International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics : the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
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Int J Gynaecol Obstet · Aug 2009
To have or not to have: the critical importance of reproductive rights to the paradox of population policies in the 21st century.
Reproductive rights continue to be under threat, even some 15 years after the landmark International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo declared the importance of a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to have children, and the right to decide on the timing, number, and spacing. The right to choose whether and when to have children is at risk both from some who seek to increase birth rates through pronatalist policies and from some who seek a return to "population control" as a response to global climate change, environmental degradation, endemic poverty, global recession, and food shortages. ⋯ This is contrasted with the unmet need for family planning in the poorest countries. It calls for health providers to advocate for reproductive rights, affirming that the freedom of women to control their fertility is the basis for other essential freedoms.
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The brain drain of health workers occurs mostly from low- and low/middle-income countries to resource-rich countries and from rural to urban areas. Shortage and uneven distribution of healthcare workers aggravated by the brain drain from Africa, Asia, and Pacific countries has contributed to impaired reproductive and sexual health services and the high rate of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in these counties. ⋯ A code of practice on international recruitment of health personnel is needed. Improving the health workforce database, wages, health resources and working conditions, task shifting, pay-back from recipient countries and migrant health professionals, securing additional investment in the health workforce, and the development of locally relevant medical training and research are useful measures to combat this problem.
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Emergency contraception (EC) provides women with a safe means of preventing pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse or potential contraceptive failure, and is accepted as a legitimate method of fertility control. The right of women to access EC, along with other contraceptive methods, needs to be affirmed. The consequences of unintended pregnancy are serious, imposing appreciable burdens on children, women, men, and families. ⋯ It is essential that EC pills are available over-the-counter with no minimum age for access. There is a tension between the rights of women to access EC without medical or legal intervention and the rights of providers who have a conscientious objection to provision on religious or moral grounds. The principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, and beneficence all weigh in favor of the rights of a woman faced with the possibility of an unintended pregnancy to unrestricted access to EC against providers whose religious views are opposed to this.
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Women have been migrating at similar rates to men for the past 40 years, and comprised about half of all migrants in 2005. Women and children are most affected by displacement as a result of wars and human trafficking. In some cases, the health of female migrants is improved via integration into better health systems in the host country. ⋯ Female migrants are also highly vulnerable to acts of sexual abuse, rape, and violence. This is especially true for women in refugee camps, whose reproductive health needs are often overlooked. To improve the health of female migrants it is important to develop and implement policies that recognize and insist on the respect of the rights of migrants.
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Int J Gynaecol Obstet · Jul 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialLow-dose propofol to prevent nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic surgery.
To evaluate the efficacy of administering a low dose of propofol at the end of surgery in preventing postoperative nausea/vomiting in women undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. ⋯ Prophylactic therapy with 0.5 mg/kg of propofol was found to be effective in preventing nausea/vomiting in patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.