Reproductive Health News and Research

RSS

Women Deliver conference concludes

The Women Deliver conference concluded on Wednesday, as attendees "celebrated benchmark achievements in reducing maternal and infant mortality and faced stubborn failures at the same time," Womens eNews reports.

11 Jun 2010

First clinical trial among African women to test vaginal ring that prevents HIV transmission

The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides today announced the initiation of the first trial among women in Africa testing a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug that could one day be used to prevent HIV transmission during sex. The clinical trial, known as IPM 015, tests the safety and acceptability of an innovative approach that adapts a successful technology from the reproductive health field to give women around the world a tool to protect themselves from HIV infection.

9 Jun 2010

Experts call on international community to commit attention and resources to cervical cancer prevention

Women's health leaders today called on the international community to commit the resources needed to ensure that women and girls worldwide have equal access to cervical cancer prevention technologies. At the WOMEN DELIVER conference, the Declaration for Universal Access to Cervical Cancer Prevention was issued by leading women's health, cancer and business organizations, including PATH, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the International Union Against Cancer.

9 Jun 2010

Hardships in childhood and adolescence influence pregnancy outcome: Study

Childhood hardships may be related to future pregnancy outcomes, in part through their association with smoking during pregnancy and adult socioeconomic position, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

UNFPA, CARE partner to improve health of women and girls

Leaders from UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund, and CARE International announced today at the Women Deliver Conference an agreement to enhance collaboration on maternal health programs in more than 25 countries. This unique collaboration will bring together UNFPA's effective work with national governments and CARE's expertise in engaging local communities.

8 Jun 2010

G8 final communique draft shows agreement on maternal, child health initiative, funding amounts not yet set

A final communique draft completed last month for the upcoming G8 summit states that leaders will agree on a maternal health initiative that focuses on improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, in the developing world, the Globe and Mail reports. The draft leaves "G8 countries free to decide whether their programs on reproductive health will fund abortions" (Clark, 6/4).

8 Jun 2010

Diagnosis of antiovarian autoantibodies in infertile women help in approaches for assisted reproduction

Studies on the ovarian antigens and its corresponding specific antibodies have showed the relationship between the incidences of antiovarian autoantibodies and the clinical mani-festation of ovarian dysfunction and infertility in women.

4 Jun 2010

Seattle's Phoumy Bobby Bounkeau receives 2010 Humanitarian PA of the Year Award from AAPA

Phoumy Bobby Bounkeau, PhD, PA-C, of Seattle, Wash., received the American Academy of Physician Assistants' 2010 Humanitarian PA of the Year Award at the organization's 38th Annual Physician Assistant Conference in Atlanta yesterday. Bounkeau, of Lao and Thai descent, co-founded the CME training project, a program that provides funding for rural Lao health workers to travel from their villages to the large city of Luang Prabang, Laos, to participate in much-needed continuing medical education.

1 Jun 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet Infectious Diseases Leading Edge article examines the history of the global efforts to control polio and the challenges associated with targets to globally eradicate the disease. "The eradication of polio seems imminent, but with so few cases, there is a temptation to think an acceptable level of infection has been achieved. Not so.

29 May 2010

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Researchers estimate that 7.7 million children under the age of 5 will die this year, an indication that global child deaths "seem to have fallen faster than officials thought," according to a study, published online Monday in the Lancet, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 5/23).

25 May 2010

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

The 63rd World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization's Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

24 May 2010

U.N. Secretary-General discusses G8, G20 commitments during visit to Ottawa

On Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed several topics in a "speech warning that leaders of the G8 and G20 countries should not use global economic and financial difficulties as 'an excuse' to neglect previous pledges of billions of dollars for the world's poor - for doubling aid to Africa, food security, malaria and AIDS programs and maternal and child health care," Canwest News Service/Calgary Herald writes (O'Neill, 5/12).

