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. […]

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Abortion & STI data published

WHO updated policy on safe abortion The WHO has announced the iminent publication of the second edition of ‘Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems’ http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/unsafe_abortion/9789241548434/en/ DH releases abortion statistics, England & Wales: 2011 The main findings of the newly released abortion statistics are: •    The total number of abortions was 189,931, 0.2% […]

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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 […]

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SRH Reports from around the globe

International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion The ICMA have launched a new international campaign for women’s right to safe abortion. Individuals and organisations are invited to join the campaign in advance of 28 May, the International Day of Action for Women’s Health. To read more and to register support go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CHH62F5 UNFPA […]

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Faculty Initiatives & Fitness to Practice

Crucial Issues for Health Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Local Health & Wellbeing Strategies Joint Guidance has been published by FSRH, BASHH, fpa, Brook, BHIVA, MedFASH, NAT, THT & NHIVNA to guide and assist Local Authorities who are preparing to commission sexual & reproductive health & HIV services when local government takes up its new […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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NHS flouts national guidance on contraception as cuts bite:

new audit reveals shocking truth as 3.2m women face restrictions in access to contraceptives or services A new audit of the commissioning of contraceptive and abortion services in England has revealed a stark picture of inequality in women’s healthcare, with a third of women of reproductive age unable to choose from the full range of […]

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