Pregnancy is usually a time of happiness and hope, but it also brings in the unexpected. While there is much talk placed on the health of the expectant mother, the quality sperm coming from the father could dramatically change the outcome of pregnancy. The latest study suggests the risks of sperm DNA damage, even increasing the risks of complications preeclampsia and birth prematurity.

In a groundbreaking research study conducted by scientists from Lund University in Sweden, scientists discovered that DNA damage in sperm increases the risk almost up to double that of preeclampsia, this is a dangerous condition that may arise during pregnancies characterized by high blood pressure. In addition, DNA anomalies also increase the risk of premature births, and this further entails increased related adverse health outcomes for infants born through such conditions.

The next step would be to find out which group of men respond best to methods to prevent and treat sperm DNA damage, and to test these methods to prevent pregnancy complications," said Dr. Amelie Stenqvist, a lecturer at Lund University. According to this study, a significant message is put forward that paternal health assumes an important role in a successful pregnancy.

It focused its research on men, specifically whose sperm contained high levels of DNA fragmentation. For instance, some 20% to 30% of babies born via in vitro fertilization have fathers whose sperm contains damaged DNA. The DNA fragmentation index, an indicator to assess the percentage of DNA damage in sperm, indicated that when the percentage of sperm with a DFI above 30% was observed, they had almost no chance of resulting in natural conception. Even a DFI greater than 20% showed that the chances of getting pregnant are highly risky as the risk factor for pregnancy complications like preeclampsia is much high.

Uncommon Complications during Pregnancy

The most alarming complication during pregnancy is preeclampsia. It affects approximately 5% to 8% of pregnancies worldwide, which can cause fatal conditions for both the mother and the baby. The new findings now point out that sperm DNA damage may contribute to this condition, especially if it is due to assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF pregnancies. The research found that a DFI above 20% doubled the risk of preeclampsia from a mere 5% to almost 11% per.

Apart from causing preeclampsia, DNA fragmentation in sperm is also known to increase the risk for prematurity. Most premature babies experience respiratory, neurological, and developmental complications. Therefore, some degree of early intervention might be important for prospective parents.

Some of the rarer, though serious complications include placental abruption, which is the separation of the placenta from the uterine wall and intrauterine growth restriction, a condition by which the baby does not grow normally in the womb. These conditions though rare are potentially catastrophic both to the mother and the child. Results from this study may help in establishing the contribution of the father in such pregnancies.

Further study into sperm DNA damage is of urgent interest with regard to its consequences for pregnancy outcomes. According to Professor Aleksander Giwercman of Lund University in the field of Reproductive Medicine, "the analysis of DFI should be introduced as routine test in all fertility clinics.". "It could give answers to couples who are having difficulties with infertility, but our latest result also shows that DFI analysis can be a method to identify high-risk pregnancies, explained Giwercman.

For many, DNA fragmentation in sperm is often treatable. Common causes are oxidative stress, age, smoking, being obese, and infections. Addressing these elements will likely reduce DNA damage in sperm for men, raising the chances for a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Overall, the study importance should take into consideration paternal as well as maternal health towards reaching for a healthy pregnancy. Though DNA fragmentation in the sperm is supposed to increase the risk factors for complications in pregnancies, the advances into novel treatment approaches and tests are likely to alleviate complications in many families. Thus the findings of this study offer optimism and pave a pathway to more holistic fertility treatments in the future.

Cancer is a complex disease, and its diagnosis often involves multiple tests, procedures, and high costs. Patients frequently undergo several blood draws and investigations before a clear result is reached.

Now, a revolutionary new low-cost test has shown promise in detecting multiple cancers using just a single blood sample.

Beyond cancer detection, the test may also help identify various liver conditions and organ abnormalities by analyzing DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream.

The test, developed by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, is known as MethylScan. The novel test works by analyzing cell-free DNA, tiny fragments of genetic material released into the blood when cells die.

In early tests, MethylScan detected about 63 per cent of cancers across all stages and roughly 55 per cent of early-stage cancers.