14 May 2010

World Bank announces five-year plan to reduce maternal deaths, fertility rates in 58 low-income countries

During the release of its five-year plan to help drive down high maternal death and fertility rates in low-income countries, the World Bank on Tuesday said "that family planning and other reproductive health services have fallen off the radar of many governments, donors and aid agencies," Reuters reports.

13 May 2010

Health leaders from sub-Saharan Africa gather for three-day conference on family planning in Kenya

A three-day conference exploring ways to increase access to family planning services in Africa kicked off in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, Capital FM reports. The meeting, which is hosted by USAID, will bring together "USAID's partners in sub-Saharan Africa who include Angola, Burundi, [Democratic Republic of Congo], Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan and Tanzania," to work to identify gaps in reproductive and family planning services and address ways to reach out to populations in need, the news service writes (Karong'o, 5/11).

12 May 2010

Ferring to acquire global rights to Xanodyne Pharmaceutical's LYSTEDA

Ferring Pharmaceuticals today announced an agreement that will expand its Women's Health product portfolio with the acquisition of the global rights to Xanodyne Pharmaceutical's LYSTEDA™ (tranexamic acid), a first-in-class, non-hormonal therapy indicated specifically for treatment of women with cyclic heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB).

10 May 2010

LSTM launches European Union funded adolescent reproductive health programme in Africa

LSTM has launched a four year programme to improve the delivery of reproductive health services in Tanzania and Niger. The programme, funded by the European Union, has been designed by LSTM and the seven project partners to highlight and address the cultural barriers which reduce the reach and effectiveness of existing adolescent reproductive health (ARH) services in partner countries.

7 May 2010

Sierra Leone launching free health care program for mothers, children; Challenges remain

Sierra Leone is launching a program to provide free health care for mothers and children in an effort to reduce high maternal and child mortality rates, Ernest Bai Koroma, the country's president, said on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports (4/27).

29 Apr 2010

Canadian government says Canada's G8 maternal, child health plan will not include abortion

Canada on Monday at a meeting of G8 development ministers in Halifax, Canada, said its maternal and child health initiative, which is expected to be a "centerpiece issue" at the G8 summit in late June, will not include funding for abortion, the Associated Press/Washington Post (Gillies, 4/26).

28 Apr 2010

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

As G8 development leaders gather in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week to discuss priorities for the upcoming summit, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the WFP, calls for world leaders to focus on the nutritional needs of mothers and children in developing countries in a Toronto Star opinion piece.

27 Apr 2010

Dozens of states pass, debate greater restrictions on abortion

Dozens of states are passing or debating new restrictions on abortion, a trend fueled in part by passage of the nation's new health care law. Both sides of the hot-button issue are seeing new approaches to reduce abortions. … So far, 2010 has been 'very successful,' said Mary Spaulding Balch of the National Right to Life Committee.

26 Apr 2010

Reproductive Health News and Research

Women Deliver conference concludes

First clinical trial among African women to test vaginal ring that prevents HIV transmission

Experts call on international community to commit attention and resources to cervical cancer prevention

Hardships in childhood and adolescence influence pregnancy outcome: Study

UNFPA, CARE partner to improve health of women and girls

G8 final communique draft shows agreement on maternal, child health initiative, funding amounts not yet set

Diagnosis of antiovarian autoantibodies in infertile women help in approaches for assisted reproduction

Seattle's Phoumy Bobby Bounkeau receives 2010 Humanitarian PA of the Year Award from AAPA

Recent releases in Global Health

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

U.N. Secretary-General discusses G8, G20 commitments during visit to Ottawa

World Bank announces five-year plan to reduce maternal deaths, fertility rates in 58 low-income countries

Health leaders from sub-Saharan Africa gather for three-day conference on family planning in Kenya

Ferring to acquire global rights to Xanodyne Pharmaceutical's LYSTEDA

LSTM launches European Union funded adolescent reproductive health programme in Africa

Sierra Leone launching free health care program for mothers, children; Challenges remain

Canadian government says Canada's G8 maternal, child health plan will not include abortion

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

Dozens of states pass, debate greater restrictions on abortion

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News