Health Check

Many women in Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana and Myanmar are slapped, punched or shouted at when they’re giving birth. Research just published in The Lancet says that despite travelling for hours in labour to get to hospital, 5% gave birth all alone and almost half were abused, often during the last 15 minutes of the birth. Claudia spoke to two of the authors, Meghan Bohren from the School of Population and Global Health in Melbourne, Australia, and Dr Theresa Irinyenikan of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo, Nigeria. Five years ago India’s Prime Minster Narendra Modi pledged that every citizen would be able to use a toilet, instead of answering nature’s call...in nature. This would mean providing toilet facilities for hundreds of millions of people. And now, the Prime Minster has declared the country open defecation free. Reporter Chhavi Sachdev explores if the plan has really worked. Claudia continues her conversation with gynaecologist and author of the bestselling Vagina Bible – Jen Gunter. They talk about some of the things that women worry about – worries which Jen has seen increase in the last decade. James Gallagher, BBC Science and Health Correspondent, joins Claudia to talk about the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine and a mind controlled exoskeleton that helped a paralysed man to walk. (Photo caption: Mothers nurse their babies in a maternity ward in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Credit: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker and Paula McGrath

Athletes have been competing under gruelling conditions of heat and humidity this week at the World Championships in Doha. It regularly tops 40 degrees C there. So ahead of the competition, some athletes trained in special heat chambers to help prepare their bodies for the climate. But what happens when they do this? Hannah Fisher visits St Mary’s University in London to explore the physiology behind this training technique. Claudia talks to American gynaecologist and author Jen Gunter about her new book The Vagina Bible. It’s a detailed guide for a general audience on this part of the female body. Dr Gunter says it’s essential for women’s health to talk openly about the subject, and tells Claudia her do’s and don’ts for taking care of this part of the body. Just as artificial joints for hips and knees have transformed the lives of people whose joints have worn with age, so bone implants can help those whose bones have been damaged through injury or cancer. Initially it was hard to make sure that both bone implants and artificial joints attached firmly without breaking, but both the materials used and the methods for attaching them to existing bone have improved. But there's another challenge - the danger of joints or implants becoming infected. Medical researcher Melanie Coathup at the University of Central Florida is trying to tackle this issue. The Guardian’s health editor Sarah Boseley is with Claudia to explain the latest row over whether red meat is bad for our health, and an extraordinary ‘breakthrough’ in treating the skin cancer melanoma with drugs that allow the patient’s immune system to seek and destroy the cancer cells. (Photo caption: An athlete warming up in a stadium at night – credit: Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker and Paula McGrath

When a woman has a c-section, she is often faced with a choice of how to give birth to any subsequent children. It can be a difficult and emotional decision, but it is made harder by the lack of good evidence about the risk of complications for either vaginal delivery or another caesarean. University of Oxford’s Kate Fitzpatrick talks to Claudia Hammond about her latest research. On the Italian island of Lampedusa, people with mental health problems face a lot of stigma - which can lead to isolation and a fear of seeking treatment. In an attempt to ease suspicion and fight prejudice, a local mental health centre has teamed up with a community vegetable garden. Irene Caselli reports. Artificial intelligence has been hailed as the next big thing in medicine. But does it really live up to the hype? Xiao Liu and Alastair Denniston from the University of Birmingham reveal their findings. Also on the programme, family doctor Ann Robinson talks to Claudia about how the genes for high cholesterol differ between countries, and she helps Health Check listener Agnes with a question about sweaty palms. (Photo caption: Pregnant woman lying on the bed waiting to give birth in a hospital – credit: Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Anna Lacey

Parenting can be a joy. But it can also be tiring and stressful. So what happens when parents become completely overwhelmed? Claudia Hammond speaks to Professor Moïra Mikolajczak about the causes, consequences and solutions to a condition known as parental burnout. Chile’s population is aging fast – with 30% of its citizens predicted to be over 60 by 2050. This poses a big problem for hospitals as elderly people can find themselves stuck on wards for much longer than expected. In an attempt to tackle the issue the government has launched Adultos Mejores, which includes opening a series of specialist geriatric units focused on getting people back on their feet more quickly. Jane Chambers pays a visit. When it comes to brain health, we are told to use it or lose it. So how helpful is multilingualism in staving off conditions such as dementia? Professor Suzanne Tyas tells Claudia how a group of nuns is helping her find answers. BBC News correspondent James Gallagher joins Claudia to talk about a new idea for tackling the common cold, and reveals where the bacteria that makes up the baby biome really comes from. (Photo caption: Stressed mother – credit: Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Anna Lacey

Many people with autistic spectrum disorder learn techniques to overcome their difficulties interacting with others. The first study that has looked at the consequences of these compensatory strategies reveals some benefits but also significant downsides. The consequences can be stress, low self-esteem, mental illness and misdiagnosis. Claudia talks to lead researcher Professor Francesca Happé from King’s College London and Eloise Stark, a woman with autism. A new research programme at Imperial College London is investigating the link between obesity and infertility in men. Madeleine Finlay explores why weight gain and other factors of modern life might be influencing men’s sperm health. Tick-borne Lyme disease is on the rise in the northern hemisphere. Lyme disease can develop into a serious illness. It is hard to diagnosis early and delayed diagnosis means lengthy treatment and recovery. Dr Mollie Jewett at the University of Central Florida is working on a much faster means of diagnosis, and a more effective treatment. Deborah Cohen meets Dr Jewett and her ticks. Graham Easton is in the Health Check studio to talk about links between hearing loss and dementia, and the worrying spread of bacteria resistant to carbapenems, one of the most important kinds of antibiotic drugs. (Photo caption: A young woman standing in the middle of a crowded street – credit: Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond with comments from Dr Graham Easton. Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker