That’s pretty much the conclusion of a number of recent articles written about the popular fertility treatment – said to put a pause on a woman’s biological clock. The Medical Minefield team hear from one young woman, Charlie, who deeply regrets undergoing the procedure, describing it as painful and not worth the month of tests, scans and bloating. But Emma Kafton, from fertility clinic Evewell, who perform hundreds of egg freezing procedures, says that, under the right supervision, it can be a huge success. But with fewer than 40 babies born from frozen eggs a year in the UK, how do we know it works?

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Yet another study shed light on the supposed dangers of ultra-processed food this week – but Barney and Eve are sceptical. Are the frozen chips and burgers that they grew up on really that bad? Rob Percival, Head of Food Policy at The Soil Association, explains exactly why these foods should be limited – and it’s not just because they’re calorific, he says. Meanwhile, ITV’s resident GP Dr Hilary Jones explains why he too is taking a stand against ultra-processed foods, but caveats that there’s nothing wrong with a few burgers a week.

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Amid reports from concerned doctors that women are taking risky megadoses, Barney speaks to Davina McCall's menopause GP Naomi Harris, who says she's worried that patients are getting medical advice from their hairdressers and other unreliable sources, and from Birmingham-based consultant gynaecologist Lynne Robinson, who says hormone over-treatment can lead to serious health problems. 

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This week Eve reveals that she was approached by the BBC to appear in a recent documentary about antidepressants. Her interview hit the cutting room floor, and she can't help wonder, having watched the resulting film, whether it was because she wasn't anti-antidepressants enough? And the team speak to mood disorders specialist Professor Allan Young, who says debate is important when it comes to psychiatric treatment, but that recent media coverage simply focusing on the negatives could be causing harm.

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Are we all getting fatter due to sedentary lifestyles? Or is exercising for weight loss pointless? This week, Dr Chris van Tulleken, BBC presenter and author of the best seller Ultra Processed People, explains how science has shown we'd burn the same number of calories working in a desk job as we would if we were hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. And Cambridge University obesity expert Professor Giles Yeo explain why he didn't lose a single pound on a 1,000km bike ride across the UK.

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Eve and Ethan talk to Angela Chesworth who lost 168lbs in a year after having gastric bypass surgery - but far from giving her a new lease of life, it sent her plummeting into depression. And Dr Alex Miras an expert in obesity at Imperial College London reveals how weight loss ops can trigger some very unexpected mental health 'side effects'. 

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Amid a global shortage of weight loss jab Ozempic, UK health chiefs have banned doctors from prescribing it as a slimming aid for non-diabetics. But speaking to Medical Minefield, Professor Carel Le Roux - and expert in metabolic medicine at Ulster University -  argues that obesity alone is a disease, and should be treated with the jab, just like diabetes is. The team also hear from one 72 year-old woman who has taken Ozempic for weight loss, but says she wouldn’t do it again.

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This week, Barney and Eve are taking a closer look at the new Alzheimer’s wonder drug donanemab - is it all it’s cracked up to be? Headlines are calling it a revolutionary treatment and some patients have said their dementia symptoms reversed. But Rob Howard, professor of old-age psychiatry at University College London, insists that the treatment, and evidence, need to be approached 

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After a recent study suggested hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of dementia by a worrying 24 per cent - contradicting other research that shows it could protect against against it - Barney and Eve try to find the truth behind the headlines. We hear from hormone expert Professor Annice Mukherjee and menopause specialist Dr Naomi Potter who both say women shouldn't panic, but also warn against believe too much of the hype. 

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This week, Eve talks to one of the authors of a new paper that is calling for more young women with eating disorders to be offered HRT. The researchers behind it – a group of menopause specialists and gynaecologists – claim the treatment could be vital for protecting young women from brittle bone disorders, like osteoporosis. But Eve, who had anorexia in her 20s, is unconvinced. She speaks to eating disorder campaigner Hope Virgo about why the medication could in fact prove detrimental to long term recovery.

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