Woman's Hour

What impact do hormones have on women with ADHD? A first of its kind study by Kings College and Queen Mary University in London is putting the link to the test, by asking 50 women who have ADHD and are taking medication for it to track their menstrual cycle. They will log the impact it has on their ADHD symptoms, and daily life more broadly. Report academic Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais and Laura Mears-Reynolds from the charity ADHDAF+ join presenter Nuala McGovern to discuss.
We hear about the current government consultation aiming to give added financial security to more than 3.5 million unmarried couples when they separate. It's hoped the overdue reforms will help protect women and better meet the needs of modern relationships. Nuala discusses this with Mandip Ghai, a lawyer from the legal charity Rights of Women, who have campaigned for new laws, and Jenny Allen who is feeling the long-term impact of her separation on her finances now she is semi-retired.
Parents of school-age children will know that this is the time of year when thoughts turns to a present for their teacher. But collections can be divisive when so many families are feeling financial pressure. The question of how much to give, who should be included or whether to contribute at all can be fraught. Author and comedian Helen Thorne from the Scummy Mummies comedy duo shares her thoughts on the hot topic dominating many school whatsapp groups.
Video game God of War will have a female protagonist for the first time in the form of Laufey, both a powerful woman and a mother. Nuala is joined by player and journalist Vicky Jessop and The Guardian's games editor Keza Macdonald to discuss the significance and online backlash.
Presented by: Nuala McGovern
Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Sarah Hadland will be a familiar face to many, having played numerous roles over the years, but is probably best known for her role as Stevie in the BAFTA-nominated sitcom Miranda. Currently on stage in London’s West End, she joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her latest role as Alice in The Truth, a fast-paced comedy of infidelity and duplicity.
The second phase of the Southport inquiry will resume in September. It was set up after Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were murdered at a dance class in 2024. Its chairman Sir Adrian Fulford wants to find ways to respond to the dangers posed by violence-fixated individuals - individuals who may carry out extreme violence, where ideology is not the primary driver. The government programme Prevent focuses on tackling extremist ideologies that lead to violence and aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Lord Anderson was the Independent Prevent Commissioner from January 2025 to April 2026, who published an independent review 'Lessons for Prevent' which also looked at why Prevent failed to stop the Southport attack. Some are asking whether misogyny should be considered an ideology within government schemes. Nuala discusses with Lord Anderson and Dr Ruth Tulley, a consultant forensic psychologist.
We're in the middle of our third heatwave of the year - and temperatures are set to climb again later this week. Scientists say that what makes this year's heatwaves distinct is that right across Europe temperatures have remained high overnight as well as in the day. In June, London alone recorded five consecutive nights over 20 degrees Celcius, what meteorologists call "tropical nights". The temperatures inside many homes will have been much higher. Lots of us are reporting struggling to sleep. Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Guddi Singh and GP, Dr Sarah Jarvis join Nuala to discuss what to do if you are caring for a baby.
The author Jennifer Saint has retold some of the best-known stories from Greek literature and mythology through the eyes of women: Ariadne, Atalanta, Electra and Hera. In her latest novel, This Immortal Heart, Jennifer turns to Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and reimagines Aphrodites’ relationship with Ares, the god of war. Jennifer joins Nuala to talk about how stories that originated over two thousand years ago and their themes can tackle contemporary questions about female agency and identity – and what happens when two seemingly opposite forces – love and war - are drawn irresistibly together.
Presented by Nuala McGovern
Producer: Louise Corley

