Good news about increased IUD use in the US

Here at EngenderHealth, we are encouraged by the recent news that IUD is an increasingly popular contraceptive method in the United States. We know through our work in the field that when correct information about the device and high quality health services are offered, the IUD is a safe, effective, and acceptable form of family planning.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of its National Survey of Family Growth. The results of the survey, which was conducted from 2006 to 2008, show that IUD use in the US increased from 2 percent in 2002 to 5.5 percent in 2006-2008. Among women with two or more children, the increase was even greater, from 3 to 11 percent. There are now more than 2 million women using IUDs in this country.

As a long-acting contraceptive method, the IUD is one of the most effective forms of birth control. It can be used for medium and long-term planning, preventing pregnancy for up to 12 years, and is reversible.

From 2006-2008, during the same time period as the family growth survey was being conducted U.S., EngenderHealth’s ACQUIRE Project team worked with Kenya’s Ministry of Health to expand IUD use in the country’s Kisii District. In the East African country, as in the U.S., the number of women using an IUD to prevent pregnancy dropped significantly in the past two decades.

In Kisii, EngenderHealth worked with local partners to ensure this convenient and low-cost contraceptive method was more widely available and accepted by improving family planning counseling so Kenyan women could make informed choices and by providing trainings in IUD insertion and removal. In just one year, IUD use in Kisii District tripled.

Read more about how the IUD is saving lives in Ghana in this recent article by EngenderHealth’s Medical Director, Dr. Roy Jacobstein.

Action Alert: Urge Congress to End Fistula

Today, EngenderHealth joined a broad coalition of organizations in applauding Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE) for introducing important legislation that will help transform the lives of millions of women worldwide. The Obstetric Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope and Dignity Restoration Act of 2010, H.R. 5441, would authorize funding to prevent obstetric fistula and treat women suffering from this debilitating condition. Read the joint press release here.

“We are thrilled to see that the bill recognizes the importance of partnering with national governments and institutions and strengthening local capacity as the way forward,” said Ana Langer, M.D., President of EngenderHealth. “We know this is the most sustainable approach to preventing and treating obstetric fistula. This captures the spirit and intent of the Obama Administration’s Global Health Initiative.”

H.R. 5441 was introduced just days before the start of Women Deliver, the largest-ever conference on maternal and reproductive health, convened in Washington, DC, from June 7–9, 2010. Download the full legislation here (PDF, 41KB).

Take a moment now to write to your representatives today and ask them to co-sponsor the bill.

Learn more about Fistula Care, which is bringing vital fistula prevention and treatment services to women in 11 countries, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The 50th Anniversary of the Pill: A Moment to Reflect and Recommit to Expanding Options

By Lynn Bakamjian, Director, RESPOND Project

The flurry of media attention around the 50th anniversary of the oral contraceptive (popularly known as “the pill”) has been a great reminder to those of us who came of age during this time of the advances that women in the United States were able to make once they had the means to safe, available, and (mostly) affordable contraception.

On a personal level, having the pill as an option provided me with the knowledge and comfort that whenever I needed to, I had the means to manage my fertility and pursue my education and career without worrying about a poorly timed or unwanted pregnancy. As I reflect on what the pill has meant to generations of women, including my own, I cannot imagine how different my life might have been without it.

And while there are many blog posts and news articles about the impact that this female-controlled, easy-to-use contraceptive had on women’s lives here in the United States, I am reminded that this is, unfortunately, not yet the case for many women and couples in developing countries.

More than 200 million women around the world have a desire to use contraception but are currently not using any effective method. This unmet need is largely due to lack of available and affordable options, to fear and concerns about safety due to misconceptions about contraceptive methods, and sometimes even to opposition by husbands or family members.

There are many options that can provide women with a choice that meets their particular family planning needs—while the pill is great, it’s not the only method. In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, many women exceed their desired family size by one or more children, which points to a greater need for options beyond short-acting methods such as the pill, especially underutilized options like intrauterine devices, implants, and sterilization. In most developing countries, however, contraceptive choice is elusive; rarely do women have the range of methods available to meet their needs.

As we mark this milestone in American history, let us remember the hundreds of millions of women who are living today, like American women were a half century ago, in fear of unintended pregnancy, and let us honor them with renewed commitment and action to bring them not only the pill, but the whole wide range of family planning methods that all women deserve.

Support Women's Health with the Global MOMS Act!

Having a baby should be among a woman's most joyous moments in life. Unfortunately, for many women around the world, childbirth can be dangerous and even deadly -- for both mother and child.

The Global MOMS Act will expand access to maternal health services and greatly reduce maternal mortality.

In 2000, the U.S., along with 191 countries, pledged to meet the Millennium Development Goals, including targeting a 75 percent decrease in maternal mortality, by 2015. The Global MOMS Act will help fulfill the pledge, as well as help countless mothers worldwide get quality health care services. For some moms, this act will be the difference between life and death.

No woman should have to put her life or health at risk during pregnancy or childbirth, and all newborns should have a healthy start in life. Tell your members of Congress to support the Global MOMS Act and fight for women's health around the world. Click here!

ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to Support Global Health!

We need your help now. There is growing momentum in Washington around three very important new bills concerning global health. Take a moment now to write to Congress and urge your representatives to support these bills:

• The Global Democracy Promotion Act (H.R. 4879/S.311) would create a permanent legal barrier to attempts by any future administration to reinstate the Global Gag Rule. While President Barack Obama overturned the Gag Rule during his first week in office, this measure is needed to ensure that U.S.-funded organizations will be able to continue delivering lifesaving information and services to women and families around the globe.
  
  
• The Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010 (H.R. 5121) supports voluntary family planning services, education and outreach, the reduction of unsafe abortions, prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the training of health care professionals, and various other initiatives.
  
  
• The Global HEALTH Act (H.R. 4933) would improve the effectiveness of U.S. global health programs by strengthening health systems in developing countries and supporting the training of local health workers.

This is important. Write to Congress now!

South Africa ramps up its response to HIV and AIDS

In a move that United Nations officials say is the biggest and fastest expansion of AIDS services ever attempted, South Africa is opening up a new front in its response to HIV. In the past month, some 500 hospitals and clinics have begun dispensing antiretroviral drugs, and the government has trained hundreds of nurses to prescribe the drugs, work that was formerly the domain of doctors, the New York Times reported yesterday. The plan is to train enough nurses so that all of South Africa’s 4,333 health clinics will be able to dispense antiretroviral medicines.

South Africa is home to an estimated 5.7 million HIV-positive people, the largest number in the world. More than half of South Africans living with HIV are women, and 20 percent of pregnant women accessing public health services in 2008 tested positive for HIV. South Africa also has a high rate of sexual and domestic violence toward women, which increases women’s vulnerability to HIV infection.

Since 1998, EngenderHealth has worked in South Africa to transform men’s attitudes and behaviors to reduce gender-based violence and HIV infection rates. We have also introduced innovative approaches for improving men’s access to HIV counseling and testing and care and treatment services. We applaud South Africa’s increased efforts to respond to HIV and the campaign that was kicked off on Sunday to test 15 million of the country’s 49 million citizens for the virus by next June. We also know from our experiences in places where doctors are scarce that properly trained nurses and midwives can offer high-quality health care.

Read more about EngenderHealth’s work to train nonphysicians to perform male circumcision in Kenya.

At the Huffington Post, More Commentary from Dr. Ana Langer on the Maternal Mortality News

Today at the Huffington Post: Dr. Ana Langer, EngenderHealth's president, explains the importance of the latest maternal mortality research published in the Lancet -- and how it inspires us to keep moving ahead.

For decades, the maternal health community has been stuck on the number 500,000 -- the estimated number of women dying from pregnancy and childbirth each year -- a stubborn figure that keeps us up at night, that horrifies us, that refuses to budge. That changed this week.

Read the full article.

At Salon.com, Dr. Ana Langer's Perspective on the Maternal Mortality Numbers

At Salon.com, EngenderHealth's president Dr. Ana Langer provided some perspective on the maternal mortality numbers in today's headlines, including why the U.S. is lagging.

Dr. Ana Langer, president of EngenderHealth, an international reproductive healthcare organization, said that better record keeping might account for some of the increase in the U.S. The window for classifying maternal mortality has been extended from 42 days after a woman gives birth to one year. Also, in recent years, U.S. death certificates began tracking whether or not a woman of reproductive age is pregnant at the time of death. As for global changes, Langer points to an increase in contraceptive use, women's education and the use of skilled medical providers during birth. However, she was quick to point out that it's somewhat deceptive to say that maternal mortality is declining worldwide. The reality is that it's "declining in some countries with large populations."

Read the full article.

Global Maternal Health Conference 2010

This summer the Maternal Health Task Force at EngenderHealth and the Public Health Foundation of India are hosting the Global Maternal Health Conference 2010 in New Delhi, August 30—September 1. The meeting is expected to bring together approximately 500 maternal health experts and advocates for an unprecedented global technical and programmatic meeting focused exclusively on maternal health.

The Global Maternal Health Conference 2010 aims to build on gathering momentum around United Nations Millennium Development Goal #5, improving maternal health. The meeting is being designed to build consensus around what is needed to make real improvements in the health and lives of pregnant women.

A steering committee has been established and will be confirming the conference themes, and a call for abstracts will be issued soon. The organizers envision a robust youth presence, with the Young Champions of Maternal Health and Indian professionals recruited by the Public Health Foundation of India participating. A scholarship program is also planned to ensure broad participation from around the world.

Stay tuned to this space and the Maternal Health Task Force website for upcoming details.

Men As Partners Video profiles by UNiTE to End Violence

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A digital story from EngenderHealth’s Men As Partners program in South Africa is the featured video of the week on the Say NO—UNiTE to End Violence against Women YouTube channel. In this video, a young woman from South Africa tells of the abuse she suffered by the men in her life, the trauma she endured, and the healing she has been through as a gender activist. Learn about Thoko's story, share comments, and view other empowering videos at http://www.youtube.com/SayNoToViolence.