Recent Meetings and Panels - 2007

New Technologies for Safe Abortion: Experience in Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

December 2007 - Gynuity, in collaboration with the Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NESOG), organized a national meeting “New Technologies for Safe Abortion: Experience in Nepal” in Kathmandu, Nepal. The one-day meeting was attended by 50 participants including providers, government officials, non-governmental organizations, and other key stakeholders. Participants discussed the results and implications of preliminary findings from a pilot study examining the feasibility of a simplified regimen of mifepristone-misoprostol medical abortion in Nepal. The project was undertaken in four facilities in Nepal: the Kathmandu Medical College, the Central Clinic of the Family Planning Association of Nepal, the training center of Suanulo Parivar Nepal, and at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan. Preliminary results were very promising and the research team plans to continue their collaboration with a series of pilot projects and new studies throughout the country.

Society of African Gynecologists and Obstetricians 9th Annual Congress, Kinshasa, Congo

September 2007 - Gynuity staff gave a presentation on the role of misoprostol in the treatment and prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and also presented results from a study conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa on the use of misoprostol for postabortion care. A local colleague presented data on blood loss for 27,000 vaginal births, as part of a study on misopostol for the treatment of PPH conducted by Gynuity and local colleagues.

Expanding Abortion Options for Women, Baku, Azerbaijan

September 2007 – Abortion has been legal in Azerbaijan for over 50 years, however surgical abortion is the only method currently available, and outside of major cities, the skills of providers and the conditions of facilities vary widely. Gynuity held a training with 10 doctors who will conduct a study that examines the acceptability and feasibility of a medical abortion regimen of 200mg mifepristone and 800mcg buccal misoprostol. It is anticipated the study, which will enroll 500 women, will inform national guidelines on medical abortion and facilitate the re-registration of mifepristone.

National Dissemination Meeting, Hanoi, Vietnam

July 2007 -  At this meeting, Gynuity in collaboration with the Vietnam Family Planning Association (VINAFPA) presented the results of a medical abortion study conducted at two sites in Northern Vietnam. The event was attended by approximately one hundred people including representatives of the Ministry of Health, international NGOs, and members of the media. Providers from eight expansion sites of VINAFPA also presented on preliminary data on medical abortion introduction at their sites.

Testing Different Timing Intervals between Mifepristone and Misoprostol, United Kingdom

June 2007 – In collaboration with Marie Stopes International, Gynuity is conducting a study that is comparing the efficacy and acceptability of a medical abortion regimen where mifepristone and misoprostol are administered simultaneously, to a regimen where the medications are taken 24 to 48 hours apart. As women in the UK are required to take the misoprostol in the clinic, a simultaneous administration option would eliminate a clinic visit, making the method more convenient for both women and providers. A training was held with 17 providers from the four centres where the study is being conducted; the study will enroll 1500 women.

National Dissemination Meeting, Yalta, Ukraine

April 2007 – Gynuity, in collaboration with our local partner NGO Women Health and Family Planning, organized a national dissemination meeting in Yalta, Ukraine. The two-day meeting was attended by 50 providers and Ministry officials and involved a discussion of the results and implications of the introductory medical abortion study conducted in Kiev and Odessa (200 mg mifepristone followed 48 hours later by 400 mcg oral misoprostol). Colleagues presented on the high success rate and satisfaction levels with the method and reflected on the positive impact of the research, namely the Ministry of Health’s incorporation of the reduced dose regimen into its national norms on medical abortion. Next steps will involve expanding research to more underserved areas of the country with a particular focus on women in rural settings.

Training for Korean Health Care Providers on Medical Abortion Regimens, Hanoi, Vietnam

April 2007 - At the request of the International Planned Parenthood Federation/South East Asia regional office, Gynuity organized a workshop with a small group of physicians from the North Korean member association and Ministry of Health officials to help prepare North Korea for introduction of medical abortion into abortion services. The meeting took place at the Vietnam Family Planning Association in Hanoi.  In addition to offering materials for translation into Korean, Gynuity also developed data collection tools and a database to help document and evaluate the use of the method in the introductory phase.

International Consortium for Medical Abortion - Conference on Second Trimester Abortion, London, UK

March 2007 - At this international conference, Gynuity staff presented a global overview of the epidemiology of second trimester abortion, and mortality and morbidity from second trimester abortions compared to first trimester abortions. The conference involved the participation of dozens of researchers, clinicians and health program managers to discuss the importance of second trimester abortion as a women's health and public policy issue, the safety and efficacy of various methods, challenges to accessing second trimester abortion, and to develop a series of recommendations to guide future work in this area.

Strategic Introduction of Medical Abortion in Latin America, London, UK

March 2007 - At the request of the IPPF/Western Hemisphere Region, Gynuity co-hosted a meeting of IPPF member association leadership from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru to discuss strategies on medical abortion introduction. Gynuity developed a background paper to provide key information about medical abortion regimens, describe the availability of medical abortion drugs in each country, and to lay out the range of options and considerations for introduction of the various methods.

Testing the Acceptability and Efficacy of Two Different Doses of Misoprostol in a Mifepristone Medical Abortion Regimen in Tbilisi, Georgia

March 2007 - Gynuity held a training for 10 clinicians from a research institute and two maternity houses that are participating in a study of medical abortion. The study will recruit 750 consenting women and seeks to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of mifepristone medical abortion using a 400mcg dose and an 800mcg dose of buccal misoprostol. The study began enrolling women in May 2007, and it is hoped that the study will increase women’s access to medical abortion, which is currently offered only in one facility in the country.

Technical Guidance on the Use of Misoprostol in Reproductive Health, Bellagio, Italy

February 2007 - In a joint collaboration between Gynuity Health Projects, the World Health Organization and Ipas, a meeting was organized involving research and clinical experts on the use of misoprostol for a range of obstetric and gynecological indications. The team, with representatives from thirteen countries, worked at the Bellagio Conference Center to finalize a paper that documents the latest clinical research and evidence-based protocols for the use of misoprostol in reproductive health.

New Technologies for Safe Abortion: Experience in Ghana

January 2007 – Gynuity Health Projects in collaboration with Pathfinder International and Population Council hosted a national dissemination meeting in Accra at the culmination of a very successful introductory medical abortion study conducted in 2 major hospitals in Ghana. Over 50 participants attended including members of the Ministry of Health, local NGOs and practitioners from across the country. The agenda included presentations from Gynuity staff as well as the local Principal Investigators on medical abortion technology, a global perspective on medical abortion, results from the Ghanaian introductory medical abortion study, and presentations on the use of misoprostol alone and misoprostol for incomplete abortion.

National Summit to Ensure the Health and Humanity of Pregnant and Birthing Women, USA
January 2007 - Gynuity co-sponsored this national summit and was invited to moderate a plenary session that looked at national and international perspectives on maternal health, mobidity and mortality. Panelists touched on several important issues including the over-use of Cesarean section in the US, global mortality related to unsafe abortion, the problem of obstetric fistula, and an international initiative to improve maternal health.