Recent Meetings and Panels - 2006

National Research Dissemination Meeting, Chisinau, Moldova
December 2006 – Gynuity, in collaboration with colleagues at the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chisinau, Moldova, organized a national dissemination meeting to present the exciting results of a recent medical abortion study and to discuss strategies for service expansion. Subsequent to this meeting, which was attended by over one hundred key officials and health specialists, the Ministry of Health has approved the expansion of medical abortion research to three new sites in Moldova (using sublingual misoprostol in combination with a reduced dose of mifepristone up to 63 days LMP) and has committed to drafting official guidelines on the method based on the preliminary results of these studies.

FIGO, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

November 2006 - Gynuity staff and colleagues gave 11 presentations on varied reproductive and maternal health issues, including medical abortion, postabortion care and postpartum hemorrhage. Gynuity also sponsored a panel on the use of misoprostol for pregnancy failure. Please see the Abstracts page for details about each.

Association for Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) Reproductive Health 2006, USA

September 2006 - Gynuity staff gave three poster presentations on different aspects of medical abortion and treatment of incomplete abortion with misoprostol. Please see the Abstracts page for details about each.

Introduction of Misoprostol for Treatment of Incomplete Abortion, Quito, Ecuador

September 2006 - Clinicians and staff members from 2 health centers in Ecuador's capital city were trained to introduce a new protocol into their services for the treatment of incomplete abortion. A large tertiary level hospital and a private clinic will compare misoprostol to the standard of care, MVA, through a randomized study. Over 20 physicians, nurses and counselors were trained during this 2-day meeting. The study will recruit 500 women in the two sites and intends to gather information that will demonstrate the feasibility of a misoprostol regimen for this significant health concern.

Acceptability and Feasibility of Medical Abortion in Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico

August 2006 - Gynuity held a training for clinicians and counselors from two private abortion clinics that are participating in an introductory study of mifepristone abortion. The study will recruit 300 consenting women and seeks to evaluate acceptability and feasibility of the method in this setting. The study will commence in September 2006 and is the first of its kind on the island since medical abortion was approved for use in the United States.

Evidence Based Interventions to Prevent Postpartum Hemorrhage: Translating Research into Practice, Goa, India

July 2006 – This International Congress assembled leading researchers, clinical experts, program managers, and reproductive health professionals to review new evidence on PPH prevention in resource poor settings and examine best practices for implementing large-scale programs for PPH prevention and management. Participants from Gynuity, including three study investigators from Pakistan, were invited to present preliminary findings and lessons learned from ongoing clinical trials on PPH prevention and treatment.

Introducing Mifepristone Medical Abortion into Abortion Services in Nepal
July 2006 - Gynuity held a training for over 20 physicians, nurses and social workers that make up the study team for introductory research on the use of mifepristone medical abortion. The study will recruit 400 women in four sites and examine the efficacy and acceptability of a simplified medical abortion regimen at each of four sites – the Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, the Central Clinic operated by the Family Planning Association of Nepal and a clinic operated by Sunaulo Parivar Nepal, the Marie Stopes International Partner in Nepal. The study will commence in October and is planned to continue until September 2007.

The Good, the Bad, and the Challenging:  Eighth Annual Mifepristone Medical Abortion Meeting, New York, NY
June 2006 – Gynuity hosted its annual one-and-a-half-day medical abortion meeting on June 1st and 2nd at Planned Parenthood Federation of America that convened nearly 100 researchers, providers, and women’s health advocates from many regions of the world. The first day was devoted to research, programmatic, and policy updates relating to mifepristone use in the U.S. and abroad. Additionally, in break out sessions, participants discussed medical abortion provision in settings where it is illegal; over-the-counter and internet provision of medical abortion; and advocacy, training and education efforts. The following morning’s agenda focused on the high profile topic of infection and medical abortion with presentations on: science and policy updates surrounding Clostridium sordellii infection and medical abortion; and the prevalence, detection, reporting, and treatment strategies of infections following medical abortion. The meeting ended with a panel discussion about the place, if any, of prophylactic antibiotics in medical abortion. Year after year, this meeting provides a venue at which colleagues can come together and share news, information, activities, ideas, and materials in their joint efforts to ensure that all women around the world have access to safe abortion.

