World Health Day: April 7, 2009

Older women in their 40s are more likely than their teenage counterparts to have an unplanned pregnancy, according to a new UK study.

A survey carried out by parenting website Netmums indicated that one in five women who had a child after the age of 40 said their pregnancy was a surprise.

However, of the 3,151 women to take part in the study, just eight per cent said they had an unplanned baby as a teenager or in their 20s.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has offered advice for women experiencing severe maternal morbidity during pregnancy.

It comes after a report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland which found that one in every 140 pregnancies is affected by conditions such as major obstetric haemorrhage (MOH).

RCOG highlighted a number of deficiencies in the prevention and management of MOH and called for increased awareness from clinicians.

The Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NESOG) , the Nepal Pediatric Society (NEPAS) and the Midwifery Society of Nepal (MIDSON) recently came together to disseminate the research findings of the FIGO Essential Interventions project in Nepal.

FIGO is introducing a very important new resource for Safer Motherhood.

After extensive testing and evaluation, FIGO’s educational platform, The Global Library of Women’s Medicine, is making available a unique Safer Motherhood APP; it is entirely FREE and we hope it will be genuinely helpful in supporting medical professionals in their care of women throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

Currently, WHO recommends oxytocin as the first method of preventing excessive bleeding after childbirth. However, the drug must be stored and transported at two to eight degrees Celsius.