The test, described in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could offer a powerful and more affordable approach to early disease detection and comprehensive health monitoring.

“Early detection is crucial,” said Dr. Jasmine Zhou, Professor of Pathology at UCLA Health.

“Survival rates are far higher when cancers are caught before they spread. If you detect cancer at stage one, outcomes are dramatically better than at stage four,” Dr Zhou added.

How Does The New Cancer Test Work?

MethylScan studies DNA methylation—chemical tags on DNA that reflect tissue health and can change when disease develops.

Since most circulating DNA comes from healthy cells, advanced machine learning is used to identify subtle disease signals.

The New Cancer Test Is A Health Radar

In the study, MethylScan analyzed blood samples from 1,061 people, including patients with liver, lung, ovarian, and stomach cancers.

For multi-cancer detection, the test achieved a high level of overall accuracy. At a specificity of 98 per cent, meaning few false positives, it detected about 63 per cent of cancers across all stages and roughly 55 per cent of early-stage cancers.

The test also performed well in liver cancer surveillance among high-risk individuals, including those with liver cirrhosis or HBV. It detected nearly 80 per cent of cases at a specificity of just over 90 per cent, meaning a less than 10 per cent false positive rate.

The blood test could also distinguish between different types of liver disease, including viral hepatitis and metabolic-associated liver disease. It correctly classified about 85 per cent of patients, suggesting blood-based DNA testing could reduce the need for invasive liver biopsies.

In addition, the researchers noted that MethylScan can work like a health radar for the body. By reading DNA signals in the blood, it can tell when specific organs, such as the liver or lungs, are under stress or damaged, even without knowing the disease in advance.

“This study demonstrates that blood-based methylation profiling can deliver clinically meaningful information across multiple diseases,” said Zhou. “It’s an exciting advancement that brings us closer to realizing the dream of a single assay for universal disease detection.”

World Asthma Day is observed globally every year on the first Tuesday of May to raise awareness about the most common chronic non-communicable disease in the world.

The condition affects over 260 million people. It is also responsible for over 450,000 deaths each year worldwide. However, most of these deaths are preventable.

Also Read: World Asthma Day 2026: Can A Heatwave Make Symptoms Worse?

As per the Global Burden of Disease Report (GBDR) 2019, India has the highest and growing burden of asthma in the world in terms of deaths and disability-adjusted life years, and over 3.4 crores of people in India have asthma, despite accounting for only 13 per cent of the world's asthma population, and 42 per cent of global asthma mortality.

World Asthma Day: History

World Asthma Day began in 1998 during the first World Asthma Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

Coordinated by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), with over 35 countries initially participating, it has grown into a global awareness event held annually on the first Tuesday of May.

GINA is a World Health Organization collaborative organization founded in 1993.

World Asthma Day: Theme

This year, the theme is: “Access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma – still an urgent need”.

The theme reinforces that every person with asthma, including most pre-school children with asthma, should receive inhaled corticosteroids.

These inhalers reduce the person’s risk of asthma attacks and preventable asthma deaths.

GINA continues to emphasize the need to ensure that all people with asthma can access inhaled medications that are essential for controlling the underlying disease and treating attacks.

Preferably, the inhaler should be a combination 2‑in‑1 inhaler containing both an inhaled corticosteroid and a quick-acting reliever. Together, they treat the asthma symptoms, prevent asthma attacks, and reduce hospital admissions.

Also read: Exposure To Traffic Emissions Before Birth May Delay Speech Development In Children: Study

What is Asthma? Signs and Symptoms

Asthma attacks are mainly caused by the obstruction of the air passages in the lungs, which reduces the ability of the person to inhale life-sustaining oxygen into the body.

The airway obstruction is caused by spasm and tightening of the airway muscles, and inflammation, which causes both swelling of the walls of the air passages and mucus or phlegm blocking the airways.

Common symptoms include

• shortness of breath,
• wheezing (a whistling sound on exhaling),
• chest tightness or pain,
• coughing—often worse at night, early morning, or during triggers like colds, exercise, allergens, or smoke.

