Committee on Well Woman Health and Care 

Committee Chair: Dr Hema Divakar 

The committee is working on the FIGO Nutrition Checklist, in collaboration with the Committee on the Impact of Pregnancy on Long-term Health. They are planning to disseminate the checklist in India.  

The two chairs are also in conversation with Vitamin Angels for support. Research protocols are being worked out. 

Publications  

Co-Chair Chiara Benedetto will be working closely with leaders and committee members to produce FIGO clinical papers and recommendations on key topics for publication in IJGO and GLOWM. 

The committee collaborated with SAFOG and UNICEF to release a FIGO Statement on think breast feeding first, as well as a webinar in August 2022.  

Webinars and online learning  

The committee is planning to organise educational activities, such as webinars, with member societies and regional federations. Their FIGO Global Webinar “Ensuring Wellness Through the Life Course – Delivering Solutions”, which will touch on the four Ms: menstrual health; maternal health; mental health and menopausal health is scheduled for October 2022.  

The committee is also planning masterclasses. It has submitted a proposal for a masterclass series submitted in collaboration with the Committee on Women Facing Crisis. They have defined the outline for six modules. 

Committee Chair Dr Hema Divakar has recently spoken about Recurrent Pregnancy Loss on 26 August 2022 in the masterclass series of “Understanding the less understood”, a masterclass series hosted by the REI Committee in collaboration with the Committee on Well Woman Health Care. 

There is also a planned collaboration with the Committee on the Impact of Pregnancy on Long-term Health. It has been approved by ECAC and is starting in January 2023. 

Finally, the committee is also working on developing an e-certification course entitled Think Nutrition First. Modules for the course are under preparation and include assessment of the nutritional status in pregnant women. The FIGO Nutrition Checklist now being piloted, will help finalise the modules for different target audiences. 

Committee on Women’s Cancer  

Committee Chair: Prof Jonathan Berek 

The committee helped to plan the very successful workshop on sustainable implementation of vaccination programmes for women: best practice strategies, in Prague in July 2022. They also have been helping to facilitate the ongoing and evolving relationship between FIGO and the WHO for the global strategy for cervical cancer prevention. 

The committee is currently developing a revision of the FIGO endometrial cancer staging system, which will soon be presented to their collaborative societies and liaison members for their review and feedback prior to publication. They are also working on developing a liaison with the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) to create a symposium on Cervical Cancer Prevention to be held in 2025. 

Finally, Committee Chair Professor Jonathan Berek received an IGCS 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Publications  

In collaboration with the Committee on Contraception, the Committee on Women’s Cancer is developing a FIGO good practice recommendations on contraception for prevention of gynaecological cancer to be published in a special themed section on contraception the IJGO coincident with World Contraception Day in September 2022. They are also developing an oncofertility position statement in collaboration with the Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (REI) Committee. 

Webinars and online learning  

The committee will deliver their FIGO Global Webinar Series on the topic of “Revised endometrial cancer staging” in April 2023. 

Congress 

The committee is developing the women’s cancer programme for the FIGO 2023 congress to be held in Paris. They have designated the topics and will arrange the speakers in collaboration with the overall programme committee. 

They have also created a programme in gynecologic oncology and designated the speakers for the FIGO Regional Congress to be held in Cartagena, Columbia in November 2022. 

Committee for Menstrual Disorders and Related Health Impacts (MDRHI) 

Committee Chair: Prof Hilary Critchley 

Publications  

A new FIGO Ovulatory Disorders Classification System has been developed under the joint guidance of the Committee on MDRHI and the Committee on REI, led by Past Chair Malcolm Munro. The system is the result of a rigorous multi-stakeholder worldwide process that included national and subspecialty organisations, specialty journals, experts at large and patient advocacy groups. Publication will appear simultaneously in IJGO, Human Reproduction and Fertility and Sterility. 

They have advanced the preparation of a multi-author, cross discipline supplement for IJGO on the theme: “Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) and Iron Deficiency (ID) and impacts on the lives of women and offspring”. A review of the current two abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) FIGO systems will also take place over the next 12 months or so. 

Webinars and online learning  

The committee has also delivered the August webinar entitled “The causes of abnormal uterine bleeding in the reproductive years – what’s new?” – covering abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in the context of adenomyosis, ovulatory disorders and caesarean scar defect. 

Committee on Climate Change and Toxic Environmental Exposures 

Committee Chair: Prof Ditas D. Decena  

The committee is currently working on the integration of an environmental curriculum, with its pilot project taking place in the Philippines. The committee has also subdivided the members into three groups: education/training, publication and research. The research subcommittee led by Linda Guidice has already met this August.  

In other news, one of their members, Krishnendu Gupta was recently appointed chair of AOFOG Environment Working Group. As a collaborative endeavour the committee wants to partner up with AOFOG and come up with webinar and programme on the environment. 

Publications  

They are planning to update the FIGO opinion on reproductive health impacts of exposure to toxic environmental chemicals to include the impact of climate change. 

Committee on Ethical Aspects of Human Reproduction and Women’s Health 

Committee Chair: Dr Lourdes Capito 

Dr Aris Antsaklis and Chair Dr Lourdes Capito attended FIGO’s vaccination workshop in Prague as speakers for the bioethics session and panel discussion. 

Publications  

The committee also collaborated with the Committee on Women Facing Crises on a statement that is being developed on rape as a weapon of war, focusing on the ethical aspects, and submitting their comments and suggestions.

Webinars  

This committee also delivered the July webinar, on the topic of bioethics. 

Congress  

The following topics presented by the committee were accepted for the FIGO Regional Congress: ethical dilemmas in adolescent pregnancy; keynote lecture on ethics of abortion. Several committee members volunteered as members for the FIGO 2023 scientific committee under Dr Pius Okong. 

Committee on Women Facing Crises: Human Rights, Refugees and Violence Against Women 

Committee Chair: Dr Rubina Sohail 

The committee has recently worked on a global survey published in IJGO “Are sexual and reproductive health and rights taught in medical school?”. A similar survey is being carried out for Afghanistan – the committee has started data collection and its ongoing work 

The committee has also received multiple invitations to participate at various conferences such as the Emirates – FOGSI – FIGO conference taking place 9-11 September 2022 on the impact of Covid-19 on GBV and reproductive rights. They have also received an invitation to deliver a plenary talk at the 32nd World Congress of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology on “Women’s health in conflict zones” on 16 September 2022. They will also be participating at the FIGO SAFOG session on gender-based violence at the SAFOG-SLCOG conference taking place end of September.  

The committee has spoken at the CRAFT conference in May 2022 on “Climate change and maternal and neonatal health – a rights issue”, and on “Breastfeeding – a human rights issue” at Kinnaird College on 31 August 2022.  

Publications  

The committee is working on FIGO Statement on rape as a weapon of war. 

Webinars and online learning  

The committee is working in collaboration with the Committee on Well Woman Health Care to conduct four webinars with the regional trustees as chairs and presenters from both committees on the topics of mental health in adolescents; domestic violence in reproductive age; menopausal health and rights; health care providers in crisis. 

The committee delivered the June webinar on the topic of mitigating gender-based violence in conflict.   

Congress 

For the FIGO Regional Congress 2022, Cartagena, the committee has a plenary talk, session and a workshop planned.