Emma Grede is a British entrepreneur and philanthropist who has been featured on Forbes' America’s Richest Self-Made Women list. Emma joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her book Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work and Life.
Parents are being warned about the risks of posting images of their children online due to an increase in AI-generated child abuse imagery. The Internet Watch Foundation found 3,440 AI-generated videos of child sexual abuse in 2025, compared with just 13 in 2024. Nuala is joined by Emma Hardy of the Internet Watch Foundation and Dr Elaine Kasket, cyber-psychologist and the author of Reset: Rethinking your Digital World for a Happier Life.
Many of us are familiar with the often painful process of sorting through the wardrobes of our loved ones who have died. Anita Rani discusses what people can do to keep memories alive with Sophie Lewis, founder of The Reincarnation Club, a service which creates new outfits out of old and Pip Housam, of Love Keep Create, a company which transforms clothing into keepsakes.
New research into IVF and donor eggs suggests that older women face a lower chance of fertility treatment working, even when using young donor eggs - with a marked drop-off from around the age of 49. Researchers believe age-related changes in the womb lining may be the cause. Nuala is joined by Dr Ippokratis Sarris, chair elect of the British Fertility Society, and writer Grace Ackroyd who had a baby at 47 using donor eggs.
The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in London in the early hours of Friday morning, the first time it had left France for over 900 years. Meanwhile in Cambridgeshire, one woman has been painstakingly recreating the tapestry for the last decade. Mia Hansson joins Kylie Pentelow to explain why she took on this challenge.
Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Kirsty McQuire

This programme was recorded before the police announced an investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death.
Ann Widdecombe's political career spanned decades, serving as Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years, and a minister in John Major's government, then later becoming an MEP and joining Reform UK in 2023. She was also well known for her TV appearances including taking part in Strictly Come Dancing. Kylie speaks to her colleague in the Conservative party Baroness Anne Jenkin and BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley.
Campaigners and a cross-party group of MPs and peers presented a petition to Downing Street yesterday, signed by over 100,000 people, urging the government to increase bereavement support for the first time in nearly a decade. Widow’s Fight – who started the petition - say bereaved young families are falling into poverty. Kylie is joined by Holly O’Connor from Widow's Fight and Caroline Voaden, Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, who was widowed when her children were young, and is supporting the campaign.
The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in London in the early hours of this morning, under the cover of darkness, the first time it has left France for over 900 years. Meanwhile in Cambridgeshire, one woman has been painstakingly recreating the tapestry for the last decade.  Mia Hansson joins Kylie to explain why she took on this massive project.
This week we have heard about three different new diagnostic tests being developed for endometriosis, a condition thought to affect one in 10 women. We find out what these tests are, how long before they are available, and whether they could reduce the average nine year wait for a diagnosis in the UK. Kylie Pentelow hears from Evelyn Scott, author of A Bloody Scandal - How Medicine Fails Women in Pain and Elisabeth Bean, an NHS consultant gynaecologist and diagnostics chair of the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy.
Saint Olga of Kyiv, patron saint of Ukraine has her saint’s day tomorrow. In Ukraine, she’s a beloved religious figure, but she was also a real woman, known for exacting brutal revenge on those who crossed her. BBC Ukrainian’s Irena Taranyuk joins Kylie to discuss Olga’s mythological story, what she symbolises for Ukrainians and why her story is still relevant to women today.

Iranian writer, Shahrnush Parsipur, who spent her life documenting what it meant to be a woman living under repression in Iran, died this week in the US, at the age of 80. Anita Rani talks to Iranian journalist Paxima Mojavvezi about Shahrnush, a pioneer of feminist literature, whose book Women Without Men was banned in Iran, but nevertheless became an underground bestseller.
According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, around two-thirds of women will develop at least one uterine fibroid during their lifetime - that's a non-cancerous growth that develops in or around the womb. Despite being a common reproductive health issues, fibroids remain under-discussed and can leave some women without the knowledge to seek treatment. Anita is joined by a gynaecologist Dr Michelle Griffin, author of a new book, Fibroids: Everything You Need to Know from Symptoms to Diagnosis and Beyond and Dawn Heels who suffered for decades with fibroid symptoms and is now a campaigner for the condition.
Many of us are familiar with the onerous, often painful process of sorting through the wardrobes of our loved ones who have died. It raises difficult choices about what to do with clothes that can carry emotional weight and evoke many memories. Anita discusses what people can do to keep memories alive with Sophie Lewis, founder of The Reincarnation Club, a service which creates new outfits out of old and Pip Housam, general manager of Love Keep Create, a company which transforms cherished clothing into lasting keepsakes.
Is it correct to assume that a former elite athlete is always healthy? A research project from the University of Edinburgh is exploring just that by looking at the current health status of retired female Olympians and how this compares to females in the general population. Anita speaks to lead researcher Dr Lauren Guilfoyle and five-time Olympian runner, Jo Pavey.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones