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Last week, in a landmark settlement, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California Haywood Gilliam, Jr. approved a preliminary agreement for the class action lawsuit requiring Aetna to cover fertility treatments for same-sex couples — like artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization — as they do with heterosexual couples. It is the first case requiring a health insurer to apply this policy nationally across all of its enrollees. An estimated 2.8 million LGBTQ members will benefit, including 91,000 Californians. Under the settlement, Aetna will also pay at least $2 million in damages to California-based members who qualify. (Hwang, 12/22)

Infants given the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus) to provide passive immunity against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had a lower rate of related hospitalizations and severe outcomes than those whose mothers got immunized with the RSVpreF vaccine (Abrysvo), a population-based cohort study from France indicated. (Henderson, 12/22)

A prospective cohort study from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) suggests that mpox infection during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, is associated with a high risk of fetal loss. The study, published late last week in The Lancet, pooled data from four studies conducted between December 2022 and June 2025 in one DRC region where mpox clade 1b is in circulation and two regions in which mpox clade 1a is endemic. (Bergeson, 12/22)

Use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy, particularly in the second trimester, was linked to some adverse pregnancy outcomes, a Taiwanese cohort study found. (Robertson, 12/22)

A new report by European health officials indicates outdated national strategies and gaps in testing are hindering European countries’ efforts to stem a continent-wide surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs). (Dall, 12/22)