Ask Dr. FIGO

FIGO's Ask Dr. FIGO project is a free, anonymous website that enables visitors to ask questions about sexual and reproductive health and get personalised information from OBGYNs in their own language. Launched as a pilot in Ethiopia in July 2021, the project will be scaled to other lower- and middle-income countries in the future.

What is the aim of Ask Dr. FIGO?

Young people all around the world lack access to quality SRH information, most notably in lower- and middle-income countries.

Ask Dr. FIGO aims to address this issue by providing SRH information on topics including, but not limited to, pregnancy prevention, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and consent. This knowledge will prevent unplanned and unwanted pregnancies and serious illness, ultimately protecting young people against social stigma and many other negative life outcomes. 

Ask Dr. FIGO is a bold initiative that has the potential to revolutionise access to SRH information for people around the world, while also preventing the spread of misinformation that is so pervasive on the internet.  

How it works

The service has been launched as a pilot in Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG). 

To receive personalised SRH information on Ask Dr. FIGO, website visitors in Ethiopia will simply type in an SRH question in English or Amharic, answer seven medically relevant, non-invasive questions, and then receive a private 3-digit numerical code to access their personalised response from a doctor within 24 to 48 hours.  

Ask Dr. FIGO doctors use a bespoke portal to publish their responses on the website. These personalised responses are only accessible using a relevant 3-digit code. Website visitors need not share personally identifying information and are able to remain completely anonymous, while benefitting from free, personalised information.

Partners

Ask Dr. FIGO was created by Jill Sheffield, Chair of FIGO’s Committee of Contraception and Family Planning, with the support of creative director Cynthia Wang. The pilot programme was launched in partnership with the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG), under the leadership of President Dr Mekdes Daba and with assistance from Programme Communications Officer Addisu Deresse and General Manager Selamawit Kefle.

Project contact 

Cynthia Wang, [email protected]

Find out more

Website: askdrfigo.org

Follow the project on social media

Instagram: @askdrfigo

Facebook: facebook.com/AskDrFIGO