Reproductive Health News and Research

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IRMA, Population Council and MTN release Rectal Revolution video project

International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA), the Population Council, and the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) today released a collaborative video project called "The Rectal Revolution Is Here: An Introduction to Rectal Microbicide Clinical Trials." The jointly produced video, the first of its kind, is designed to educate communities affected by HIV about rectal microbicide development and the importance of participating in clinical trials to help speed the search for new HIV prevention options.

18 Dec 2012

Philippines passes Reproductive Health Bill on second reading

"After fourteen years of being stuck in Congress, legislators in the Philippines finally put to a historic vote and passed the Reproductive Health Bill before dawn Thursday," Inquirer.net reports.

14 Dec 2012

Reproductive Health Matters' supplement issue focuses on pregnancy decisions of HIV-positive women

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today publication of Reproductive Health Matters' 2012 supplement issue "Pregnancy decisions of women living with HIV".

13 Dec 2012

International health, development groups meet to discuss London Summit on Family Planning

In the Management Sciences for Health's (MSH) "Global Health Impact" blog, Barbara Ayotte, director of strategic communications at MSH, reports on a luncheon discussion on the London Summit on Family Planning, held in Boston in November.

13 Dec 2012

Study shows how osteocalcin plays a significant role in bone strength

A new study from engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture.

11 Dec 2012

Examining the definition of neglected diseases

"There's no generally accepted definition" for what characterizes a neglected disease, Kaitlin Christenson, coalition director for the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), writes in the Results for Development Institute's "Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment" blog.

6 Dec 2012

Researchers examine impact of exercise on mare reproductive health and embryo transfer

In the latest issue of the Journal of Animal Science, researchers at Clemson University and the University of Florida examine the impact of exercise on mare reproductive health and embryo transfer.

6 Dec 2012

Moderna Therapeutics closes $40M in financing

Moderna Therapeutics announced today that it has closed more than $40 million in financing to date, led by Flagship Ventures and private investors, which will be used to advance multiple programs toward clinical stage development.

6 Dec 2012

Blogs address global AIDS issues following World AIDS Day, release of U.S. blueprint

The following blog posts address global AIDS issues, following World AIDS Day on December 1 and the release of the Obama administration's "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation" on November 29.

4 Dec 2012

IUD insertion does not increase risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in women

The risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) is very low, whether or not women have been screened beforehand for gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to a joint study of nearly 60,000 women by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

21 Nov 2012

Family planning is 'global priority' to be recognized as human right

Improving access to family planning for the 222 million women who lack such services would bring many benefits, including helping to reduce maternal mortality and improve infant survival, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin says in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog, citing the recently released State of the World Population 2012 report.

16 Nov 2012

UNFPA calls family planning an 'essential human right,' says meeting unmet need could save more than $11B annually

In its annual State of the World Population 2012 report, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) on Wednesday "called family planning an 'essential human right' and urged the world's nations to help meet the needs of 222 million women in developing countries," The Hill's "Global Affairs" blog reports.

16 Nov 2012

New study confirms neurodevelopmental effects of PBDE flame retardant exposure in children

Prenatal and childhood exposure to flame retardant compounds are linked to poorer attention, fine motor coordination and IQ in school-aged children, a finding by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, that adds to growing health concerns over a chemical prevalent in U.S. households.

15 Nov 2012

Auto-injector developed for women undergoing fertility treatment

A new auto-injector concept has been designed by innovative product development firm Cambridge Consultants in a bid to ease the trauma for women undergoing fertility treatment.

12 Nov 2012

Knowledge management can help improve health systems

In this post on Management Sciences for Health's "Global Impact Blog," Liz McLean, a senior technical adviser at MSH, writes about a K4Health Malawi project that she says "provides an interesting case study of the connection between improved knowledge management [KM] and health systems strengthening."

8 Nov 2012

Health law viewed as a big winner on election day

President Barack Obama's re-election is viewed as a "reprieve" for the health law but this development raises questions and issues about some of the implementation challenges that the overhaul will now face.

8 Nov 2012

Kenya ramping up male circumcision efforts to meet 2015 goal

"With just over one year left to achieve its target of having some 1.1 million men circumcised as part of HIV prevention efforts, Kenya's government is ramping up efforts to bring more men into clinics, compensating them for their time and encouraging them to bring friends in for the procedure," IRIN reports.

7 Nov 2012

Assessing Global Health Initiative's progress and next phase

Writing in GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog, Nicola Pardy, an editorial intern at GlobalPost, reflects on the closure of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) office announced in July, noting that the government announced the establishment of a new Office of Global Health Diplomacy.

1 Nov 2012

Low literacy strongly predicts childbearing among US teens

New research released today at the American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting in San Francisco builds on previous knowledge about the link between teen pregnancy and social inequities internationally and suggests that, independent of other factors, low literacy in pre-teen girls strongly predicts childbearing among US teens.

1 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Friedman on why Democrats are really the 'pro-life' party; Myths about doctor-assisted suicide

Hard-line conservatives have gone to new extremes lately in opposing abortion. ... These are the authentic voices of an ever-more-assertive far-right Republican base that is intent on using uncompromising positions on abortion to not only unseat more centrist Republicans ... but to overturn the mainstream consensus in America on this issue.

30 Oct 2012