Reproductive Health News and Research

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Despite progress, more effort 'urgently' needed to prevent maternal mortality in Africa

Citing a U.N. report released in May, titled "Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2010," which shows "the number of women worldwide dying of pregnancy and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in the last 20 years," Agnes Odhiambo, a researcher for women in Africa at Human Rights Watch, writes in this Inter Press Service opinion piece.

31 May 2012

Participants of 5th International Parliamentarian Conference on Population, Development reiterate commitment to 1994 program of action

"Participants at the Fifth International Parliamentarians' Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) ended a two-day meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday with a joint pledge to advocate for increased funding for full implementation of the decades-old ICPD Programme of Action," Inter Press Service reports.

30 May 2012

Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly covers some of the biggest challenges facing public health

The Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly concluded Saturday after adopting 21 resolutions and three decisions on a broad range of health issues. The six days of discussions involved nearly 3000 delegates, including health ministers and senior health officials from amongst the 194 WHO Member States, as well as representatives from civil society and other stakeholders.

28 May 2012

World Health Assembly endorses Global Vaccine Action Plan

Ministers of Health from 194 countries at the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly today endorsed a landmark Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), a roadmap to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through more equitable access to existing vaccines for people in all communities.

28 May 2012

Prevalence of contraceptive use among women during first sexual encounter is 70.4%

Contraceptive use in Spain during the first sexual encounter is similar to other European countries. However, there are some geographical differences between Spanish regions: women in Murcia use contraceptives less (55.8%) whereas women in the Basque Country use them more (76.7%).

25 May 2012

Revive rights-based focus on women's health

"We need to revive the rights-based agenda and realign research priorities for women's health," journalist Priya Shetty writes in this SciDev.Net opinion piece. "The activists who fought to put human rights at the center of women's sexual and reproductive health, at the landmark International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994, may have won the battle -- but they are still fighting the war," she continues and outlines the "radical set of resolutions" produced by the conference.

25 May 2012

Scientists discover key gene essential for sperm development

A new type of male contraceptive could be created thanks to the discovery of a key gene essential for sperm development.

25 May 2012

Congressional appropriations decisions will affect women's health worldwide

"[E]vidence shows that family planning prevents the needless deaths of women worldwide," which should "be cause to sustain or even increase U.S. investments in these programs," Chloe Cooney, director of global advocacy for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), writes in this RH Reality Check blog post.

24 May 2012

Invest in proven ways to curb maternal mortality, morbidity

Christy Turlington Burns, maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, notes in this GlobalPost "Global Pulse" opinion piece that "99 percent of women who die during or after childbirth live in the developing world," and women and girls ages 19 and younger are at a higher risk of maternal mortality and morbidity.

23 May 2012

Focusing attention on population, reproductive health issues

"As representatives of the World Health Organization Member States arrive in Geneva this week for the 65th World Health Assembly, I feel a cautious optimism about the future, and the future health of Africa," Joy Phumaphi, co-chair of the Aspen Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, writes in this post in the Huffington Post Blog.

22 May 2012

Male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that affect reproductive health

A new study conducted by UCLA School of Nursing researchers has found that serious leisure male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that could affect their reproductive health. The study, "Reproductive Hormones and Interleukin-6 in Serious Leisure Male Athletes," was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

21 May 2012

Dieting in pregnancy can be beneficial and reduce complications

For pregnant women, including those who are overweight and obese, following a healthy calorie controlled diet during pregnancy is safe and can reduce the risk of serious complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes and premature birth, finds a study published on bmj.com.

21 May 2012

A decision in N.Y. case on access to abortion pills could impact presidential politics

Politico looks at how a court decision to open Plan B prescriptions to women under the age of 17 could put both President Barack Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney on the spot.

18 May 2012

MDG Health Alliance introduced at GBCHealth Conference

The MDG Health Alliance, an innovative new private sector organization created and led by eminent business leaders to tackle urgent global health problems, was introduced today in the United States at the GBCHealth Conference.

17 May 2012

No significant differences in absorption between tablet and softgel capsule forms of folic acid

The bioavailability of folic acid does not significantly differ between delivery in standard tablet or softgel capsule forms, according to research published in this month's Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Folic Acid helps support a women's pregnancy and development of a healthy newborn.

17 May 2012

Inducing labour improves survival rates for babies

Babies born when labour is induced around their due date may have better survival rates than those whose birth is not induced, a study suggests.

14 May 2012

Ariz., Iowa Republicans tweak abortion, contraception bills

GOP legislators have backed down from some of the anti-abortion and anti-contraception coverage measures they wanted.

11 May 2012

Ariz. governor signs bill banning public funding of Planned Parenthood; Appeals court bar Texas from cutting the group from the Women's Health Program

Supporters of the Arizona bill said the law was needed to keep money from indirectly funding abortions. In the Texas case, the panel of federal appeals judges said Texas must continue funding Planned Parenthood until a lower court decides the case.

8 May 2012

Study identifies risk of major birth defects linked with assisted reproductive technologies

A University of Adelaide study has identified the risk of major birth defects associated with different types of assisted reproductive technology.

5 May 2012

U.N. adopts resolution on young people's sexual and reproductive rights

This RH Reality Check post by the International Planned Parenthood Federation Western Hemisphere Region (IPPFWHR) examines a "resolution in support of young people's sexual and reproductive health and human rights" adopted recently by member states at the 45th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development.

5 May 2012

Reproductive Health News and Research

Despite progress, more effort 'urgently' needed to prevent maternal mortality in Africa

Participants of 5th International Parliamentarian Conference on Population, Development reiterate commitment to 1994 program of action

Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly covers some of the biggest challenges facing public health

World Health Assembly endorses Global Vaccine Action Plan

Prevalence of contraceptive use among women during first sexual encounter is 70.4%

Revive rights-based focus on women's health

Scientists discover key gene essential for sperm development

Congressional appropriations decisions will affect women's health worldwide

Invest in proven ways to curb maternal mortality, morbidity

Focusing attention on population, reproductive health issues

Male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that affect reproductive health

Dieting in pregnancy can be beneficial and reduce complications

A decision in N.Y. case on access to abortion pills could impact presidential politics

MDG Health Alliance introduced at GBCHealth Conference

No significant differences in absorption between tablet and softgel capsule forms of folic acid

Inducing labour improves survival rates for babies

Ariz., Iowa Republicans tweak abortion, contraception bills

Ariz. governor signs bill banning public funding of Planned Parenthood; Appeals court bar Texas from cutting the group from the Women's Health Program

Study identifies risk of major birth defects linked with assisted reproductive technologies

U.N. adopts resolution on young people's sexual and reproductive rights

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