Does testosterone really help improve menopause brain fog?

There is “insufficient” evidence to back the claim that testosterone can improve brain fog and memory symptoms linked to the menopause, a new study suggests.

Social media is “flooded” with claims that testosterone can improve these symptoms in menopausal women, experts said.

What you need to nkow

While there is anecdotal information that testosterone can help, experts stressed that there is currently not enough evidence to establish the effect. Experts at University College London said testosterone prescriptions have increased in the UK, reflecting growing interest in its role during menopause.

The team reviewed five studies which looked at whether testosterone can improve memory in post menopausal women.

A closer look at the detail

244 women

Some 244 women with an average age of 57 involved in the review were given either a placebo or testosterone at varying levels.

• The research team did not find significant improvements for cognitive function among participants taking testosterone.
• “The findings should be interpreted as insufficient to establish an effect, rather than as evidence of no effect,” the authors wrote in the journal Reproduction And Fertility.

The expert view

While there may be some anecdotal evidence for this in perimenopausal women, we cannot claim testosterone improves cognition during menopause without further evidence. More research is needed to understand any links between  and brain health.

Professor Aimee Spector, senior author of the study and director of the UCL Menopause Mind Lab

Psychologists sound alarm over chatbots ‘harmful’ mental health advice

Psychologists have raised concerns about unregulated AI chatbots providing “unqualified and harmful” information to people seeking mental health advice.

It comes as a British Psychological Society (BPS) survey found that practitioners have seen a 49 per cent rise in the number of patients using AI for support in the last 12 months.

• One member told the survey they are worried people are turning to technology as it feels “safer”, but warned there is a risk of increasing isolation that can impact wellbeing.
• The BPS poll of 197 psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists found seven in 10 are somewhat or very concerned about clients using AI for mental health support.

A closer look at the figures

80%

told the survey they are concerned clients are becoming overly reliant on the technology, while around three quarters (76 per cent) said it is negatively affecting client wellbeing.

• The BPS poll comes after a survey of 2,000 children aged 11-17 by Barnardo’s and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) found more than four in 10 (43 per cent) had used AI for advice or emotional support.

The expert view

This research shows there is real cause for concern for those that use AI for mental health therapy, and that concern is coming directly from psychological practitioners on the frontline providing vital in-person support. The risk of unregulated open access AI chatbots providing unqualified and harmful advice remains very real.

Dr Laura Dean, president of the BPS

Russell Brand’s wife hails ‘kind’ husband but tells court he cheated when dating

Russell Brand’s wife Laura Brand has told his rape trial her husband is “caring” and “kind” and there is honesty at the centre of their marriage.

What Laura Brand told the court

She said they rekindled their romance in 2015, married two years later, and they now have three children together.

What the court heard

Russell, my husband, is caring, he is kind, he is a wonderful father to our children. He is an amazingly attentive husband. He has got an eye for detail I’ve never known before. The way he treats me is to really know me, I feel very seen by him in every way. I love him very much.

laura brand

• Laura said she knew about his reputation before they met and she learned while they were dating that he had been having sex with other people.
• She said they stayed friends as Brand had a brief marriage to singer Katy Perry, and they got back together as a couple in 2015.
• Asked if she was “aware of his promiscuity” during their time apart, she said: “I was very aware of it. I could read about it regularly in the papers.”

During his wife’s evidence, Brand could be seen smiling and laughing at times, and he appeared to be mouthing words towards his wife as she talked about his 2024 baptism.

Laura Brand’s evidence was briefly interrupted when defence barrister Ian Winter KC attempted to ask for her view on the “truth of the allegations”. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC interjected, and the judge pointed out she is not an expert witness.

Brand faces claims that he raped and sexually assaulted women over the course of 10 years of his showbiz career.

On Wednesday, he insisted consent is “non-negotiable” and told jurors it is “more important than sex itself”. He denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault.

How weight-loss jabs boom is putting waste workers at risk

The rising popularity of injectable weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy means more used needles are turning up at recycling centres – and their bosses have warned this is putting workers at risk of infection and serious injury.

Used needles should always disposed of through a dedicated clinical waste service.

But a large number of weight-loss needles are being dumped in household bins, the BBC reports.

Waste site workers are regularly being pricked by them, putting their health at risk. 

What should you do to help?

• Weight-loss drug users have been urged to speak to their GPs or pharmacies about obtaining a sharps bin.
• Whatever you do, never put a sharps container or loose needles in your recycling bin.

Recycling boss voices concern

There are safe disposal routes for needles but the worst place to put them is in your recycling. It ends up in facilities like ours where it will be touched by people and that’s inherently unsafe

Richard Dobbs, managing director of Sherborne Recycling

Poundland on brink of administration – what we know

Poundland has filed to appoint administrators, threatening the future of around 12,000 workers.

Court filings show that the retailer filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators on Thursday, which will give the business 10 working days of breathing space from creditors to secure a potential rescue deal.

Despite enormous efforts it has not been possible to identify an acceptable offer for the business as a whole. The process has however attracted several established retail operators who have made formal offers. Collectively these cover a significant part of the business.

Barry willams, Poundland’s managing director

What you need to know

• Advisers are still in talks with parties interested in buying the brand and swathes of stores.
• Poundland stressed that all its stores remain open and trading as normal despite the insolvency process.
• It comes after owner Gordon Brothers rejected a takeover offer from Irish real estate firm Martin Property Group, which management named as their preferred bidder earlier this month.

• Gordon Brothers – which only bought Poundland last year for £1 – launched a sale process for the retailer at the start of September.
• Poundland currently runs around 600 stores across the UK.
• Wilko and The Range owner CDS Superstores, Poundstretcher owner Fortress and TG Jones owner Modella are all understood to be interested in buying parts of the Poundland business.
• However, deals are unlikely to include all Poundland stores and some jobs are likely to be affected.

Girl, 8, injured in wolf attack at German wildlife park

An eight-year-old girl has been left seriously injured after being attacked by a wolf at a wildlife park in Germany.

What happened?

• The girl, who has not been named, was attacked at the Johannismühle wildlife park near Berlin.
• The facility had been holding a special event for children at the time of the incident, the Associated Press reported.

• The girl was attacked before the park opened on Wednesday, German media reports.
• She was rushed to hospital by helicopter after the incident.
• The park has been temporarily closed and is set to reopen on 2 November.
• Johannismühle’s website states it offers small group tours where there is an opportunity to “feed wolves”.
• There are no reports of anyone else being injured.

The news comes after William Chapman, 24, was fatally mauled by a tiger at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park earlier this month.

Senior coroner Nicola Mundy said Chapman had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis.