The European Consortium for Emergency contraception (ECEC) was launched in Athens on June 21st at the 12th Congress of the European Society for Contraception and Reproductive Health. Why a European Consortium on EC, now? Access to emergency contraception (EC) is unequal across the region. Absence of a harmonised evidence-based approach to EC recommendations. Current changes […]
Category: Clinical practice
The Journal – July Issue
Highlights from this issue include: Norethisterone and VTE risk Diana Mansour’s article previewed at online first and in the 15th June blog. See page 148 Helping women with hirsutism Editor’s Choice article – Stephen Franks provides useful guidance for helping women with this common and often distressing condition. See page 182 US administration’s attitude to […]
Safer prescribing of therapeutic norethisterone for women at risk of VTE
Latest Online First article Norethisterone and VTE risk Diana Mansour highlights a change in the Summary of Product Characteristics for Primolut N®, since data have emerged showing that, in high doses, norethisterone is partly metabolised to estradiol. This only applies to this particular progestogen, and only in high doses, not those used in contraceptive pills. […]
SRH News from American Journals
Effectiveness of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception From the New England Journal of Medicine: A large (7486 paticipants) prospective cohort study, by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, to evaluate contraceptive methods has found dramatic differences in their effectiveness. Women who used pills, the patch or vaginal ring were 20 times more likely to […]
Another flawed database analysis of VTE risk and hormonal contraceptives
Lidegaard O, Nielson LH, Skovlund CW, Lokkegaard E. Venous thrombosis in users of non-oral hormonal contraception: follow-up study, Denmark 2001-10 BMJ 2012;344:e2990 doi: 10.1136/bmj.e2990 (Published 10 May 2012) This is basically a companion paper to the one published last year in the BMJ, which concentrated on the Pill and was comprehensively criticised in the January […]
Melinda Gates’ New Crusade & Confirmation that IUD is most effective for EC
Melinda Gates’ New Crusade: Investing Billions in Women’s Health Melinda Gates this week pledged billions of dollars to be spent on improving access to contraception. In her many travels she repeatedly met women who were unable to gain access to something which most of the rest of the world take for granted. In an interview […]
News items from April
Better access to birth control would reduce stress on global resources as reported by Nigel Hawkes in the BMJ. The rich should consume less and the poor should procreate less, says the Royal Society in a new report. The report was produced by a working party chaired by John Sulston, who headed the UK part […]
All Party Parliamentary Group launches enquiry into restrictions in access to contraceptive services.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the UK (APPGSRH) has launched an inquiry and call for evidence into restrictions in access to contraceptive services. Examples have already been seen of commissioners cutting prescribing budgets for contraceptive methods to meet targets for savings, with consequences for choice and public health outcomes. In addition […]
What is The Course of 5?
The Course of 5 (C5) is the 2nd stage of the new DFSRH blended learning training package – it provides a link between the theory element (e-SRH) and the practical, clinical assessments (ACP). What is involved in C5? 5 one-hour, assessed workshops in groups of no more than 4 per facilitator. These are usually offered […]
Journal highlights – April issue
This quarter’s Journal includes the following: Redefinition of women’s health care Last year the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published ‘High Quality Women’s Health Care: a Proposal for Change’ that proposed a radical change to the structure of UK women’s health services. Andrew Horne and Johannes Bitzer discuss this exciting document from both a […]