How To Treat Asthma

According to GINA, inhaled corticosteroids are essential for treating and controlling asthma.

The short-acting bronchodilator relievers (salbutamol, albuterol, terbutaline, SABAs) only relieve the spasm and tightening of the muscles in the air passages, but inhaled corticosteroid-containing medications prevent asthma attacks by treating the underlying inflammation that causes asthma.

The inhaled corticosteroid-containing medication should be prescribed in addition to, or in combination with, reliever medication, to prevent the continuing avoidable morbidity and mortality from asthma.

In low-middle-income countries, lack of availability or high cost of inhaled medicines, especially inhaled corticosteroid-containing inhalers, are major contributors to the fact that many attacks and 96 per cent of global asthma deaths occur in these countries.

How To Prevent Asthma

Asthma can be prevented by:

• Avoiding exposure to environmental triggers such as air pollution, cold air, fragrances, etc.
• Avoiding contact with allergens.
• Avoiding smoke from cigarettes, candles, incense, and fireworks. Staying away from sick people (cold or the flu)
• Keeping the surroundings dust-free
• Taking vaccinations on time to prevent pneumonia, diphtheria, tetanus, the zoster vaccine, and whooping cough
• Adhering to asthma medications.

If you speak to doctors today, one pattern is becoming very common—women in their 30s are often being diagnosed with both thyroid problems and PCOS together. Earlier, these conditions were seen separately. Now, they frequently show up side by side.

At first, this can feel confusing. The thyroid is a gland in your neck that controls how your body uses energy, while PCOS affects the ovaries, periods, and hormones. They seem unrelated—but inside the body, they are more connected than we think.

Hormonal Imbalance

A big reason behind this overlap is hormonal imbalance. PCOS already disturbs the balance of female hormones and can lead to irregular periods. If the thyroid is underactive, it slows the body’s metabolism and also interferes with hormone levels. When both happen together, symptoms tend to become more noticeable and sometimes more difficult to manage.

Insulin resistance

Another important link is insulin resistance. Many women with PCOS have it, even if they are not diabetic. This means the body struggles to use sugar properly, leading to higher insulin levels. Over time, this doesn’t just affect weight—it also impacts hormones and can indirectly influence thyroid function. That’s why the two conditions often overlap.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle plays a bigger role than we usually admit. In your 30s, life tends to get busy—work pressure, family responsibilities, irregular sleep, and constant stress. Meals are often rushed or skipped, exercise takes a backseat, and screen time goes up. All of this affects the body’s internal balance. Stress hormones, in particular, can disrupt both thyroid function and reproductive hormones.

Weight Gain

Weight gain is another common thread. Many women notice gradual weight gain that doesn’t seem to respond easily to diet or exercise. Thyroid problems can slow metabolism, while PCOS can increase fat storage, especially around the abdomen. This, in turn, worsens insulin resistance—creating a loop that’s hard to break without proper guidance.

It’s also worth noting that we are simply diagnosing more cases now. Women today are more aware of their health and are more likely to seek help for symptoms like irregular periods, fatigue, hair fall, or acne. Earlier, these were often ignored or brushed off as “normal.”

When both thyroid issues and PCOS are present, you may notice:

• Periods are becoming irregular or stopping altogether
• Constant tiredness, even after rest
• Hair thinning or excessive hair fall
• Acne that doesn’t settle easily
• Unexplained weight gain
• Difficulty getting pregnant

How To Manage

The encouraging part is that both conditions can be managed well. The approach is not just about medicines—it’s about small, consistent lifestyle changes. Eating balanced meals, staying physically active, managing stress, and getting proper sleep can make a real difference over time.

The key is to listen to your body. If something feels off and continues for months, don’t ignore it. Getting checked early can save a lot of trouble later.

In the end, this rise in combined thyroid and PCOS cases isn’t random. It reflects how modern lifestyles are affecting women’s health. The good news is—with the right care and awareness, it’s absolutely possible to manage both and stay healthy.