Welcome to The Leak💦 — Peanut's newsletter-shaped bestie, where we share women's news stories and expert advice that are too crucial to keep secret. This time of year, it’s all about ‘New Year, New You’, but the old you is pretty great, too. Let’s talk about all the ways to live in the moment navigate the new year, without buying that $$$ exercise bike. 👀

👩‍⚕️ Postpartum Checks Get Serious About Postnatal Depression (Finally!)

NHS doctors in England will be advised to use six- to eight-week health checks to screen for postnatal depression or birth-related PTSD. The first-of-its-kind guidance is part of a plan to reduce suffering for new moms and tackle the annual £8.1bn cost of maternal mental health. And considering 1 in 4 of the 600,000+ women a year giving birth in England develops a postpartum mental health issue, it’s about bloody time. 🙌

🗳️ Power to the Polls: It’s Voting Time Again

It’s officially election year in the US, and President Biden’s campaigning for his second term in office — potentially against Trump. 👀 There’s a whole host of issues to influence your voting decisions (which you should definitely read up on), but this time, it looks like the hot topic is abortion rights. ICYMI, access to abortions and reproductive health is a pretty big deal, with about 70% of Americans deciding their vote on whether abortion access will be protected in their state. Across the pond, Brits are expected to join in on the fun, too, with a General Election on many people's 2024 bingo card.

🧻 Goodbye to UTIs?

It’s about time society tackles its ignorance around UTIs. Lack of understanding around female science leads to unnecessary pain and suffering, with women 30% more likely to get a UTI than men, and a hospital UTI death rate of 4 in 100 (rising to 1 in 10 for those aged 95+). The brunt is borne by women, especially post-perimenopause. But there’s hope... with the potential to reduce UTIs by 50%, vaginal estrogen could be the cure. The only catch? It’s currently approved in the US by the FDA for vaginal dryness and painful sex, but not yet overactive bladder or UTI prevention, despite the overwhelming evidence it works. 🤦‍♀️ Here’s hoping for progress in 2024! 🤞

📰 In Other News...

• Side hustlers, keep an eye on your taxes. 👀
• Naomi Osaka proving that mothers really are superheroes.
• Women in Afghanistan are studying medicine in secret.
• DYK Travis Kelce's rise to stardom was meticulously planned?

Welcome to Ask The Expert, where we ask a real-life professional your questions, to save you the hassle.

2024 is going to be the year of being present, so we asked Linda Corcoran, of Slow + Mindful, for her top mindfulness tips for the New Year.

But first, what even is mindfulness and what does it do?

“Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment with openness and curiosity. A growing body of research shows that practising mindfulness reduces stress, sharpens focus, and enhances overall wellbeing. By tuning into the here and now, mindfulness helps us live with greater peace, purpose, and connection.”

What are your top tips for a mindful New Year?

1. “Reflect with self-compassion: Review last year's journey with gentleness, taking stock of your strengths and any lessons learned.

2. Begin each morning mindfully: Easier said than done with a toddler in the house, but whenever possible, try to wake up slowly, take a few deep breaths, and set the tone for presence.

3. Minimize digital noise: Try to limit your doom-scrolling to stay grounded in the present.

4. Savor the ordinary moments: Pause to fully experience bites of food, big hugs, waggy tails, sunsets, and more with gratitude.

5. If resolutions aren’t for you, set intentions: Choose 1-2 positive intentions to guide your days rather than strict goals that end up making you feel bad.”

We asked our community...

Whether you’re into classic resolutions, or kicking them to the curb entirely for the New Year, it’s clear that we’re prioritizing mental health over physical health. Sure, it’s still the most popular type of resolution, but generally, people are focusing more on getting *healthier* than they are on losing weight, which just so happens to follow the science behind sticking to New Year’s Resolutions. Still searching for the perfect NYR for 2024? Keep it simple, make it mindful, and do *more*, not less.

And we are SO here for the 11% of you who made fun resolutions. 🤪

If you're thinking mindfulness could be a late addition to your resolution roster, Linda Corcoran says there's no time like the present. Basically, millennial women could need mindfulness now more than ever, as they face the first decline in well-being since the Silent Generation.

This edition of The Leak was brought to you by Phoebe Corcoran, Tassia Agatowski, Katie Millington, Lucia Schiaffino Martinez, Hannah Hastings, Henry Gibbons. 🫶

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