think about it, these places may be touched more than you would ever keep a count of.

NSF also found that bathroom light switches, refrigerator handles, stove knobs, and microwave handles were the dirtiest places in the house. You can use disinfecting wipes once a week to ensure they are clean and safe to use.

Your Makeup Corner

The place where you keep your makeup, and even your make up bag is one of the dirtiest places and this can infect your eyes, or cause skin infections.

A 2020 Lancet study shows that viruses can also get on makeup applicator from your hands and could make way to your eyes, nose, and mouth.

The best way to deal with it? Change the way you store your makeup. Make sure all the products are stored clean and dry. Clean your makeup brushes, wash them once a week with regular soap and water, or use an alcohol spray. Some doctors also recommend replacing cosmetics every 6 months.

Bathroom

Of course it is one of the dirtiest places in your home. This is where you scrub off dirt from your body and thus, becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.

There is also a lot of moisture in the bathroom, an environment that helps germ grow.

Where should you pay special attention? Shower tub, drains, faucets, floor around the toilet seat, bath towels, and toothbrushes.

ALSO READ: Your Towels Are Making You Sick— How Often Should You Wash Them?

Make sure you flush the toilet with its lid on.

Laundry

Leaving damp laundry in the washing machine, even if for just 30 minutes, can create the perfect environment for germs to grow. Always move clothes to the dryer right after the wash cycle ends.

If you’ve forgotten a load for a while, it’s best to rewash it. When using a laundromat or shared laundry room, wipe the washer drum with a disinfectant wipe before use.

Also, avoid folding clean clothes on public surfaces without wiping them down first. Washing clothes in warm or hot water, notes UNICEF, especially items worn in public, is more effective at killing viruses and bacteria than cold water.

Home Office & Living Room

NSF found that remote controls, keyboards, phones, and tablets are often shared among family and guests, and they’re germ hotspots. It also found mold, yeast, and even Staphylococcus on remotes and game controllers in multiple households.

A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that carpets can trap up to eight times their weight in dirt, sometimes making them dirtier than a city sidewalk. Viruses can survive for up to 3 days on plastic surfaces like remotes and keyboards.

Wipe down these items regularly with disinfectant wipes or a soapy cloth, and always wash your hands after returning home before touching any surfaces or electronics.

Pets

Your furry friends can bring germs indoors, especially if they spend time outside. Pet bowls, as per NSF, rank as the 4th germiest item in the home, with toys close behind. Studies have found staph, yeast, and mold on pet items.

Some helpful hygiene tips:

• Wash bowls daily with warm, soapy water
• Soak toys and bowls in diluted bleach weekly
• Clean hard toys with hot water regularly
• Wash soft toys once a month
• Wipe your pet’s paws before they come inside.

While your pet may not get sick, the germs they carry can easily transfer to your hands or face.

Personal Items

Every time you return home, you might be unknowingly bringing in bacteria and viruses, on your shoes, phone, wallet, or even headphones.

In a study by NSF of 22 homes, fecal bacteria, yeast, and mold were found on:

• Phones
• Keys
• Wallets and cash
• Lunchboxes
• The bottoms of purses

Since many of these items are made of plastic or metal, some viruses can live on them for up to 72 hours.

Disinfecting wipes work well on most of these surfaces. For electronics, consider using wipes specifically made for tech gear to avoid damage.