Top 5 women’s health headlines you missed in May 2025

Top 5 women’s health headlines you missed in May 2025 | Image Credit: © sebra – stock.adobe.com.

May 2025 brought a wave of critical developments shaping women’s health care across prevention, screening, policy, and procedural innovation.

From updated ACOG guidance and USPSTF reaffirmations to landmark FDA approvals and shifting CDC recommendations, these changes underscore the dynamic landscape of obstetrics and gynecology. Key topics included cervical cancer screening, maternal syphilis prevention, environmental health risks, and pain management during office procedures.

In this monthly roundup, Contemporary OB/GYN highlights the most impactful clinical guidance, regulatory news, and research updates from May 2025.

Click on each headline below for full coverage and expert insights.

1. 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting: What you missed

New research and guidance presented at the 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting spotlight advances in women’s health care, from environmental risks to updated clinical protocols. ACOG released new pain management guidance for in-office uterine and cervical procedures, urging individualized, evidence-based care. Other highlights included studies linking phthalate exposure from personal care products to pregnancy risks, and data showing associations between air pollution and both spontaneous preterm birth and postpartum depression.

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2. CDC removes COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for healthy children, pregnant individuals

The CDC has removed routine COVID-19 vaccination from its immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, following recent FDA policy shifts limiting vaccine eligibility. Infectious disease expert Tina Tan, MD, warns the move could jeopardize public health, noting severe COVID-19 risks in pregnancy and among some healthy children. The decision follows the FDA’s approval of a new Novavax vaccine for individuals aged 12–64 with risk factors, as well as a push for randomized trials before wider approval. Experts fear these changes could delay access and insurance coverage.

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3. FDA approves Teal Wand for at-home cervical cancer screening

The FDA has approved the Teal Wand, the first at-home vaginal self-collection device for cervical cancer screening in US women. Designed for average-risk individuals aged 25 to 65, the Teal Wand offers Pap smear–equivalent accuracy and greater convenience. In the SELF-CERV study, the device achieved 96% accuracy, with 94% of participants preferring it over in-clinic collection. The device aims to reduce screening barriers and increase compliance among women behind on cervical cancer screening. Nationwide availability begins in June, with support from insurers and a focus on equitable access.

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4. USPSTF: Syphilis screening during pregnancy has ‘substantial’ net benefit

The USPSTF has reaffirmed its 2018 “A” recommendation for early, universal syphilis screening during pregnancy, citing substantial net benefit and high certainty. The guidance, published in JAMA, stresses prompt testing to prevent congenital syphilis, which can cause stillbirth, neonatal death, and birth defects. With nearly 4,000 US cases in 2023, the highest in over 30 years, the Task Force found no new evidence to alter the recommendation. Early treatment remains crucial, with data showing significantly improved outcomes when syphilis is treated before the third trimester.

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5. Pain management guidance for in-office uterine, cervical procedures updated by ACOG

ACOG’s new Clinical Consensus recommended individualized, evidence-based pain management for in-office uterine and cervical procedures. Released May 15, 2025, the guidance urged clinicians to proactively address pain during IUD insertions, biopsies, and hysteroscopies, among others. It includes procedure-specific strategies, such as local anesthetics and NSAIDs, and highlights the need to consider trauma history and anxiety. ACOG also called for more inclusive research and stressed that all patients should be offered appropriate pain relief, promoting equity and shared decision-making in gynecologic care.

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