Prevention and Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage: New Advances for Low Resource Settings, Washington, DC

May 2006 – Gynuity staff joined researchers, clinical experts, and policymakers to review the latest research developments in PPH prevention and treatment and identify which interventions have clear scientific evidence to support their use. This meeting, hosted by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, aimed to develop consensus guidelines for PPH prevention and treatment to be endorsed by obstetrical and midwifery professional associations worldwide. Gynuity played an active role in presenting and moderating discussion of the published scientific evidence. At the meeting’s conclusion, a consensus statement recommending strategies for PPH prevention and treatment in low resource settings was achieved. This statement will be presented to the Boards of FIGO and ICM for ratification.

Regional Meeting on Medical Abortion: Eastern Europe/Central Asia, Istanbul, Turkey
May 2006 – This meeting organized by Gynuity Health Projects was geared towards countries of the former Soviet Union and their neighbors. The two day symposium brought together 25 providers and policymakers from 9 countries to discuss various aspects of medical abortion. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the method, establish a network with other providers, and discuss strategies to introduce and/or expand access to medical abortion in the region.

Regional Meeting on The Prevention of Unsafe Abortion and the Potential Role of Medical Abortion Methods, Tunis, Tunisia

May 2006 - Gynuity Health Projects in collaboration with the Tunisian Office National de la Famille et la Population (ONFP), Ibis Reproductive Health, The Center for Training in Reproductive Health Technologies, and International Planned Parenthood Federation hosted a symposium for medical providers and researchers from Francophone Arab world, including Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia. This second regional meeting highlighted the impact of unsafe abortion globally and specifically on the region. Training materials and presentations provided the most up to date scientific information on medical and surgical methods of abortion and highlighted the international experiences with various methods and regimens, particularly the Tunisian experience with medical abortion. Discussions also focused on the unmet need for research, training and information in the region with plans for potential strategies for collaborations to address these needs in partnership with key regional partners and institutions concerned with unsafe abortion.

Latin American Consortium for Unsafe Abortion, Lima, Peru
May 2006 – Gynuity co-sponsored and participated in the first general meeting of CLACAI, the new regional consortium for increasing access to medical abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean. Approximately 50 participants from 13 countries attended in multidisciplinary teams of researchers, abortion providers and women’s health advocates to discuss the new group and provide input to its structure and future actions to increase access to medical abortion in the region. Gynuity staff Melanie Peña serves on the consulting group and elected to participate in two working groups that focus on research and access to medical abortion medications.

Marie Stopes International (MSI) Medical Development Team, Nairobi, Kenya
May 2006 - Gynuity staff attended this international meeting whose purpose was to plan the introduction of the Marie Stopes Medical Process (MSMP) for non-surgical abortion to MSI affiliates in 20 countries around the world. Gynuity was invited to speak to attendees about the importance of gathering good data in the context of medical abortion provision, and to design a simple, standardized data-collection instrument that all affiliates can use once they begin offering this service.

Ninth Annual National Conference of the Nepal Society of OB/GYN
May 2006 – Gynuity staff presented on international experience with mifepristone medical abortion at the annual meeting, attended by over 150 participants.

Linking Research to Action to Reduce Unsafe Abortion in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Regional Consultation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
March 2006 - This meeting organized by Ipas and the Alan Guttmacher Institute brought together over 150 researchers, policy makers, advocates, media representatives and high-level officials from over 15 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gynuity was invited to give a presentation during a session titled, “How can Research Contribute to Improving Women’s Access to Safe Abortion and Related Reproductive Health Care?”  The presentation focused on medical abortion including the various types of medications used for each regimen, different routes of administration of misoprostol, and the latest research findings about women’s and provider’s acceptability.

Introducing Misoprostol into PAC Services in the Public and Private Sector in Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela

March 2006 - Gynuity held a training for over 20 physicians, nurses and social workers that make up the study team for introductory research on the use of misoprostol to treat incomplete abortion in these settings. The study will recruit 300 women in two sites and compare oral misoprostol to standard surgical care at each of two sites – the Hospital Maternidad Concepción Palacios, a large tertiary level maternity hospital in Caracas and the Asociación Civil de Planificación Familir (PLAFAM), a private family planning association affiliated with International Planned Parenthood Federation/ Western Hemisphere Region. The study will commence in April and is planned to continue through March 2007.

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

February 2006 - Beverly Winikoff, president of Gynuity, was invited to speak at the annual Sunshine Seminar for OB/GYN in Puerto Rico. Dr. Winikoff presented on the mifepristone+misoprostol regimen and recent innovations since its introduction in the United States in 2000.