Women with the same medical conditions as men were less likely to receive the same treatment across several specialties, a global research review found.

The review found differences in care for conditions including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and Parkinson’s, with women less likely to receive some active treatments.

Of 38 studies analysed, 33 found women were less likely than men to be offered active treatment.

Researchers at the University of St Andrews found women with myocardial infarction, heart failure or an irregular heartbeat were more likely to receive medication, while men were more likely to undergo coronary bypass surgery, stenting or other surgical treatment.

Women were also less likely to be prescribed statins.

Men with Parkinson’s were more likely to be referred for deep brain stimulation.

Men with liver failure were more likely to receive a transplant, while women with kidney disease requiring dialysis were less likely to receive permanent access and spent longer using a catheter.

Women were also less likely to receive opioids for pain management.

The researchers found no significant difference between women and men in treatment for stroke or diabetes, while women were more likely to receive treatment for dementia.

None of the studies identified clinical guidelines recommending different treatment based on sex.

Researchers said this suggested the differences could not be explained by the need for different clinical approaches to women’s health.

Dr Andrew O’Malley, who co-led the study, said: “For clinicians, the findings are a prompt to check whether treatment is being offered on clinical grounds rather than assumption.”

He said studies showed doctors more often attributed women’s symptoms to anxiety and made more diagnostic errors with female patients, even when test results were positive.

Dr Miriam Veenhuizen, honorary lecturer in the School of Medicine at St Andrews, said: “While the direction of the findings was not a surprise, the consistency was. The same pattern appeared in cardiology, surgery, transplant medicine and emergency care, and it survived statistical adjustment in most studies.”

Women entering pregnancy with multiple long-term health conditions face higher risks of miscarriage and other complications, a UK study found.

Those with two or more pre-existing physical or mental health conditions had a 20 per cent higher risk of miscarriage than women with no long-term conditions.

They also had more than twice the risk of venous thromboembolism and around four times the risk of antenatal anxiety and depression.

The UK-wide research team analysed 2,225,701 pregnancies and birth events recorded between 2000 and 2022 across five datasets covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Women with multiple long-term conditions had a 69 per cent higher risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and a 42 per cent higher risk of pre-eclampsia.

The women also had a 32 per cent higher risk of placental abruption and a 26 per cent higher risk of gestational diabetes.

Risks rose as the number of existing conditions increased.

Among women with three or more long-term conditions, the risk of venous thromboembolism was more than three-and-a-half times that of women with no long-term conditions.

Researchers said the findings had implications for maternity services, where care pathways are largely centred on individual conditions and may not adequately meet the needs of women with multiple long-term conditions.

Dr Kelly-Ann Eastwood, joint senior author and honorary lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and consultant obstetrician at St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said the results “help define” the urgent clinical challenges facing women entering pregnancy with multiple long-term conditions and the clinicians caring for them across the UK.

“These findings highlight the pressing need to restructure existing maternity services to improve antenatal outcomes,” she added.

The authors cautioned that the study was observational and relied on routinely collected health records, meaning some conditions and outcomes may have been under-recorded, while residual confounding could not be excluded.

The researchers plan to examine birth and child outcomes and identify which combinations of long-term conditions carry the greatest risk.

Manchester City has launched a female athlete health platform covering menstrual, pelvic and breast health, as well as nutrition.

The Her City website is designed for the club’s women’s first-team players, coaches, support staff, academy players and parents.

Manchester City says the platform is the first of its kind in the Women’s Super League and was developed over two years.

The project was led by director of performance services Emma Deakin, physical performance scientist Rosie Anderson and PhD student and first-team nutritionist Sarah Malone.

It grew out of PhD research into menstrual, pelvic and breast health and nutrition, with the team seeking to turn that work into an online educational resource.

The website divides the four areas into separate sections and provides peer-reviewed information that the club says has been critically analysed by experts.

Content will continue to be reviewed and updated as further evidence emerges.

Resources include posters, visual explainers, audio materials and downloadable educational content, with information tailored to different groups including players and parents.

The platform aims to improve knowledge, develop critical analysis skills and strengthen communication within football and at home.

It also includes material to help users assess misinformation they encounter on social media or elsewhere.

A confidential contact form allows users to raise concerns or ask questions directly of experts at Manchester City.

Parents of academy players can also access the platform, with resources intended to help them support their children during a key phase of their development.

Manchester City said its longer-term aim is to make the platform available to all women working across City Football Group.