Recent Meetings and Panels - 2008

IV Latin American/ I Uruguayan Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Montevideo, Uruguay

April 2008 - Gynuity was invited to organize a panel discussion on a range of ob/gyn indications of misoprostol at this regional meeting attended by hundreds of health care providers, researchers and women's health advocates from Latin America and the Caribbean. Gynuity staff and invited colleagues from Ecuador, Mexico and Puerto Rico shared experiences with misoprostol in research and practice for treatment of incomplete abortion, early abortion, intrauterine fetal death and prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, focusing on service delivery issues for introducing misoprostol. Gynuity staff and colleagues also presented a poster outlining results of a study on misoprostol for incomplete abortion conducted in Ecuador and Venezuela.

Training on Misoprostol Medical Abortion for Mexico City Secretary of Health Providers and Administrators, Mexico City, Mexico

April 2008 - Gynuity held a training for primary health care center providers and administrators on the use of misoprostol only for legal termination of pregnancy. Over 35 individuals attended the session representing multidisciplinary teams comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers and administrators. The purpose of the training was to prepare centers for the introduction of a medical abortion regimen into the primary health care level.

3rd Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, Abuja, Nigeria

February 2008 - Gynuity hosted a meeting at the 3rd Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, February 4-7 in Abuja to discuss medical technologies. We shared our results from the recently completed introductory medical abortion study conducted in two sites in Nigeria. We also shared our experience with misoprostol for PAC and gave an overview of Gynuity’s work portfolio.

Puerto Rican OB/GYN Society Annual Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico

January 2008 - Gynuity was invited to speak at the annual Sunshine Seminar for OB/GYN in Puerto Rico on medical abortion technology. Dr. Beverly Winikoff, Gynuity president offered the latest information available on the global use and safety of mifepristone + misoprostol regimens. A local colleague that participated in the first introductory study of mifepristone medical abortion in Puerto Rico presented study results reporting 96% efficacy and a high acceptability of the method at both study sites. Plans for expansion of the method were also addressed. This annual meeting held for 28 years attracts physicians from both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Results of a National Study on Medical Abortion: Roundtable Meeting in Chisinau, Moldova

January 2008 – Gynuity staff and local colleagues organized a meeting in Chisinau attended by study staff from three research sites as well as representatives of the Ministry of Health. The objective of the meeting was to present and discuss the results of the recent national study and determine next steps for submitting national guidelines on medical abortion to the Ministry of Health. All three sites reported an efficacy of over 95% using 400mcg sublingual misoprostol after mifepristone for abortion through 63 days’ LMP. This regimen is therefore being recommended in the national guidelines along with a model for medical abortion service delivery and drug distribution. Once the guidelines are adopted, a series of trainings will be offered to providers and the method will be incorporated into relevant teaching curricula.