We often hear that women’s rights are human’s rights: this most definitely also applies to healthcare.

Improving women’s health depends on improving their rights and vice versa. This calls for widespread commitment on both fronts, involving health professionals, institutions, politicians, and NGOs. The aim is to remove the economic, ideological, and socio-cultural obstacles to implementing actions that can change women’s lives. “The health of women and girls is of particular concern because, in many societies, they are disadvantaged by discrimination rooted in sociocultural factors.” said the World Health Organization (WHO).

Among said factors are unequal power dynamics between men and women, inequality towards education and employment opportunities, an exclusive focus on women’s reproductive roles and increased vulnerability to physical, sexual, or emotional violence. Women also face increased vulnerability in less privileged parts of the world.

Regarding health-related inequalities, in sub-Saharan Africa, women, for example, represent a significant majority of HIV/AIDS victims (63% of new infections in 2021). Every two minutes, a young woman between 15 and 24 gets infected by HIV. These women (aged 15-24) are three times more likely to contract HIV than young men of the same age.

We need urgent and long-term care for women around the globe. Prioritizing women’s health to make a difference everywhere and around the world is our mission at FIGO.

Founded in 1954, FIGO brings together 135 learned societies of gynecology and obstetrics on every continent whose aim is to improve the status of women, girls, and families to enable them to reach their full educational, sexual, and reproductive potential in harmony with their professional fulfillment and personal well-being.

In its fight for women, FIGO is also partnering with Professor Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist and winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, to support the “Red Line Initiative,” which bans the practice of rape as a weapon of war and leads on global programme activities, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. We strive to promote women’s health and rights through four fundamental pillars: education, training, research, and advocacy.

To that end, health professionals and experts from all over the globe will come together at FIGO’s upcoming congress in Paris from October 9 to 12 to share their knowledge and learn about new progress that has been made for women’s health, and the goals that we all have yet to achieve.

One excellent example is the elimination of cervical cancer.

This aim, which will considerably impact women’s lives, is one of FIGO’s priorities. Today, a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes worldwide, even though it can be prevented. Prevention is based on vaccinating boys and girls, ideally, before they begin sexual activity, and on screening. Cervical cancer is caused by papillomaviruses, or HPV, a family of sexually transmitted viruses. Eighty percent of the sexually active population will encounter HPV at least once, but in 90% of cases, the human body will naturally fight it and eliminate it within two years. If not, the persistent virus can lead to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer. Vaccination can prevent 90% of HPV infections that cause cancers other than cervical cancer (ENT, vulva, anus, penis).

Recommended by all learned societies and the World Health Organization, implementation varies from country to country. Australia, for example, is a good role model with a rate of 90% of vaccinated young girls, and cervical cancer is expected to be eliminated by 2035. In the US, 63,8% of young girls and 59,8% of young boys are fully vaccinated.  Rwanda became the first African country with an HPV vaccination implementation strategy and now realizes that vaccination coverage reached 99% of those born in 2002.

After an initial catch-up campaign that targeted school grades and included older girls, the programme transitioned to an age-based approach, with routine vaccination of only girls aged 12 from 2015 onwards. More than 1.15 million girls in Rwanda received their first dose of the HPV vaccine in 2011–2018 as part of this programme. Population-level HPV vaccination coverage increased from 6% for girls born in 1993 to 99% for those born in 2002.

Other countries need to catch up for several reasons. In addition to some reluctance toward vaccination, smear screening progresses slowly, often due to a need for more awareness and information. Smear screening is essential to eradicating cervical cancer: the WHO recommends screening 70% of women in all countries.

Improving prevention and women’s health understandably requires deploying resources on a par with the expected ambitions and progress. Political commitment is imperative to remove the cultural and economic obstacles to improving women’s health.

Healthy women are the cornerstone of healthy societies.

Women often provide for their families, communities, and the people around them. If women are healthier, it impacts everyone around them and eventually leads to healthier newborns, children, families, households, and communities. Leaders who prioritize women’s health can overcome gender inequality and improve the overall population’s health.

To register for the FIGO Congress, Paris, 9-12 October 2023: https://figo2023.org/registration/

[Medika Life is honored to feature this exclusive Q&A feature authored by Jeanne Conry, MD, president, The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics]

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Ovulation Calculator

About the Ovulation Calculator

Knowing the days you are most likely to be fertile can increase your chance of getting pregnant. The typical menstrual cycle is 28 days long, but each woman is different. There are about 6 days during each menstrual cycle when you can get pregnant. This is called your fertile window. Use the calculator to see which days you are most likely to be fertile. The sections below explains the rhythm of the menstrual process in more detail.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is when the ovary releases an egg so it can be fertilized by a sperm in order to make a baby. A woman is most likely to get pregnant if she has sex without birth control in the three days before and up to the day of ovulation (since the sperm are already in place and ready to fertilize the egg as soon as it is released). A man’s sperm can live for 3 to 5 days in a woman’s reproductive organs, but a woman’s egg lives for just 12 to 24 hours after ovulation.

