Around the Globe

The latest edition of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology includes a supplement entitled: A Hormonal Contraception Update: A Decade of Innovation & Transformation.

In addition AJOG published (online 11th July 2011) a study on the impact of long-acting reversible contraception on return for repeat abortion by Rose S B and Lawton B A. The objective of the study was to determine the rate of return for repeat abortion in relation to postabortion contraceptive method choice 24 months onward from an intervention study.  Its conclusion states: “This study provides strong support for the promotion of immediate postabortion access to LARC methods (particularly intrauterine devices) to prevent repeat abortion.”

September saw the European Society of Contraception (ESC) hold its 11th Seminar in Kaunas, Lithuania. One of the most notable features was the number of participants for a regional symposium  – 533, with the majority being from Poland and Latvia. A number of our colleagues from the UK were involved in either presentations or workshops: Dr Sarah Randall, Dr Anne Webb and Dr Simone Reuter. In addition there was a Board of Directors’ meeting which involved the 2 UK representatives, Dr Meera Kishen and Shelley Mehigan.

Kaunas itself was fascinating for its combination of old and new: elements left over from its communist-dominated past with many crumbling, abandoned buildings and its, especially young, people who are trying to adapt to a new world with western influences. This was particularly evident in the apparent twin obsessions of pizza and eating outside – as well as this may work if the pizzas are made in the Italian way and the cafes are in the Mediterranean it suffers a little in translation to a chilly Baltic state with locally made fare.  This was partly corrected by an apparent benefit to the local blanket industry!

The next full Congress will be in Athens in June 2012.

Meanwhile at home:

Have you completed elements of the new DFSRH: e-SRH; Course of 5; Clinical Exerience and Assessment; e-Portfolio or the LoC SDI or IUT? The Faculty would like to hear from you. They have commissioned an independent review by Professor Ed Piele of the University of Warwick. Visit the Faculty website to give your feedback on your experiences.

UK Agony Aunts bed-in to make sexual health a priority –

What would be the correct, collective noun for a group of agony aunts?

Well in this case it could be a ‘bedful’ or maybe a ‘boudoir’ as 8 of the UKs finest gather to add their support to a group of sexual health charities – Brook, FPA (Family Planning Association), Terrence Higgins Trust, and MedFASH – calling on the government to protect sexual health services as many have seen reduced funding lead to cuts in vital services. This at a time when:
i) a survey by Brook confirms that only 6% of children learn the facts of life from their parents – the internet, TV and friends being the usual source of information (sometimes misinformation) and
ii) the House of Lords HIV and Aids Select Committee report last month found efforts to control the spread of HIV are woefully inadequate as £2.9m is spent on prevention compared with £762m on treatment.

Fiction Book Reviews

Have you enjoyed reading the fiction book reviews in the Journal? Did you agree with the reviews this time of The Room by Emma Donaghue and The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell? The book for January 2012 will be Pain of Death by Adam Creed (Faber & Faber).

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