By Blair Darney and Lily Alexander Women in Mexico City have had access to free and legal first-trimester abortion since 2007. During this time the Interrupcion Legal de Embarazo (ILE) program has provided abortion services to over 214,000 women. [PARA LEER EN ESPANOL] However, Mexico City is an exception. In the other 31 states of […]
Latest articles
Survey of swingers finds more women use recreational drugs during sex than men
Swingers are couples who have sex with others and singles who have sex with them. Although they identify as straight, they also engage in same sex behaviour. New research published in BMJ Sexually Transmitted Infections examined the use of recreational drugs to intensify sex among people who used swinger websites. 1005 swingers completed a […]
Who is using emergency contraception in Wales and why? Reflections on 5-years of the service
By Efi Mantzourani, Andrew Evans, and Cheryl Way The bigger picture in the Welsh strategy Access to Emergency Contraception (EC) has been a core component of attempts to address high teenage pregnancy rates in Wales. In 2011, the Welsh Government directed local health boards to commission a national EC service from community pharmacies (CPs) […]
Moving House During Pregnancy: Parental Choices and Relative Risks
New research suggests that moving house during early pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of premature birth. The new paper “Residence change during the first trimester of pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes”, published in Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, sheds light on one facet of the relationship between stress and pregnancy outcomes. I […]
WHO launch of the Checklist for implementation of the WHO 2017 Guideline on the SRHR of women living with HIV
By Sita Shahi, Anandi Yuvaraj, Florence Anam, Sophie Dilmitis, Jenifer Gatsi, Lillian Mworeko, Francine Nganhale, Dorothy Onyango, Assumpta Reginald, Martha Tholanah, Patricia Ukoli, Lucy Wanjiku, Tendayi Westerhof, Rita Wahab, Susan Bewley, Rico Gustav, Bakita Kasadha, Angelina Namiba, Mercy Ngulube, Luisa Orza, Silvia Petretti, Sophie Strachan, Marijo Vazquez, Alice Welbourn, Svitlana Moroz, Olena Stryzhak, Arely Cano, […]
Asking the right question: Why are abortions underreported?
Dr Rachel Scott @rachelhvscott Underreporting Abortions are known to be underreported in surveys. This has important consequences for demographic research. If reporting of abortions in surveys is incomplete, there are knock on effects on other pregnancy data collected in surveys. Conceptions comprise births, miscarriages and abortions; Incomplete data on abortions means incomplete data on conceptions. […]
Book Review: The Gynae Geek by Dr Anita Mitra
Review by Louise LC Turtle Studying a diagram of the vulva on a train is less discrete than scrolling her Instagram page, @gynaegeek, but this is what I found myself doing. I was drawn in by the familiar female voice that reads like a Dolly Alderton column. Sipping my turmeric latte – it’s her favourite […]
Medical devices and the legacy of the Dalkon Shield: The struggle for evidence-based contraception
Evidence from Natsal-3 published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health showed that women need contraception from doctors, but men largely get it from the shops. For many of us, this kind of disparity tends to set off our sexism alarms. In some ways the results are a natural consequence of biological differences. Men tend to […]
Sexuality, Reproduction, and The Etymology of Abuse
By an Anonymous Historian I love looking up archaic uses of words and uncovering their etymologies. Researching the origins of the word ‘abuse’, I was struck by how the meaning of abuse has journeyed alongside sexuality and reproduction for centuries. ab – uti The Vulgar Latin abuti meant use up or consume as well as […]
Bad Tweets: Reflections on @BMJ_SRH’s mentions
Sexual and reproductive health provokes the kind of righteous anger that Twitter thrives on. By trying to provide a beacon of nuance and open-mindedness we’re running against the grain, but I don’t always get that right so I have to take responsibility for some of the bad tweets posted on Twitter over the last month. […]