Days 1 through 5

Day 1 starts with the first day of your period. The blood and tissue lining the uterus (womb) break down and leave the body. This is your period. For many women, bleeding lasts from 4 to 8 days. Hormone levels are low. Low levels of the hormone estrogen can make you feel depressed or irritable.

During Days 1 through 5 of your cycle, fluid-filled pockets called follicles develop on the ovaries. Each follicle contains an egg

Days 5 through 8

Between Days 5 and 7, just one follicle continues growing while the others stop growing and are absorbed back into the ovary. Levels of the hormone estrogen from the ovaries continue rising. By Day 8 the follicle puts out increasing levels of estrogen and grows larger. Usually by Day 8, period bleeding has stopped. Higher estrogen levels from the follicle make the lining of the uterus grow and thicken. The uterine lining is rich in blood and nutrients and will help nourish the embryo if a pregnancy happens. Estrogen helps boost endorphins, which are the “feel good” brain chemicals that are also released during physical activity. You may have more energy and feel relaxed or calm.

Day 14

A few days before Day 14, your estrogen levels peak and cause a sharp rise in the level of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH causes the mature follicle to burst and release an egg from the ovary, called ovulation, on Day 14. A woman is most likely to get pregnant if she has sex on the day of ovulation or during the three days before ovulation (since the sperm are already in place and ready to fertilize the egg once it is released). A man’s sperm can live for three to five days in a woman’s reproductive organs, and a woman’s egg lives for 12 to 24 hours. In the few days before ovulation, your estrogen levels are at their highest. You may feel best around this time, emotionally and physically.

Days 15 through 24

Over the next week (Days 15 to 24), the fallopian tubes help the newly released egg travel away from the ovary toward the uterus. The ruptured follicle on the ovary makes more of the hormone progesterone, which also helps the uterine lining thicken even more. If a sperm joins with the egg in the fallopian tube (this is called fertilization), the fertilized egg will continue down the fallopian tube and attach to the lining of the uterus (womb). Pregnancy begins once a fertilized egg attaches to the womb.

Day 24 through 28

If the egg is not fertilized, it breaks apart. Around Day 24, your estrogen and progesterone levels drop if you are not pregnant. This rapid change in levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause your moods to change. Some women are more sensitive to these changing hormone levels than others. Some women feel irritable, anxious, or depressed during the premenstrual week but others do not.

In the final step of the menstrual cycle, the unfertilized egg leaves the body along with the uterine lining, beginning on Day 1 of your next period and menstrual cycle.

If you would like to understand your menstrual cycle in more detail or still have questions, Medika recommends reading the following article The Menstrual Cycle explained, for more information.

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Conception Calculator

About this Calculator

Most mothers want to know when their baby was conceived. Using this calculator will allow you to narrow down the dates or possible conception.

The calculator uses two different methods to determine the probable conception date based on two known factors:

• The birth date of your baby, if it has already been delivered
• If you’re still pregnant we use the date of your last menstrual cycle and average length of menstrual cycle.

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Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator

About the pregnancy weight gain calculator

This calculator will allow you to determine a healthy weight gain schedule for your entire pregnancy, based on your individual characteristics including weight before pregnancy, your height and type of pregnancy.

Pregnancy guidelines for weight gain

Pregnancy leads to significant changes to women’s bodies and their daily routines. One of these is the body weight gain to ensure enough nutrients for the development of the fetus and to store enough nutrients in preparation for breastfeeding. While weight gain during pregnancy is normal and necessary, studies have shown that certain ranges of weight gain given a specific body mass index (BMI) result in more positive outcomes for both fetus and mother.

Generally, it is recommended that pregnant women gain only 1-4 pounds during the first 3 months of pregnancy, and 1 pound per week during the remainder of the pregnancy.  The tables below will help you understand the results of the calculator.

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Due Date Calculator

About this calculator

The due date calculator uses the first day of your menstrual cycle and the average menstrual cycle length to provide three important pieces of information for dating your pregnancy:

• Probable ovulation date
• Fertility window (lmost likely period for conception, 5 days before and 2 days after your ovulation)
• Estimated due date (approximately 266 days from conception)

How ovulation and fertilization work

Around two weeks after your period, your body ovulates and your ovaries release one mature egg. The egg can be fertilized within 12 to 24 hours after it’s released, as it travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. If an egg meets up with a sperm cell that has made its way into the fallopian tube, it combines into one cell, a process that’s known as fertilization or conception. 

It takes about three to four days for the fertilized egg to move to the lining of your uterus, where it attaches or implants to the uterine wall. Once the embryo is implanted, the cells start to grow, eventually becoming the fetus and the placenta, which is tissue that can transport oxygen, nutrients and hormones from your blood to the developing fetus throughout pregnancy.

The Gestational period and your due date

The gestational period lasts approximately 266 days full term) from your conception date. It isn’t an exact date, but it is close. You may deliver a few days before or a few days after your calculated due date.

A normal pregnancy will take around 40 weeks, counting from the first day of your last menstrual period, which is about two weeks before conception actually occurs. Your pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. Each of these periods lasts between 12 and 13 weeks. During each trimester, changes take place in your body as well as in the developing fetus.

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